What is a Hybrid Workplace Model? An In-Depth Guide

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many companies to adopt remote and hybrid working out of necessity. But even as offices reopen, hybrid work is here to stay. Surveys show a majority of employees want location flexibility and would quit if it’s not offered. This poses an opportunity – and a challenge – for organizations to rethink their workplace models.

So what exactly is a hybrid workplace model? Here’s an in-depth look at what hybrid work entails, its benefits and drawbacks, and best practices for implementing hybrid policies successfully

What is a Hybrid Workplace?

A hybrid workplace gives employees flexibility to split their time between the office and working remotely. There are many variations, but generally hybrid work involves

• Employees working some days in the office and other days at home (or a third workspace). A common split is 3 days in office, 2 days remote.

• Splitting each week between office and remote work. For example, half the team works remotely Monday/Wednesday, the other half Tuesday/Thursday, with Fridays rotating.

• Certain teams or roles work mostly on-site, while others are fully or mostly remote.

• Some employees work remotely full-time, others hybrid, and others remain office-based depending on their jobs.

The schedules can vary based on team needs and employee preferences. The core element is deliberately structuring a fluid work experience that combines the best of in-person and virtual collaboration.

Benefits of a Hybrid Model

There are many potential upsides to hybrid work when implemented thoughtfully:

• Increased employee satisfaction and retention. Studies consistently show employees value schedule flexibility and are more engaged, loyal and less likely to quit when given hybrid options.

• Enhanced work-life balance. Removing daily commutes gives people back precious time. Remote days provide greater control over schedules. This leads to reduced stress and burnout.

• Expanded talent pools. Organizations can hire from anywhere instead of just their headquarter locations. This widens the talent pipeline.

• Cost savings. With less office space needed, companies can reduce real estate expenses. Employees also spend less on commuting and other work-related costs.

• Environmental benefits. Fewer daily commutes significantly decreases employees’ carbon footprints. Companies also reduce energy usage with fewer people in the office each day.

• Productivity gains. Studies show productivity has increased during the pandemic’s mass remote work experiment, in part due to fewer distractions and interruptions.

• Health benefits. The flexibility helps employees stay healthier by reducing commute-related stress, enabling more sleep, and providing flexibility to exercise and eat well.

Drawbacks and Challenges of Hybrid Models

Despite the advantages, hybrid models also pose challenges including:

• Communication difficulties. It can be harder to collaborate, brainstorm, and make decisions when some team members are remote. Nuance and spontaneity suffer.

• “Two cultures” divide. Bifurcated in-office and remote experiences could lead to perceptions of unequal access, inclusion or advancement prospects.

• Technology headaches. Technical problems inevitably arise with more virtual meetings and remote work technologies.

• Data security risks. More people working remotely increases cybersecurity vulnerabilities and the chances of data breaches.

• Monitoring performance. It can be more difficult for managers to observe and evaluate employee performance day-to-day in hybrid settings.

• “Always on” mentality. Without boundaries, remote work can lead to longer hours and the expectation to be constantly available.

• Loneliness and isolation. Fully remote employees may feel disconnected, isolated, or left out of office interactions.

• Inconsistent experiences Hybrid policies vary across teams, which can create perceptions of inequity in who has flexible options.

Best Practices for Successful Hybrid Models

Implementing hybrid policies well requires thoughtfully addressing concerns like these upfront. Here are some best practices:

• Take an inclusive approach – Make hybrid work open to as many employees as possible. Be transparent about any exceptions based on roles.

• Train managers – Equip them to manage hybrid teams, lead virtually, and measure performance in new ways.

• Set expectations – Establish clear guidelines around availability, response times, meetings, and collaboration.

• Enhance inclusion – Facilitate social connections, equal access to information, and visibility for remote team members.

• Embrace technology – Invest in tools for seamless video meetings, collaboration, communication, and security.

• Rethink performance reviews – Focus on output vs. time spent at desks. Judge work by impact.

