IT’S 2023, and workplaces everywhere are still adapting how to manage their business post-pandemic. It’s challenging to decide on a set-up that benefits everyone, but luckily, there’s a solution that provides the perfect middle ground; to keep your employees happy and fulfilled, and the company productive and efficient. Hybrid working has become a popular go-to for businesses around the world, referring to a set-up that integrates both onsite work days and remote working.
Here’s why hybrid working may be the best solution for both your company and your workforce’s needs:
1. It saves money — for everyone!
For management, opting for a hybrid set-up can allow you to significantly cut down operational costs. Less time spent in the office brings up an important question: how much do I need a permanent office, really?
With a new type of work set-up comes new services and options that allow you to save money without sacrificing benefits. Shared desks, virtual offices and co-working spaces can provide short-term and on-demand offices that cut down the need for paying long leases and unnecessary maintenance costs.
For your employees, clocking in becomes more affordable. With less time and money spent on transportation, your team can save thousands a month and hours per day.
2. It boosts productivity
The hybrid set-up combines the best of both worlds, allowing a mix of the freedom and privacy of remote working, with the collaboration of working onsite. The key is to give your team flexibility with their work environment and schedule, and to strike the right balance of focused and collaborative work.
Allowing employees to work remotely for select days can boost morale and allow them the autonomy to generate better outputs. With more freedom in their hours and place of work, they are free to work without distractions and find their optimum work conditions, while drastically cutting down on time spent in transit.
3. It’s here to stay
Both companies and the workforce are beginning to truly embrace the benefits of hybrid working. In a recent survey conducted by Zoom, 65 percent of respondents selected hybrid working as their ideal work structure.
The shift is already underway here with our Filipino workforce as well. In a recent study conducted by Cisco Philippines, 89 percent of Filipino respondents believe that the hybrid set-up improved their overall well-being and 79 percent believe this set-up improved their quality of work, citing time and cost savings, and greater flexibility with their schedule as the main reasons. Better yet, 92 percent of the respondents state that the shift to hybrid work has made them happier.
For new businesses and companies adjusting to a new set-up, virtual offices can ease the transition, simplify your operations and save you money compared to renting a dedicated office space.
“If you love what you do, you should love where you do it,” Linda Höglund, chief operating officer at Swedish FinTech company Klarna, said. In the end, deciding on which set-up works best lies on the needs of your workforce. The hybrid model provides a healthy compromise, bringing the benefits of both remote and onsite working for higher productivity and happier people. With hybrid here to stay, there is more importance than ever in ensuring your team loves where they work, and preparing a more flexible work structure for them.
Georgianna Carlos is a serial entrepreneur managing many brands. She is the marketing director of CJ Management Group Inc., a company that helps entrepreneurs and freelancers start their own businesses through its brands MyOffice and Permitly. She is also the founder of Fetch! Naturals, a local brand of natural, pet care products. Through her work, she has garnered awards and recognition including Forbes 30 Under 30 for Retail & E-commerce, and is an honoree of Tatler Asia’s Generation T. She is also quite active in the local startup scene, giving talks to schools and organizations, including Management Association of the Philippines’ International CEO Conference in 2019.