Pros and Cons of Hybrid Working:
- Increased savings, such as reduced overheads.
- Broader talent pool with less local geographical constraints.
- Improved employer-employee trust.
- Increased employee satisfaction with less team burnout.
- Improved employee retention.
- Increased flexibility around work scheduling.
- Heightened cybersecurity risks.
- Hybrid working does not lend itself to a global workforce.
- Some industries aren't geared towards hybrid working.
- Increased expenses with the implementation of remote workforce management tools.
- Issues with employee planning and coordination, such as scheduling meetings and attending in-person events.
- Difficulty with team and work culture building.
Examples of Hybrid Work Models:
Hybrid work models are not a one-size-fits-all solution; there are several ways for companies to implement the model on their terms.
1. Office-centric.
As the name suggests, an office-centric hybrid work model dictates that employees work mostly onsite, with some days spent working remotely as needed. For example, employees may be asked to work onsite four days per week, with the option to work remotely one day per week.
This model is not as widely implemented as other examples, with only 27% of U.S. companies opting for the office-centric model in 2023. This may be attributed to employees wanting a more flexible schedule with additional remote working opportunities, such as at least three days per week of offsite working.
2. Remote-first.
The remote-first model allows employees to work remotely most of the time, with the option to work onsite at least one day per week. With around 37% of U.S. job seekers interested in a fully remote position, this model is ideal for companies wanting to explore the feasibility of remote working while keeping their onsite work options open.
However, challenges may arise with keeping employees fully engaged and connected to the company culture without minimal in-person communication and onsite social events.
3. Flexible hybrid.
A flexible hybrid model is a "best of both worlds" option that allows employees to determine the time they spend onsite and working remotely. For example, if an employee has to collaborate with colleagues on a project, they'll most likely work from the office.
However, if they have independent tasks to complete, they may choose to work remotely. This model is less rigid and may comprise of a split-week or week-by-week hybrid work schedule.
4. Fixed hybrid.
Unlike a flexible hybrid work setup, a fixed hybrid work model has a guideline in place to mandate onsite and remote working options. For example, it may enforce a specific schedule, such as three days per week in the office, with two days of remote working, with little to no exceptions.
This model keeps employee flexibility in while placing a larger emphasis on in-person engagement than other model types.
Examples of hybrid work schedules:
1. Split schedule.
One of the most common types of schedules, a split arrangement allows employees to spend their time both onsite and working remotely in equal measure. For example, companies can ask employees to work in the office on Mondays and Tuesdays, spending the rest of the week working from home, or vice versa.
This schedule gives employees good flexibility without sacrificing face time in the office.
2. Team-driven (bottom-up).
A team-driven schedule is more department-specific and dictates that teams decide which days they'd like to spend in the office and which can be spent working from home. This schedule is ideal for teams that may need to collaborate in person, and companies can arrange cross-functional schedules for departments that may need to work together onsite.
3. Company-driven (top-down).
This schedule is set by the leadership team and they can either create a schedule on a team-by-team basis or create a blanket policy for everyone. Whether the schedule is split or staggered, companies will decide which days employees need to be on site.
It's a good option for increased coordination, but it may not be ideal for employees looking for more autonomy and wanting to have a larger input into planning their schedules.
4. Staggered.
A staggered schedule or shift allows employees to work onsite for "core" hours and spend the rest of the day or shift working remotely. While this schedule may take a little more planning and coordination from both companies and employees, it may be beneficial for teams that need some collaboration time along with remote working options to ensure good flexibility.
5. Full flexibility.
This schedule dictates the employees get to choose how they'd like to set up their hybrid work schedule and will hinge on personal preference — one employee may choose to work fully remote with one day per month onsite, and another may want to split every Wednesday between the office and working from home.
It gives employees full autonomy over their work schedule and may require more planning and coordination between teams than other types of schedules.
Hybrid Work vs. Remote Work:
While hybrid work dictates that employees work both onsite and remote according to a set schedule, remote work allows employees to work from home without ever having to go into the office.
Both arrangements offer various pros and cons, but according to a recent study done on the state of workers in 2024, about 29% of employees preferred hybrid work, while only 23% preferred to work in a fully remote environment.
Determining the best work model for your company will be influenced by a number of factors, including the industry you operate in, your employees' preferences, and the need for in-person collaboration. It may be best to explore both options and determine which one is right for your workforce.
