Even after two years of the pandemic, for the sake of worker safety and operational continuity, thousands of businesses were compelled to implement remote work. Ad hoc models that were developed consequently weren’t always attractive or flawless, but they did highlight the advantages of flexible employment for both firms and individuals. Many firms continue to struggle with the changing working reality more than two years after the epidemic first started. Flexible or hybrid employment is quickly gaining acceptance as the norm. The introduction of hybrid working is not an easy undertaking, though. In specific sectors, including the financial services sector, are more severely affected than others since they must assure digital resilience and compliance in hybrid work structures. A well-thought-out strategy, a shift in culture, and a rethinking of technical and business procedures are all necessary for the implementation of a hybrid work paradigm.
According to LinkedIn’s 2022 Global Talent Trends report, 63% of job seekers call work-life balance a top priority when picking a new job.
How to Choose the Best Hybrid Working Model
There isn’t a single hybrid business model that works for all businesses. Every firm will have a distinct workforce management solution, therefore it’s important to look beyond floor plans and technological resources. Employees that use hybrid work models can set their own hours and select when and where to work.
According to a recent article by Bloomberg, tastes vary along with the order in which employees enter the workplace and relies significantly on their position on the organizational chart. Majority of workers prefer to come into the office two days per week, although managers and employees who work directly with clients often prefer to come in three days per week. Office days might also change. Employees claim that based on the demands of the company, they decide where they will spend their Mondays at the workplace.
By switching to a hybrid work model, organizations may change the traditional office atmosphere and expand their talent pool to foster a more welcoming workplace. Companies with healthy cultures have three times larger overall shareholder returns, according to McKinsey study. In a hybrid workplace, corporate culture needs to be remade and strengthened, which calls for a more deliberate discussion of employee needs. Information exchange and social cohesiveness are hampered by a mixed work approach. Even if virtual connections might be distinctive, in-person gatherings can foster a stronger sense of community. In order to avoid developing two distinct corporate cultures—with the in-person culture predominating because employees benefit from on-site collaboration—companies need to develop interactions for situations when half of a team is present in a conference room while the other half is remotely working.
How to Optimise your Business Processes for Workforce Transformation
More than just choosing which days you go to the workplace are involved in hybrid work. It involves radically reevaluating how organisations operate. Organizations frequently begin the digital transformation process by digitizing and automating procedures. However, in order for the hybrid model to be successful, organisations must consider more than just automating processes with digital technology; they must also consider how to include humans in the mix wherever they may be. You need to have a good sense of the type of work your workers are performing in order to implement a hybrid work approach that works. In addition to requiring many of your company’s workflows to be changed, hybrid work may necessitate organizational processes that are fundamentally different from those needed for remote or in-person work.
Workforce Management Solutions in the Hybrid-Work Era
- Draft or update hybrid work policy
By defining clear expectations for every employee and ensuring their engagement, productivity, and success, creating an official hybrid work policy will help you find the answers to these questions. It will also help to ensure that it is representative of different viewpoints and needs because it was developed in collaboration with HR, operations, IT, sales, and marketing.
- Identify and optimize productivity patterns
Businesses that are genuinely adept at knowing their consumers and how to keep them satisfied rely significantly on data, especially signals that show how each individual navigates their particular trip. Workforce analytics may offer crucial tools to assist managers & workers understand when, where, & how each individual accomplishes their best job. These signals are equally significant in assessing employee experience.
- Offer an equal experience
Hybrid scheduling may be advantageous for everyone, regardless of whether your company sets fixed days for in-office & remote work or permits such decisions to be made flexibly at the team level. However, it is important for managers and staff to collaborate to create a constant feedback loop that promotes fair work-life balance. Your hybrid work policy should include information on this as well as the technology and furnishings that will be offered to create a pleasant workspace & productive environment.
- Measure and evolve
This new environment calls for constant exploration and engagement, of which activity data, employee feedback, benchmarks, and objectives are all equally important components. Since the shift to hybrid work is not ‘one and done’, everyone needs a means to check in and have their work habits change to what works best for their changing circumstances. Insights are better when all inputs are combined and matched to results.
Conclusion
The pandemic has also altered how individuals see their professions, presenting organizations with a fresh issue regarding how to continue transforming work for years to come. Employees that are happy and healthy are by nature more productive. They will be able to identify the kinds of hybrid work that each of them enjoys doing and helps them perform their jobs well by using a data-driven approach to a collaborative planning process. Everyone benefits when reliable, accurate data is clearly shared throughout a company.
As a result, a seismic change is being witnessed that will impact how people work for years, if not decades. Companies must develop trust, openness, and clear measures for success and responsibility to create hybrid workplaces that feel secure & supportive of everyone while optimizing productivity & quality of work.
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About the Author
Prabhjinder Bedi – Chief Growth Officer – Tech Mahindra Business Process Services
Prabhjinder has over two decades of experience involving launching start-up ecosystems, scaling-up businesses, taking product and services to market and exposure to industry verticals spanning Telecom and Media, Financial Services, Retail and Consumer Goods, Manufacturing to Lifesciences. He has spent over 15 years with Tech Mahindra, responsible for taking our existing and new age service offering to markets and launching new service locations across Americas, Europe, MEA and Australasia. Bedi is bachelor’s in engineering from IIT, Benares and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from IIM Calcutta.
