On the Verge of a New Routine: The Hybrid Workplace

Prior to the pandemic, 57% of workers claimed that they rarely or never worked from home (Parker et al.) The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected much of our lives over the past two years. Many countries enforced stay-at-home orders and closed down offices to avoid spreading the virus. The result of these laws caused a shift in the dynamics of a workplace for most “white-collar” employees. Due to the shift, most “white-collar” employees have adapted to the newly revolutionized workplace and will find it difficult to adjust to commute and work from the office 5 days a week. In contrast, remote work offers flexibility, extended time at home, as well as higher levels of comfort, all which increase employee satisfaction and productivity rates. In the same way, in-person work offers real-time personal connections, more efficient communication, and easier accessibility to networking. Companies are introducing a new method of working called the hybrid workplace which incorporates some in-person work and some remote work. The inception of this hybrid workplace could be a beneficial disruption to how we work. In the following essay, I argue that the hybrid workplace which incorporates both remote and in-office work is the most ideal solution for most white-collar workers moving forward. Workers will best benefit from the positive traits of both in person work and remote work, such as schedule flexibility while maintaining the networking and culture that comes with in person work.

Many companies have argued that granting some remote work is a good strategy moving forward. Karin Kimbrough, a Chief Economist at LinkedIn mentioned that “[Remote work is] good for democratizing access to opportunity. Companies in major cities can hire talent from underrepresented groups that may not have the means or desire to move to a big city. In smaller cities, companies will now have access to talent that may have a different set of skills than they had before,” (Wiseman). Indeed, working from home gives access to companies by allowing them to hire workers living in different geographic locations, especially those that prefer to solely work from home. A report on this topic, How Remote Work Has Evolved Talent Acquisition and Onboarding, makes note of this advantage remote work would bring to talent acquisition. The report notes, “remote work has widened the global talent pool promising greater access to top talent… because work-from-home (WFH) or work-from-anywhere (WFA) allows a company to recruit from a worldwide talent pool” (Martinuzzi). The limitations of hiring someone due to geographical distance will become a thing of the past. This essentially works as a “win-win” situation for both employers and employees, as employers will now have a wider applicant pool to choose from, and employees will have increased access to opportunities far from their current geographical region.

In contrast, some skeptics argue that this new shift in widening the recruitment pool remotely is only beneficial to upper level managers and top talent recruits. Skeptics may say that remote recruiting will actually hurt all other people seeking employment, as they will now be required to compete with a much wider applicant pool beyond a geographical area. Applicants will now be competing against others who may have more access to resources and interview training. While I agree that a shift to remote recruiting would be more beneficial to upper level managers, recruiters, as well as top talent recruits, all other applicants who may be facing more competition could offset this with their newly accessible, wider opportunity pool. In other words, applicants now have access to countless opportunities. For example, in the past an applicant would interview for one job a day at most, as interviewing in person requires a lot more preparation and is more time consuming in general. Now, applicants have the ability to interview for multiple jobs a day thanks to remote recruiting. In effect, this ability to interview for more opportunities would offset/balance any advantages remote recruiting gives to recruiters and top talent recruits.

Similarly, remote work allows for more time at home than before, which could be especially beneficial for new parents. Remote positions would be ideal for new mothers and fathers that want to continue pursuing a full-time career. Due to this, children will develop better mentally as they will spend more time close to their parents as infants. Not only will this benefit the newborn in an important stage of child development, but parents will find it more gratifying as American adults prefer and find childcare twice more meaningful than paid work (Wang). The option of having remote work accommodations for specific circumstances will help retain talent beyond the workplace. For example, new parents will be able to return to work at a much more manageable pace since they are better able to balance their personal and professional lives from one place. Catalyst, a nonprofit that focuses on advancing and bettering the workplace for women, reported that “women with childcare responsibilities who have remote-work access are 32% less likely to report intending to leave their job compared to women with childcare responsibilities who do not have remote-work access,” (Van Bommel). This will break barriers, as new parents often struggle with balancing a newborn child alongside the responsibilities of their careers. With the option of remote work, parents will be able to take a smoother, more balanced dive into handling these two major life achievements. Remote work will bring about this new-found balance that will not only be beneficial to working parents, but all employees in general.

