Hybrid workers are the happiest employees, according to the AUT Wellbeing@Work study. Hybrid working is certainly popular, with 44% of employees and 51% of employers preferring it. But with so many different types of hybrid working models to choose from, it can be difficult to know which is best for your business. Here’s everything you need to know about these models.
Table of Contents
Split week model
The split week hybrid model involves you allocating workers set days to come into the office and specific days to work from home. For example, you could have your accounting and HR department in on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with the rest of your teams in on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This working model is good for large companies that need to reduce the number of workers in the office. It also still allows some teams to collaborate.
At-will model
The at-will model encourages employees to do what’s best for them. If they want to work from home, they can. Or, if they fancy a day in the office, they can go in. This is good for business meetings, but, one thing to consider with this model is its unpredictability. You also have to have a lot of trust in your employees. Studies have found that working from home is best for productivity, so you must ensure your workers have a suitable area to work from. Remote working arrangements for employees should also help them to get into a working mindset and encourage boundaries between home and work life.
Office-first model & remote-first models
The office-first model requires employees to spend the majority of their time in the office. They are however allowed to work from home occasionally (one or two days per week). This model works best for companies that require a lot of face-to-face interaction and in-person meetings. Its biggest problem is that it can cause employee conflict when trying to arrange which day will be worked from home. The remote-first model is the opposite of the office-first model. Remote working is the most common practice. If you need to lower your business costs, this is an effective way to do it. Relationships among team members are often poor with this model, though, due to the lack of time they spend together.
Hybrid working models are tricky things to get right. Before deciding which is best for your business, quiz your employees on what they want and carefully analyze the pros and cons of each. Also, don’t be afraid to do a trial run of each option before making a final commitment.
