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People have the opportunity to form both casual and professional relationships throughout the workday. Employees have more options than ever before but do people prefer to work remotely or in a hybrid fashion? The Covid-19 pandemic has significantly transformed working practices and cultures. We heard from Andy Nolan, Director of Development and Sustainability at the University of Nottingham, shared with us some recent research into the environmental benefits of hybrid working. The engineering consulting firm WSP suggests, based on a study of 200 of their UK-based employees, that working from home in summer and in the office over winter is the most effective way to reduce carbon emissions.
- You can set up rules for how often each person is allowed to book a spot; let’s say you can book an office space twice a week.
- It’s where employers can assign days where an employee’s physical presence is needed.
- To limit the impact of hybrid working from home on your work-life-balance, be strict with yourself and lay down rules.
- The rise of remote working, whether part or full time, means that the right technological solutions are essential.
There are tonnes of ways that employees and employers alike can beat the burnout—from making targets more achievable to ensuring you celebrate your remote employees’ achievements. Our partners over at Spill recently wrote a blog about how you can alleviate burnout, and you can read it here. This issue may also be related to “presence bias”, as remote employees may work additional hours or overcommit to show that they’re productive and their efforts don’t fly under the radar. Maintaining safety during the pandemic is another advantage that hybrid workforces can reap. If a teammate tests positive for Covid-19 or has to self-isolate, the wider team can go about their day with minimal disruption—all thanks to video calls and instant messaging integrations.
How often people work from home?
Real Estate CostAs fewer workers will be onsite at one time, you can reduce costs by downsizing. Now we know more about these two modern workplace strategies, let’s dive deeper into the advantages and disadvantages and find out how they compare to the traditional in-office experience. CIPD resources on developing effective virtual teams, including an evidence review. CIPD flexible working toolkit for HR professionals that provides a range of useful information on introducing and implementing flexible working.
How can hybrid work be improved?
- Focus on the core: employee engagement.
- Do away with “top-down” communication.
- Acknowledge the human experience.
- Create community.
- Be mindful about time.
- See and use the whole playing field.
- Define outcomes and let your team deliver.
One option is to use a shift schedule excel spreadsheet to keep things organized. The most common disadvantage experienced by homeworkers was difficulty in working with others, with 48% of homeworkers reporting this in February 2022. A little over a quarter also reported more distractions when working from home (26%).
Is your business agile enough for the new ways of working?
In the office, employees can also feel an increased pressure to perform in a certain way, reach deadlines early and be ‘in the know’ constantly when their seniors surround them. This can make it harder to focus on biggest tasks, causing stress-induced procrastination and a general sense of workplace anxiety. Video sharing platforms have enabled creative sessions to continue at a distance. That said, a buzzing office environment of employees with different passions, experiences and cultural references can be a melting pot for strong ideas. Some employees may feel that sitting together in a room with post-it notes is a formula for success. While the global business landscape continues along the road to recovery, employers are weighing up employee performance and preference pre- versus post-pandemic to find the optimal way of working.

Since you don’t have direct access to your colleagues, it can be challenging to build relationships. So, figure out what tools and technologies best fit your style—phone calls, text messages, conference calls, video meetings—and use them regularly.
The flaws in the hybrid working model
We have seen some businesses come out in the media to say that hybrid working has failed for them – but hybrid working is not right for every business. Hybrid working from home means that home no longer represents your safe haven. It’s too easy to get home from an office day and open your laptop to finish off that task. One task escalates and before you know it, you’ve spent your whole evening working.
- Buffer’s recent study highlighted that 20% of the global workforce find loneliness is their biggest struggle when working remotely.
- It’s worth noting that flexible working policies can also improve diversity and inclusion—and at Hubble, we’re all for this.
- People also choose office days based on who they’re working with, or when they might be invited along for an after-work pint to let off some steam.
More than three-quarters (78%) of those who worked from home in some capacity said that being able to work from home gave them an improved work life balance in February 2022. Half reported it was quicker to complete work (52%) and that they had fewer distractions (53%). During 2022, the proportion of workers both working at hybrid work from home home and at their usual place of work (“hybrid working”) has been rising, while the proportion of those working from home exclusively has fallen. Around one in seven working adults (14%) worked from home exclusively between 27 April and 8 May 2022, while nearly a quarter (24%) both worked from home and travelled to work.
Remote work is essentially working from a location outside of the company office. For example, remote workers will perform all 100% of their job from home rather than in the office. Working means fewer employees are at the office at one time, resulting in savings on office space and utilities.
This is a considerable advantage; office rent is the second-highest fixed cost for most companies, with the average cost per employee equating to £500 per month in London. In keeping up with this growing trend, many workspace providers allow businesses to secure a smaller private office while giving them extra access cards for the wider team . At Hubble, we make it easy for businesses to bring the best of their culture straight to employees’ doors. We curate the best treats, virtual experiences and WFH essentials for your team—from tea boxes to tax relief. If you’ve found that cliques are starting to form in parts of the business because of its adoption of hybrid working, this may require some delicate management. Ill-feeling can arise between people who can work from home and those who can’t – or between those who want to and those who don’t.
