One-size-fits-all workweeks are basically becoming a thing of the past.
In fact, 80% of U.S. companies now offer some form of hybrid or remote work arrangement. Hybrid models are here to stay and there’s a model for every team.
You might be concerned about how hybrid work will affect your office interactions, your corporate overheads, or something in between.
Today’s blog will break hybrid options down to help you find the optimal setup for your teams.
Times certainly are changing, so let us help to guide you.
What is a “hybrid” work environment?
A hybrid work environment carefully blends in-office and remote work. The principle is to maintain the benefits of in-person collaboration while offering flexibility and autonomy to your employees.
Hybrid and remote work systems are rapidly becoming the preferred model for both companies and employees.
Research like this Stanford study illuminates the benefits of a hybrid setup. The report found that hybrid workers at least match the productivity of full-time on-site workers while lowering turnover by 33%.
A new hybrid work style is slowly proving to be a balanced system that revitalizes engagement while retaining talent around the world.
What are the best hybrid schedules and models I can use?
There are a host of setups and schedules in hybrid modeling. Below we’ve listed the best models you can implement into the way your organization operates:
3-day in-office hybrid scheduling
Kicking off our list is something called the 3-day in-office hybrid schedule. It’s sometimes called a 3-2 or 2-3 hybrid system. This setup is fast becoming a favorite for global corporate titans like Google, Citi, and HSBC. When implemented properly, it’s becoming a real “win-win” for employees, managers, and the company as a whole.
The setup could be a 3-2 with 3 days working in-office followed by 2 days working remotely.
Some companies are opting to reverse it, using 2-3, with 2 days working in-office and then 3 days working remotely.
The 3-2 and 2-3 models are the subject of research in a thorough and insightful study carried out by Nature Science Journal. The scientific research behind this setup illustrates that it’s more than a passing trend. The study delved into the workings of the travel giant Trip.com, analyzing 1,612 of their employees.
It was discovered that employees in the 3-2 and 2-3 systems brought significant benefits to the company, the likes of which they’d never seen before. Employee turnover decreased by a whopping 33% among hybrid workers compared to staff who were fully in-office. Generally, women, non-managers, and employees with long commutes became less likely to quit.
The study found that the quality and quantity of work produced did not decrease as some analysts expected. Hybrid employees also had equal chances to receive a promotion, highlighting how remote work does not impact career progress, as many people believe.
Employee satisfaction was maintained, keeping engagement strong while staff got used to their alternating schedule. The company reaped the benefits of lower turnover, resulting in reduced costs.
The 3-day in-office hybrid model therefore shows perhaps the most potential for companies who are establishing themselves further into hybrid systems. It’s starting to look more and more compelling for companies to take the risk and hybridize their working patterns!
Flexible hybrid model
So after showing you 3-2 and 2-3 schedules, you might be feeling like you’ve been looking at a list of sports formations a manager can use. The thing is with scheduling, it can become a little too rigid and unaccommodating for potential changes. This is where a flexible hybrid model takes center stage.
A flexible hybrid model involves giving your employees the autonomy to decide which days they’ll work remotely and which days they’re physically present in the office. This model works best within a culture of trust and your employees need to understand how to prioritize their work-life balance.
It’s not like giving a pass for a day-off to a schoolchild. The modern workplace has simply risen above employees doing the minimum amount of work needed while their superiors watch. We mentioned earlier about the ways remote work enhances engagement and productivity, so you might find that your remote employees work even better outside of the office than in it.
While the flexibility boosts morale and often leads to higher productivity (as employees work in environments that suit them best), it does require a solid communication infrastructure. In a flexible hybrid model, you can place requirements that employees meet targets and attend critical meetings, while still granting them autonomy of how they designate their work.
We feel that a lot of companies are held back from designing a complete hybrid model because they see it as all or nothing, and too risky as everyone will go remote. This is not true. A solid flexible hybrid model can slowly let you see the benefits of partial remote working. Trust yourself and try this out!
