HYBRID WORK MODEL

FOR

COLLABORATION

Figure 1. Hybrid Work

Hybrid working is a form of flexible working where workers spend some of their time working remotely (usually, but not necessarily, from home) and some time in an office, usually their base office; the work office employees would most likely go to, based on their location and team.

However, today, true flexibility is not just about where we work, but also how we work and the hours we do.

The four-day week, compressed hours, job sharing, flexible hours, even working in other offices such ones elsewhere in the country or abroad – there are so many options to really give employees the flexibility they need to do their best work(Sage,2022).

To tackle the complexities surrounding the hybrid workplace, HR leaders need a new playbook, one that addresses employee benefits of a hybrid work model as well as how to find success. Here are three steps HR leaders can take to create the foundation for this roadmap (Meister and Bruce, 2022).

1.Create team autonomy in deciding the principles of hybrid work.

2.Be aware of conflicting views between working in a hybrid work environment and advancing in one’s career.

3. Identify the support your organization will provide all workers across all environments.

(Video 01: Cates collaboratives, 2022)

THE 4 MODELS OF HYBRID WORK COLLABORATION

The interesting paper by Golemanova (2022) stated that Within the newly growing world of the hybrid environment, there are different options for team members to work alone or together, at the same time or during different parts of the workday.

On that basis, Gartner created a simple chart with four modes of international collaboration in a hybrid world:

Working together from the same place (colocated and synchronous): teams are in one location and participate physically in common meetings.
Working together from different places (distributed and synchronous): team members work remotely and participate virtually in common meetings.
Working alone from the same place (colocated and asynchronous): team members work individually towards the common goals, but share the same office space.
Working alone from different places (distributed and asynchronous): team members work individually towards the common goals from their distributed locations.

The purpose of each mode is different and brings various benefits for individual team members and for their common goals. For example, it’s important to have time together in the same room to enjoy the advantages of face-to-face communication.

FLEXIBILITY AND COLLABORATION ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE

Helping people know which tasks call for real-time collaboration and which tasks are better done on their own time is critical for sustaining productivity and well being in a hybrid work world. Employees who are empowered to work in ways that complement their needs, preferences, and schedules typically reward their organization for that flexibility.

When you create team norms around same-time and staggered-time collaboration, you can help your employees stay productive and connected to each other and the broader organization. And by giving them tools that support seamless, secure collaboration experiences from anywhere, the impact on productivity, employee well being, and morale can be transformational (Brencel, 2022).

5 PRINCIPLES FOR MAKING HYBRID COLLABORATION WORK

Figure 2 : Five Principle for Hybrid Collaboration Work

The Important blog written by Kalbach, (2021) stated that ,hybrid or distributed work arrangements whatever form they take are harder than you think. MURAL has worked with (and employed) distributed teams since the company’s founding in 2011, and we have learned a few things about how to make work-from-anywhere collaboration work.

There are 5 key principles to consider when approaching a hybrid working environment, which we refer to as the 5Ps of hybrid collaboration:h

People: The strategic considerations around your hiring, management, and culture that will complement a hybrid work structure.
Policy: The parameters and logistics that define your hybrid work structure.
Place: The thoughtful design of your workspace to foster safe, inclusive, and successful collaboration.
Products: The digital collaboration platforms and technologies you leverage for success.
Processes: The formalized digital processes put in place to help people and teams support and engage with one another in a hybrid world.

It’s true — hybrid collaboration ain’t easy, to put it mildly. But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth it. Teams that successfully follow these five principles have the potential to reap a number of benefits.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFIT OF HYBRID WORK

Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach to hybrid work when implemented effectively, it can have many advantages:

1. Increases productivity and efficiency.

A hybrid setup, flexible hours and a refreshing change of environments can increase an employee's focus, especially on their own tasks.

2. Reduces operating cost.

With fewer employees in the office, companies will need less physical space. Thus, the hybrid model reduces the cost of both real estate and office supplies. It also saves money for employees by cutting down on commuting costs.

3. Redefines collaboration.

Hybrid work calls for companies to undergo digital transformation to unite, engage, and support distributed teams. Employees no longer need to be in the same room to brainstorm and work together. They can communicate and collaborate from any location with the adoption of modern technological tool.

4. Improves employee work-life balance.

Working full-time from home or the office can be isolating or distracting.

5. Maintains staff safety and health.

Fewer people in the office means fewer chances of passing on illnesses. Infections are less likely when there are fewer workers on premises.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES OF HYBRID WORK

According to the Buitleir (2022), There are several types of challenges can be implied due to Hybrid Works.

Poor Social Interactions.
Poor Understanding of Company Culture among Employees.
Difficulty Convincing Workers to come back to the office.
Under utilization of Physical office Infrastructure
Tendency to Favor IN-Office Workers.
Difficulty Maintaining Work-life Balance.
Increased Overhead Labor Costs.
Boost employee retention & morale with parking benefits.
Poor work communications.
Coordination problems.

REFERENCES

Brenzel, M (2022) When to use same time and asynchronous collaboration in your organization. [Blog Entry] 25 August. Available from https://workspace.google.com/blog/hybrid-work/how-teams-can-collaborate-seamlessly-in-the-hybrid-work-world [Accessed 22 April 2023].

Buitleir, D.D. (2022) Top challenges of the Hybrid work Culture. [Blog Entry] 20 April. Available from https://wayleadr.com/blog/top-10-challenges-of-the-hybrid-work-culture/ [Accessed 22 April 2023].

Cates collabaratives, (2022). Explainer Video Examples: Animated Hybrid Work Policy. [Online Video] Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGsf3stzDeM [Accessed 23 April 2023].

Durai (2022) Five benefits and challenges of Hybrid Works. [Online] Work Drive. Available from https://www.zoho.com/workdrive/digest/top-5-benefits-and-challenges-of-hybrid-work.html [Accessed 22 April 2023].

Gnoemanova, R. (2022) Your practical guide to hybrid workforce collaboration (11 best practices). [Bolg Entry] 24 January. Available from https://www.officernd.com/blog/hybrid-workforce-collaboration/ [Accessed 22 April 2023].

Kalbatch, J (2021) 5 principal for making hybrid collaboration work. [Blog Entry] 12 July. Available from https://www.mural.co/blog/making-hybrid-work [Accessed 22 April 2023].

Meister, J. and Bruce, J. (2022) Human resourse executive. Hybrid work is presenting HR leaders with a major conundrum. [online] Human resourse executive Available from:https://hrexecutive.com/hybrid-work-is-presenting-hr-leaders-with-a-major-conundrum/ [ Acessed 21 April 2023].

Peny, C, (2022) Hybrid working in 2022 an ultimate guide for HR leaders.[Blog entry] 2 March. United Kingdom:Sage group plc. Available from https://www.sage.com/en-gb/blog/hybrid-working-hr-guide/ [Accessed 20 April 2023].