Remote working and hybrid forms of work have been commonplace since the advent of the Covid-19 pandemic. With this virus came the need for millions of employees to work from home at least some of the time whilst there were restrictions on movement or national-level lockdowns in place. While the pandemic is still prominent in day-to-day life, most countries have now abandoned movement restrictions and lockdowns as a means of controlling the spread of the virus. Clearly, there are significant benefits to hybrid models of work that should not be abandoned as they benefit both employer and employee. This article explains three key benefits of employers continuing to offer hybrid models of working to their employees.
Advanced cloud-based technology
As all forms of organizations initially struggled with the transition to hybrid and remote forms of working, and there were inevitably some early teething problems. Many employees will have vivid memories of issues trying to connect remotely to company applications or attending meetings via video calls that were characterized by poor sound quality and technical difficulties.
Thankfully these issues were quickly ironed out by the adoption of modern cloud based technology and applications such as Citrix Cloud Azure. Today, hybrid models of work are seen to be drivers in improved productivity for companies operating within a wide variety of industries. This is, in no small part, a direct result of high-quality cloud-based applications that make remote work possible. Today employees can collaborate seamlessly on tasks and projects without needing to be in the same physical office with cloud-based project management software such as Asana, Smartsheet and Monday.com.
Work-life balance
It is now recognized that hybrid models of working can offer employees the perfect environment to improve their work-life balance. Most employees have indicated that post pandemic they wish to work remotely for at least some part of the working week. The benefits of not having extended journeys to and from work and physical meetings allows time to be saved in terms of travel. This can be spent more productively in the home office and allows tasks to be completed more quickly than before. With hybrid working often comes the benefit of more flexibility in working hours as employees are not tied to a 9-5 routine. This can allow staff to organize home-based activities such as the school run and then make up the time lost in extra work once back at the home office.
More environmentally friendly
The world is growing increasingly aware of the problems posed by climate change and global warming. All companies must now be able to demonstrate that they are actively seeking to explore ways to reduce their carbon footprint and be more environmentally conscious. Hybrid forms of working provide an excellent way to operate in a more environmentally responsible manner. With less reliance on car transport to take employees to and from work because of more days working from home, the carbon footprint of the workforce can be dramatically cut. In addition, many meetings and conferences now take place online in virtual spaces. This negates the need for immense amounts of long journeys to conference centres and business venues over the course of the fiscal year.