• Learn and adapt – Experiment, gather feedback, and improve. View hybrid work as an evolving, long-term strategy.

• Support health and wellbeing – Encourage boundaries, time off, and self-care. Discourage overwork.

• Cultivate trust – Demonstrate you respect employees’ ability to work productively with autonomy.

Below we’ll explore these factors and other implementation considerations in more detail:

Take an Inclusive Approach

Strive to provide hybrid options equitably across the organization to anyone whose role allows it. Excluding large swaths of employees could hurt morale, retention and your employer brand. Provide transparency into any exceptions like roles requiring on-site presence.

Seek broad input to shape policies that work for both the business and employee needs. Be flexible and willing to evolve approaches over time. View hybrid work as a long-term cultural journey.

Train Managers to Lead Hybrid Teams

Equip managers with training to supervise hybrid teams. Virtual management, communication and emotional intelligence skills are essential. Managers must learn to build trust remotely, nurture culture, coach virtually and solve issues across locations.

Enable them to set clear expectations around availability, meetings, and collaboration. Empower them to experiment with team schedules to balance business needs, employee preferences and inclusion.

Set Expectations and Guidelines

Establish clear guardrails and policies so employees understand how to effectively collaborate in the hybrid environment. For example:

• Core office hours when most teammates overlap online
• Response time expectations (i.e. within 24 hours)
• Email and meeting etiquette
• Detailed availability statuses so people respect others’ focus time
• Meeting norms like cameras on for parity

Revisit assumptions about everything from meeting length to appointment culture. Rethink which interactions require real-time meetings vs. could be asynchronous communication.

Enhance Inclusion and Belonging

Strengthen connections between remote and in-office team members to combat “two cultures” divides. For example:

• Pair virtual and office buddies
• Kick off meetings with team bonding
• Train people on inclusive virtual meetings
• Rotate different people joining remotely
• If some attend an event in person, loop in remote folks virtually

Also provide equal access to information, development and advancement opportunities. Proactively check if remote team members feel included and valued.

Embrace Technology

Employ technologies that make hybrid work seamless, not frustrating. Invest in reliable video conference platforms, collaboration tools, messaging, cloud storage, virtual whiteboards and other solutions.

Bridge the hardware gap between office and home setups. For example, provide remote stipends for employees to buy home office furniture, additional monitors, noise-cancelling headphones, etc.

Prioritize cybersecurity with strong VPNs, updated devices, multi-factor authentication, end-to-end encryption, strict access controls and cybersecurity training.

Rethink Performance Management

Judge performance on outcomes vs. hours logged in the office. Refocus reviews and advancement criteria on impact and results.

Train managers on setting clear hybrid work goals and measurable remote work success metrics. Empower them to regularly check in 1:1s to align on priorities and give feedback.

Tools like project management software provide transparency into productivity. But also focus on honing a culture of trust around delivering great work, regardless of location.

Learn and Adapt

View hybrid work as an iterative process. Continuously gather feedback from employees to identify what’s working and what’s not. Be willing to regularly evolve policies and practices based on learnings.

Analyze data points like productivity, collaboration, inclusion, innovation, satisfaction, turnover and other metrics. Use insights to fine-tune team schedules, workflows, trainings and other support.

Stay on top of emerging hybrid work technologies and trends. Experiment with new collaboration tools and techniques. Maintain flexibility as needs change over time.

Support Health and Wellbeing

Promote healthier work habits in hybrid environments. Discourage overwork and “always-on” mentalities. Set email and meeting-free blocks of time where people can truly disconnect and recharge.

Offer wellness resources, mental health benefits, remote ergonomic guidance, etc. to support employee health, especially for fully remote staff. Make sure people take vacations, sick time and mental health days.

Train managers to spot signs of burnout and overwork in distributed teams. Develop a culture that celebrates output over long hours.

Cultivate a Culture of Trust

Demonstrate that you trust employees to do great work irrespective of whether they’re in the office or working from home