How to Implement a Hybrid Work Model:
Follow these steps to successfully implement a hybrid work model in your workplace.
Note that the cost is based on a business with 20 employees and includes various expenses, such as remote workforce management tools and remote office setups.
Define your goals and expectations.
Survey your employees.
Creating the best hybrid work model for your business will be heavily influenced by the needs of your employees. Chatting with your various teams and workers will give you a good sense of what model and schedule will best work for them. Consider setting up a survey form with the following questions for your employees to fill out:
- Would you benefit from a hybrid work schedule?
- How many days would you prefer working onsite?
- How many days would you prefer working remotely?
- Would you need additional resources to set up a remote office space?
- What benefits would you expect to receive with a hybrid work model?
- How would a hybrid work model impact your productivity?
Get feedback from your leadership team(s).
Once you have a good idea of how a hybrid work model would benefit your employees, chat with your leadership team and/or department heads to get a sense of their expectations and provide them with your employees' insights. Here are some questions you can ask and discuss with your leadership team(s):
- Would your team benefit from a hybrid work model?
- Would your team need face-to-face meetings and collaboration sessions?
- Would we need to change the way we track employee KPIs and other performance metrics if we implement this model?
- What resources would we need to ensure the team remains collaborative and productive during remote working days?
Design your hybrid work policy.
Outline your policy's key elements.
Now that you have a clear idea of what your employees and leadership team(s) need and want in a hybrid work setting, you can start designing a comprehensive policy to define, set up, and regulate your new working environment. Some important steps to add to your policy may include:
Outline which teams and/or employees are eligible for hybrid work.
Provide detailed information on employees' hybrid working schedules.
Clearly define employee responsibilities and expectations, such as performance evaluation and security and data protection.
Include any changes to employee benefits or HR-related processes.
Note the procedure for a hybrid work request.
Use a hybrid work policy template.
Use our hybrid work policy template to create a detailed policy tailored to your business needs.
Provide employees with remote-first tools and equipment.
Consider remote office setups.
Helping your employees set up a remote office is important to ensure they're able to easily fulfill their roles from home. You may need to contribute an allowance of sorts to employees who need to set up their space with a computer, a stable internet connection, and a remote office phone system, depending on their needs.
The best approach will be to chat with your employees to get an idea of what their remote working needs are, and how you can go about helping them set up their ideal home/remote workspace.
Implement remote workforce management tools.
Depending on the teams adhering to your hybrid work policy, you may need to purchase and implement additional, remote-first workforce management tools to keep your employees engaged and productive while they work from home.
Some examples include:
- Video conferencing.
- Meeting room booking.
- Virtual project management.
- Time-tracking.
- Communication and collaboration.
- File sharing and cloud storage.
- Remote desktop access.
- Security and data protection.
Keep in mind that there may be both free and paid options to choose from.
Promote collaboration among your employees.
Establish clear communication norms.
It's important to define what communication will look like among employees who adhere to a hybrid work schedule. You may need to engage with your leadership team(s) and set down some ground rules for keeping remote working employees in the loop so they can effectively contribute to a healthy and collaborative work environment.
Some ideas for engaging hybrid employees include:
Promote inclusive communication with access to virtual conferencing and other collaboration tools.
Encourage regular team check-ins, either virtual or in-person, to address any concerns.
Keep remote employees in the loop about company celebrations and social events, such as birthdays and team get-togethers.
Track the success of your policy.
Think about measurable success metrics.
Once your policy has been implemented and employees have been transitioned to a hybrid work schedule, you can start measuring its effectiveness. It's important to find out how well your policy gels with your company's unique culture, systems, and processes, and you can do so by establishing several metrics:
Productivity: the number of tasks completed by day or week, time spent on each task, etc.
Inclusion: the number of collaborative activities taking place either virtual or in-person, inclusion survey results, etc.
Talent: the number of employees hired and onboarded for hybrid roles, the retention rate of hybrid roles, etc.
Cost reduction: reduced rental costs, how much money is saved by using cloud-based tools, etc.
Space utilization: the average occupancy rate of the office, how many employees prefer working onsite vs. remotely, etc.
Collect feedback from employees.
An essential step in measuring the success of your policy is by talking to your hybrid working employees and gaining insight into their work day and overall satisfaction with the policy. You can do so by scheduling one-on-one chats or conducting anonymous surveys, whichever works best for your business.
Hybrid Work Policy — Free Template
Download our free hybrid work policy template in MS Word format.
Download Now