3 Strong Facts on Hybrid Workplace That Brands Need to Know Now!

The quest to offer the best employee experience has taken a toll on brands to feel the pressure to deliver ‘The best Hybrid Experience’. While this aspiration to offer the best to the workforce is a good indicator, the pressure has led leaders to often make hasty decisions. Thus, leading to a decline in the employee office presence.

But, leaders need to get straight the fact that there is no prescribed format for a hybrid workplace. Yes! it all depends on the business module, the workforce, the processes, the culture, and the product. Based on these details workplace strategists develop a hybrid plan specific to each organization which is then tried and tested to suit the organizational requirements.

Evolution is the key

This is a new age of evolution, and we as an industry are being exposed to new trends. As a result, these strategies evolve, and are revised with time, growth, and change in functions. What workplaces now need is the best strategy to make hybrid work ‘work’.

Companies have been wrestling to get hybrid right, to get people back to the workplace. Thus, with changing employee expectations, the strategies must change as well. There is ‘no one size fits all’ solution to implementing a hybrid workplace.

All brands need is a strategized workplace design and a lot more awareness.

Thus, here’s a list of 5 major facts on hybrid work that leaders today need to know:

The Workforce is Not Rigid, their Expectations are Different

Except for a small group of employees, most of the global workforce is not rigid in not wanting to go back to the office ever. Their concerns are different, and the onus is on the employers to deal with these concerns differently. As per an article by Forbes, 76% of employees seek flexibility in the workplace, while 93% wish to have flexibility in their work.

Thus, the workforce longs to return to an optimized workplace, one that allows flexibility, helps them adapt better, and achieve better from their work lives. Hence, their workspaces must reflect these qualities.

Remote Working is Not Hybrid Work!

Permanent remote working has become a new medium to get the best talent amidst this talent revolution. The workforce of today no longer strives for survival, but for quality of life. Employees are looking for the best brand experience. Therefore, how will leaders deliver the authentic brand experience in a mere remote setup?

Remote working is a part of a hybrid, not a hybrid plan as a whole. Remember, hybrid working functions as an ‘either and or’. Thus, strategies should be developed to fit in the different environments for work based on the need and mode of the tasks as well as in alignment with the brand culture.

Offices Needs Modification for the Best Way Forward

Work has undergone a fundamental transformation. Thus, it would be futile for brands to think that the workforce will be willing to return to the same workplace they left. People today are looking for a cognitive, healthy, and technology-driven workplace.

Considering the innovation and increased virtual collaboration, your space also needs to be reinforced with new-age technology, support, and better IoT integration; along with the optimized workplace configuration.

Another misconception is that now offices will just remain as a space to host quarterly meets and social events. Moreover, it is also less likely that every employee would be able to effectively work away from the office. Thus, offices will have to cater to different work modes like open collaborations, closed collaboration, huddle spaces, head-down work areas, contemplative work areas, etc.

How does this help?

So, with this awareness leaders can put a strong foot forward to redesign their work, workplace, and culture through technical strategies.

For instance, change management strategies in catalyzing the transformation process also help in analyzing the workforce sensibilities better and communicating the value of change to employees better. Whereas, a feasibility study aids in getting the ground reality and the need to implement the mode of hybrid work.

Thus, this helps create a sense of

1. Finding the right fit — Accurate hybrid mapping.
2. Workplace purpose realisation and realignment.
3. Employee Behaviour mapping and branding alignment.
4. Real estate optimization.