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5 Reasons Why Hybrid Work Is Here To Stay

In today’s world of work, offering flexible work arrangements such as hybrid work options to team members is essential to hiring and retaining top talent. In fact, hybrid work has become the preferred work arrangement for many professionals in recent years. Recent data from Gallup finds that 53% of remote-capable employees currently have some sort of hybrid work arrangement in place with their employers.

 

Gallup’s survey data also indicates that 61% of workers would prefer to work in a hybrid arrangement. Gallup’s data also indicates that eight in 10 people in remote-capable positions expect hybrid or fully remote work options from their employers. While employee satisfaction and expectations alone could arguably justify the value of hybrid work arrangements, there are a multitude of benefits associated with hybrid work for employers like you. 

Hybrid work arrangements are associated with higher productivity levels and workforce happiness. Hybrid options are linked with greater work/life balance and cost savings for employers and workers as well. In this blog, we’ll dig deeper into the major benefits of hybrid work for employers and team members and why hybrid work is here to stay for the long-haul.

1. Hybrid Work Offers Team Members Flexibility and Autonomy

One of the primary reasons why hybrid work is here to stay is that it allows team members to work in an office setting part-time and from home part-time. This ability to work from home part of the time encourages flexible scheduling, which makes it easier to balance responsibilities outside of work.

If, for example, a team member has children getting off a school bus every afternoon, they may want to be able to work from an office in the morning and work from home in the afternoon so that they’re home when their kids get off the bus.

Hybrid Work and Employee Autonomy

Hybrid work also encourages and requires some level of autonomy as well, which team members tend to appreciate. When your team members are working from home part-time, they have control over their working conditions, including how and when they complete tasks. 

Why is autonomy important? Autonomy at work has been shown to have a positive impact on employee job satisfaction and general well-being, which is a great lead-in to number two on this list… 

2. Healthier Work/Life Balance

When your team members can work from home at least part of the time, they also are likely to feel that they have a healthier balance between their work life and home life.

In fact, a recent Cisco survey found that 79 percent of workers reported an increase in work/life balance when they worked away from an office, in part because they don’t have the stress of a commute to deal with every day.

Happy employees do more than create a positive environment in your company. Employee happiness impacts the health (and wealth) of your company, as well.

When your workforce is happy and satisfied, they also tend to be more engaged, passionate about their work, more creative, less likely to miss work, and more likely to stay with your company.

Since training and recruiting are often the most expensive aspects of running a successful business, employee work/life balance and happiness should be a major focus for you and your management team.

3. No Drop in Productivity

The flexibility and variability in where your team members work allows them to perform focused work at home without interruptions and to use their time in a physical  office space to collaborate with team members.

In 2021, Trip.com, a multinational travel company, ran a randomized evaluation on the impact of hybrid work on productivity. The company ran the study to find out how to increase job satisfaction and productivity and reduce employee attrition.

The study found that hybrid work schedules did not negatively impact employee reviews and promotions. Results notably showed that hybrid work reduced attrition, increased job satisfaction, and reduced sick days and requests for time off.

A study at Stanford University on remote work also found that hybrid work arrangements “appear to have no impact on productivity. 

Notably, a McKinsey study found that 58% of workers themselves report that hybrid work increases their productivity. 

4. Cost Savings

For employers like you, hybrid work also can translate into cost savings. When you allow your team members to work from home, your operating costs can be reduced significantly. 

How Hybrid Work Translates Into Cost-Savings

With a hybrid team, the expenses associated with a traditional, physical office space can be greatly reduced. Using coworking spaces can help reduce real estate costs by as much as 50% according to some estimates.

Tech company Cisco reported cost savings over the last 15 years of more than $500 million thanks to hybrid work. Much of that savings is associated with office space costs. 

Companies such as Dow Chemical and Nortel report cost reductions of more than 30% on non-real estate savings. 

No matter the size of your company, hybrid work arrangements offer cost savings to you as an employer that can be hugely beneficial to your bottom line. 

5. Broader Talent Pools

The fifth and final reason why hybrid work is here to stay is that it also can broaden talent pools for employers like you. 

When your team is hybrid, your talent searches needn’t be restricted by geographic area. Instead, you can focus on hiring the best people in your field regardless of their geographic location. 

According to data from Gallup once again, job openings that include fully remote or hybrid work options receive two to three times more job applicants than positions that don’t feature hybrid work options.

“The days of an office based five-day per week 9-5 job are over and will never return,” writes Factotum CEO Bobby Lane. “Every recruiter, client, and business owner that I have spoken with all agree that if you want to attract or retain staff you will have to offer flexibility. If not, the available talent pool will be significantly restricted.”

Key Takeaways: Why Hybrid Work Is Here To Stay

• Hybrid work options can broaden your company’s access to talent.
• Shown to reduce employee attrition, increase job satisfaction, and reduce sick days and requests for time off.
• Hybrid work provides team members with greater flexibility and autonomy.
• Offers a healthier work/life balance and is associated with higher levels of employee happiness.
• Hybrid work provides employers with significant cost savings.

Schedule a free tour of one of our coworking centers near you or give us a call at (866) 983-2099 to explore how Carr Workplaces coworking centers empower you to offer robust hybrid and remote work options to your team members.

Discover “How Coworking Centers Can Help Your Human Resources Department.”