“Burnout” is a very challenging and common workplace barrier that affects white collar employees. Catalyst calls burnout the “silent crisis at work.” Burnout is known as mental and physical exhaustion where it becomes hard to be effective at work. After the pandemic emerged, burnout was exacerbated as people had to worry about their jobs and the high stress of personal life and health. Luckily, Catalyst’s report found that employees who are granted a remote work option experienced less burnout than employees working without any sort of remote option. In addition, remote work decreases employees’ “intent to leave” by 30%, a huge advantage for employers and employee retention rates (Van Bommel). The findings show that not only does the option of remote work decrease the levels of burnout in the workplace, but it also increases some highly beneficial traits as well as innovation, work engagement, organizational commitment, and inclusion (Van Bommel).

Last summer, as pandemic lockdown restrictions were being eased, companies began to look into their employee’s thoughts on hybrid work, as most employees would soon start to adjust to these changes. In June 2021, Salesforce surveyed a sample of 1,500 white-collar workers in the U.S., Canada, U.K., and Ireland with a goal to better understand employees’ thoughts on workplace shifts relating to mental wellbeing (Schwartz, Peter, et al.). Salesforce found that a good majority (59%) of white-collar workers think of psychological well-being as the top reason for pushing for access to hybrid work. Additionally, another survey conducted by Mental Health America found that “80% of respondents think that having a job with more work flexibility would help them take better care of their mental health, while 83% [think] that having a job with (more) work flexibility would decrease their level of stress.” This survey demonstrates that work flexibility greatly affects mental health and creates balance for employees’ personal and professional lives. On the other hand, a study by the American Psychiatric Association’s survey in March 2021 showed respondents felt negative mental health impacts when completely working from home, citing that “nearly two-thirds of people working from home feel isolated or lonely at least sometimes” (Robinson). This is why creating a perfect balance of both in person work and remote work is a great mix of work flexibility while being mindful of mental health. It is critical for companies to continue to consider mental health and wellbeing since it is a prominent issue for the working generation. Workers will now be pushing to prioritize mental wellbeing and comfort when thinking about their workplace.

Furthermore, when it comes to employees feeling comfortable at work, findings support the inclusion of remote work into the workweek. Before the pandemic, such flexibilities were not permitted or allowed, which made workers’ comfort levels much lower than it is currently. Initially, we anticipated that the pandemic would estrange us from one another, instead it has spurred humans to feel more comfortable with each other. This was caused due to an increase in the levels of vulnerability such as crying and empathetic moments dealing with tough health situations. Microsoft’s case study on hybrid work by Ben Wiseman states that, “These [vulnerable] interactions with coworkers may help foster a workplace where people feel more comfortable to be themselves.” Wiseman adds that, “Compared to one year ago, 39 percent of people say they’re more likely to be their full, authentic selves at work and 31 percent are less likely to feel embarrassed or ashamed when their home life shows up at work.” Companies will now have to foster workspaces and settings where their employees can feel comfortable and mentally well. From my perspective, mixing remote work with in-person work would evidently help foster these safe, healthy workspaces.