Role-based hybrid model
Now we’re getting even more specific in the details of your teams. A role-based hybrid model tailors hybrid working to fit the way your teams are set up. As a manager, it’s critical for your tailoring to be carefully measured, which could be in a way that only you know best.
In a role-based hybrid model, you’re basically assigning schedules that revolve around your company's operations. For example, customer-facing roles or on-site operations teams will need to spend more time in the office. You need to start thinking about the more technical, creative, and back-office roles and bring in more remote flexibility. Your company will aim to optimize in-person availability while offering flexibility where possible.
One aspect to consider could be that since teams are in-office only as the roles need them to be, dedicated workspaces may become less practical. Here, a hot-desking system that lets employees book desks could further optimize the use of office space. Systems of hot-desking and office hotelling are revitalizing work practices, and employees are taking note. A Gallup survey found that 37% of workers would leave their traditional office to join a company with a flexible office environment.
So consider the perks and incorporate a role-based hybrid model if it suits your needs. A tailored approach can amplify employee satisfaction, as staff are working in a way that compliments their roles. You will however need to maintain a thoughtful approach to communication and collaboration across departments. If you’re not careful, you could be leading toward a “siloed” work culture that lacks team unity. Overall, this setup could greatly benefit your company if your team formation is right.
Project-based hybrid model
Now we’re taking the magnifying glass off roles and onto projects. A project-based hybrid model may be the ultimate way to adapt to a fast-paced market. It aligns in-office work with the natural flow of projects that ramp-up in busy seasons and settle down in off-seasons.
Rather than weekday work being on-site or remote, your employees work remotely most of the time but come into the office during critical project phases. These phases could be vision planning, brainstorming, or nearing a looming deadline. With a proper project-based model you could be maximizing remote work for individual tasks, then pulling everyone back in for a huddle during high-collaboration stages.
If you decide on this model, get to grips with in-office sprints where your teams knuckle down at graft. Remember, this is the key time to understand work-life balance philosophies; you simply won’t be able to keep pushing them if their tanks are running empty. Between these sprints, your teams can operate remotely as and when it suits the project.
You’ll be reducing significant commute times for your teams when they’re able to work remotely, so you’ll need to be deeply involved with project phases. You also need to know when you need them physically present and when their synergy is most valuable. Well-thought-out hybrid meetings can ensure every team member stays on the same page.
For those phases when teams need to come in, hot-desking setups can also make the most of your office space. High-impact days when the project is intensifying are when you need everyone as sharp as possible. This model generally does well in industries like software development, design, or consulting, where projects go through distinct stages and teams know when to synergize. Evaluate the benefits that a project-based hybrid model could bring to your company.
Quarterly or Monthly In-Person Weeks
Now we’ve opened the window to longer-term hybrid setups, consider a model that has its eyes on the more distant prize. In a quarterly or monthly in-person weeks model, remote work is your primary setup, but teams come together for one dedicated week each month or quarter.
This model keeps big-picture goals as the objective. If you’re operating in a less volatile market or industry, you probably know the precise times when a heavier in-person presence is needed. To make the most of this, you can use these intensive in-office times to align everyone, update long-term goals, and kick off new projects. The rest of the time, employees can enjoy flexible remote working and can really get to grips with their increased engagement and focus.
Between in-person weeks, your teams will be working independently. You might even discover that as teams settle into remote periods, their own communication style and setup changes, for the better. It really can be liberating to give teams autonomy on how and where they work. Just make sure that your support as manager is still as consistent as it is when everyone works on-site.
Distributed teams benefit from this model, as well as companies that value consistent in-person connections without needed attendance every day of the work year. A quarterly/monthly in-person week system suits companies that want to keep a vibrant, cohesive culture while still aiming for autonomy outside of those intensive, in-office periods. If this one works for you, it’ll really revitalize the way your teams function.
