To Be or Not to Be Remote – Is the Hybrid Work Model Here to Save the Day?

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns may feel like a long time ago now. But in reality, only three years have passed since all our lives changed overnight. When lockdowns forced businesses to shut down, go remote, and find ways to innovate to survive.

For many businesses, part of that plan was adopting a remote-work model. Employees who used to file into the office each day and meet in person with coworkers and clients instead stayed home. We all learned to conduct meetings via Zoom. To maintain (and even increase) the success of the companies we worked for. In a new way.

At the time, this was the best way to keep employees and customers safe while ensuring your business could still operate. But now, mask-wearing, social distancing, and sanitizing one’s groceries before putting them away are starting to feel like relics of a strange, distant, past.

Where does that leave businesses that went remote?

Can workers come back to the office? Better yet, should they?

Who’s going back to the office and why?

While working remotely is still quite in style, many companies are asking their employees to come back into the office. We’re not just talking about small businesses either. Big names like Amazon, Disney, and Meta have stopped posting positions as remote and have announced that workers will be coming back to the office. A few days a week at least, if not full-time.

Employers have cited easier communication, increased teamwork, and innovation as reasons they want employees to come back to the office. And as the labor market is slowly recovering from the major talent shortage that’s been hitting the US hard since 2020, employers don’t have to worry as much about offering remote work as a strategy for recruiting or retaining employees. So they aren’t.

What do your people want?

We at BCHR think the easiest way to answer this question is also the most obvious. If you’re asking yourself which work model will suit your employees best. Ask them.

If you’re trying to get an idea of how people – in general – are feeling about going back to work, we can help you there.

There are a ton of benefits to working from home for employees. It makes childcare easier, helps them save on gas, gives them the ability to exercise during the day, and more. Some also find that without in-office distractions they feel more productive.

It’s hard to quantify exactly how many people want to work from home. But a recent Pew Research Center study found that 60% of those who are able to work remotely, are. Suggesting that there are many people who still want to – or at least don’t mind – remote work.

While that is true for many, there are also plenty of people who struggle with working from home and would prefer to go back to the office. For some, it’s easier to be motivated there. For others, it’s the socialization they miss.

While statistics can be helpful, a handful of studies might not speak to your specific business. When it comes to your own individual employees, the best way to find out what’s best for them is to ask them what they think. You might be surprised to find that they miss being in the office. Or that they have a different idea for flexible working arrangements you hadn’t thought of.

Especially as a small business owner, you have a great opportunity to communicate and hear directly from your people. This is one of those situations where you should definitely use it.

Hybrid Work Model: The ultimate compromise?

Whether it’s three days at home and two in the office, or one day from home, it all counts as a “hybrid” or “flexible” working arrangement.

Many companies are turning to a hybrid work schedule as a compromise or alternative to a fully remote working arrangement. After all, it seems to be the best of both worlds.

Employees get the socialization and opportunity to collaborate in person on their in-office days. While still reaping some of the work-from-home benefits they enjoy on remote days.

However, there are still pitfalls to a hybrid work model.

Many employers are left fielding complaints when they make hybrid schedules too rigid. Offering flexibility within the hybrid schedule can combat this.

For example – rather than stipulating that all employees must come into the office on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays – make one of those days mandatory and the other two flexible.

Scenario: An employee can choose to come in on Monday, Wednesday, and Tuesday; or Monday, Thursday, and Friday.

This flexibility can make hybrid work more appealing.

Allowing employees to take more remote days than usual when “life” things arise – like a sick child or a car that won’t start – is another great way to ensure employees don’t have to give up some of the ease that working from home full-time provided.

If you allow your employees a little agency in deciding their own schedules, a hybrid work model can be the best thing for both your business and your employees.

How do you decide if the hybrid work model is right for you?

To make a decision about whether you should bring your remote employees back into the office, you need to consider two things: your business needs and your employees’ needs.

Consider the industry you operate within. What are the trends you see working remotely vs. in-office? What are the most successful organizations in your field choosing?

Also, make sure to think about your customers and clients. Are they satisfied meeting with your employees remotely? Or have they expressed frustration at not being able to access your goods or services in person?

Finally, ask yourself if there are any tasks your employees have to complete during the day that truly cannot be completed remotely without difficulty. There is no easier way to make your employees resent you than to bring them back to the office if there is no real work-related activity that requires them to be there.

We said it before (and we’ll say it again), you would also do well to take into account the wants and needs of your employees. An anonymous survey is a great way to do this. You’ll eliminate any bias your employees may have towards giving you the answer they think you want to hear. Or any trepidation they may have about revealing personal reasons behind their preference.

It’s difficult to know what the right thing to do is when it comes to remote work these days.

Not long ago, the idea of asking employees to come back into the office would’ve been a major deterrent to maintaining your workforce. But rest assured, that pressure has eased a little now. And you have a bit more room to decide what’s really right for your business.

No matter what you decide – whether that’s remote work, hybrid, or fully in-person – if you have a solid, business-related reason for your choice, and you seek your employees’ input, they are likely to support your decision.