Many argue that the benefits of working in an office far exceed the benefits of remote work; especially during one’s early career since networking is a big part of their career development. Dr. Nancy Baym, Senior Principal Researcher at Microsoft commented, “When you lose connections, you stop innovating. It’s harder for new ideas to get in and groupthink becomes a serious possibility,” (Wiseman). On the other hand, the lack of flexibility provided with a fukk in-office experience makes it hard to consider this option as the ideal one moving forward. The article continues stating that Microsoft’s overall analysis “suggests that hybrid work may help revive our networks at work,” (Wiseman). For the workplace, this would mean a shift to a “3–2 workweek” where three days are spent in the office and two days are dedicated to working remotely. Working hybrid, however, would be a perfect mix of flexibility while including the benefits of an in-person office experience. Further evidence shows that working entirely online would mean spikes in lower levels of authenticity, connection, and creativity. In fact, a case study in New Zealand measured using Microsoft Teams meetings as well as Outlook emails suggests that easing lockdown restrictions and allowing for hybrid models of work, “increased communications” and “reveals a hopeful look at the future of hybrid work” (Wiseman). This combination of the flexibility that remote work offers, as well as the personal connections and smoother communication of in-person work, more and more seems to be the best recourse for the future of our workplaces.

Lastly, it is crucial to think about what it will be like to enter the workforce as a new college graduate. How well will these graduates integrate to a hybrid model of working? Starting a new job is stressful enough as it is, how will this change if the workplace shifts to being fully remote, fully in-person, or a mix of both? A Harvard Business Review report on starting a new job remotely, says that “one of the hardest things about starting with a new company is that each organization has a culture of its own,” (Markman). The author goes on to note personal experiences like, “I’ve often been baffled by terms that employees regularly use inside companies but have no meaning outside it,” as well as, “you learn these subtle aspects of the workplace through everyday interactions with colleagues, hearing conversations and having discussions about what other people are working on,” (Markman). In a fully remote setting, it is very difficult to get accustomed to a company’s culture. In addition, many would also enjoy making special, professional connections with their coworkers and seniors. Networking has long been known to be a valuable part of one’s career, and being fully remote inhibits that type of experience. Yet, most young new graduates and college seniors soon to enter the workforce would still like to enjoy the benefits of a flexible job. The best solution and the best way to make sure companies and employees reap the benefits of both in-person work and remote work, is by merging them together and incorporating a hybrid model.

After compiling research from the studies cited above, we learn that remote work offers fantastic advantages such as better flexibility for all employees, especially new parents who may want to spend more time with a newborn, as well as those looking to prioritize their mental wellbeing and prevent burnout. In the meantime, in-person work offers similarly beneficial advantages like genuine interpersonal connections, networking, and an easier introduction to company culture for new graduates entering a workspace. Combine these traits and it becomes what is now taking over our workplaces as we know it: the hybrid work model. By incorporating all these unique and valuable features, both companies and employees will find themselves in a truly ideal and new way of getting to work. Thus, it would be most reasonable to call companies’ into question and make sure they move forward with offering a hybrid workplace.

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Works Cited

Markman, Art. “Starting a New Job — Remotely.” Harvard Business Review, 1 Feb. 2021, https://hbr.org/2020/05/starting-a-new-job-remotely.

Martinuzzi, Bruna. “How Remote Work Has Evolved Talent Acquisition and Onboarding.” Business Class: Trends and Insights | American Express, 21 Oct. 2021, https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/trends-and-insights/articles/how-remote-work-has-evolved-talent-acquisition-and-onboarding/.

Schwartz, Peter, et al. “Why Hybrid Work Supports Mental Well-Being for Employees.” The 360 Blog from Salesforce, 21 July 2021, https://www.salesforce.com/blog/codes-of-caring-mental-health/.

Van Bommel, T. “Remote-Work Options Can Boost Productivity and Curb Burnout (Report).” Catalyst, 21 Oct. 2021, https://www.catalyst.org/reports/remote-work-burnout-productivity/.

Wang, Wendy. “Parents’ Time with Kids More Rewarding than Paid Work — and More Exhausting.” Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project, Pew Research Center, 27 Aug. 2020, https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2013/10/08/parents-time-with-kids-more-rewarding-than-paid-work-and-more-exhausting/.

Wiseman, Ben. “The Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work-Are We Ready?” Microsoft, https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work.