Office-centric Hybrid Work
With all of the changes happening in the way workforces are set up, many companies are beginning to wonder if everything should be done remotely these days. Focusing too heavily on remote systems can carry risks, and an office-centric hybrid work system may bring you the best of both worlds. It implements a limited degree of remote working while ensuring the lifeblood of the company stays pumping on-site.
In the office-centric hybrid work model, the office remains the main hub for the company’s deliverables. The majority of employees spend their time in the office, while remote days are used as and when they’re needed. Remaining office-centric keeps the in-office culture strong, and this culture is often the most attractive thing that skilled workers seek out in the first place.
Remaining office-centric but keeping remote work a possibility means you’re ready to adapt to changes. You may have new international customers who need a remote service, in which case you’ll need remote experts to stay ready. Being physically close to one another at work still keeps decision-making faster, which at times can be make-or-break.
To succeed with an office-centric hybrid work model, consider applying flexible schedules within office hours and wellness programs to support the work-life balance of your teams. Keep engagement high with regular hybrid teambuilding activities. Working outside the office is becoming increasingly appealing, especially for new graduates, so follow this model to modernize your traditional work setup.
Remote-first Hybrid Model
Heading toward the end of our list, our final model puts remote work first. Working from outside the office becomes the default mode, with in-office times used strategically. Future workplace trends suggest that the majority of workforces will become remote. In-office work trends are evolving.
Research is pouring in on the benefits of remote working, with McKinsey finding that 87% of employees prefer flexible work arrangements, and companies that offer them often see improvements in both productivity and retention. On top of that, remote employees are less likely to leave their jobs, as turnover decreases by over one-third in some studies.
A remote-first approach provides practical benefits like cost savings on overheads. Offices can be redesigned for remote operations, streamlining, and utilizing space where available. Getting deeper into remote benefits, companies can also extend the reach of attracting talent. Candidate pools grow more specialized and diverse as the door of opportunity opens for skilled overseas workers.
Remote work settings are making companies rethink traditional setups. Outcomes remain more important than attendance, and remote workers are finding their groove in the environment where they know they are more effective.
If you implement remote work as your baseline, you’ve got to stay diligent and make sure you don’t drop the ball. There are some concerns about the way remote teams can feel disconnected and isolated. Spontaneous collaboration might become more difficult, and remote communication channels need to be as strong as steel to keep spirits alive.
The things you have always needed to do on-site will still be carried out in the office with your teams, but remote work will happen wherever applicable. Striking this balance is extremely important, as you don’t want to get lost in the hype that all work should be done remotely. You’ll still need your office operations carried out as they were before.
Finally, we implore you: don’t forget the evergreen value of physically bringing people together.
Amplify engagement with an unforgettable team-building retreat!
We understand that you’re in the business of getting the most out of your teams. Hybrid work schedules still involve a certain amount of face-to-face interactions, and keen managers understand how significant it is for teams to spend time together in-person.
Nothing brings teams together quite like one of our team-building retreats. Hybrid workers traveling to one meeting place and elevating their bonds over a few days… It works wonders for teamwork.
Here at Surf Office, organizing team retreats is what we do best. Here’s what we offer:
- Stress-free transfers? We got you! ✅
- Quality-assured accommodations? Check! ✅
- Engaging team-building activities? Our speciality ✅
- Restaurant reservations? That's on us! ✅
- Expert retreat planning assistance? Of course, we have this covered! ✅
- Onsite support, tailored to your needs? Absolutely ✅
Not only this but we also have access to 160+ locations around Europe, APAC, the US, Latin America, and now Africa, meaning the sky is your limit when it comes to choosing the right location for you and your team.
Focus on what really matters for bringing teams together: connecting, innovating, and having a blast! A productive retreat with us is an experience they’ll never forget.
Let us sort out the tricky logistics for you. Spaces are very limited, so get in touch now!
