Organizations Are Debating on the Mix of Remote Work and On-site Work

As the vaccination rates are going up in many countries, the governments are loosening the restrictions for covid-19 measures, including opening up office spaces. I was curious to know if the hybrid work (a blend of on-site and remote work) will be the direction for numerous organizations; what would be the best days to work?

Indeed, there will be a difference of opinion on which days are best to work. For example, the Economist had run a report stating that many employers prefer to give remote work options any day except Monday and Friday.

Why?

To prevent employees from doing remote work in a resort! Or, perhaps there is more to it.

What about employees?

Do they have a choice? In some organizations, they may choose, but employers will dictate the work pattern for most.

Most of us (in North America and the European region) will undoubtedly prefer Monday or Friday and Wednesday if two or three days of remote work is permitted. Taking the off-site work on Monday or Friday gives an edge to work flexibly, and Wednesday cuts in between the week to balance the work pressure.

What days you would have chosen, if given the option?

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Considerations to take place

It is not about taking more relaxing time on the resort or about monitoring employees more stringently. Instead, it is about safeguarding both employer and employee in this ever-changing work pattern.

- Health and safety measures of employees (factors: office space size, number of employees, contact tracing, hygiene process, maintaining Govt. rules and regulations, proper cleaning, etc.)

- Required mode of work (as not every job requires office presence, and not every job can be remote)

- Future direction on remote vs. on-site (role adjustments based on the work type; set-up support from the office, on-site office, utility rents, etc.)

- Productivity questions to ask (which works can be remote and ensure better productivity; avoiding any imaginary prediction or direction).

No doubt that hybrid work is here to stay. However, even though the remote work started massively during the pandemic time and rolled into a hybrid in some places, many organizations will fail to implement the learning into future execution.

Every job, every division should be taken under the microscope, whether those are off-site eligible, on-site eligible, or should be a hybrid model. The distributed workforce in diverse modes will ensure better results.

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And, what about flexible work hours?

I’m betting that many organizations will realize the benefit of flexibility and provide it for some of their roles. But, of course, flexible work-hour for some functions doesn’t work well.

But, there is a benefit if efficiently planned and handled.

Some organizations will provide options for a 4–4.5 workday week by giving a Flexi-hour increase option for some roles.

Example: suppose, for a 40-hour workweek (8 hours a day, for five days), if someone goes for a 10 hours a workday (2 hours more per day) for four days, s/he can take the other day off. Or, if that person goes for 9 hours a day, s/he might take the later half-off on the 5th day.

From the motivational and stress handling aspects, the Flexi-hour can do wonders. In some countries, the four-day workweek is making a positive impact.

And, for the North American culture, where the annual leave-days are lower than European counterparts, an additional day off will boost morale and productivity.

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Future debate

There might be another issue coming in the longer term: the work-station type can impact the future promotion or movement within the organization. The underlying reason and assumptions are:

- Proper connectivity requires in-person human interaction, which is missing in a remote work setting.

- More works can be done while in the office, rather than off-site.

- On-site employees are more dedicated, loyal, and risk-taker than their off-site peers.

- Elevator pitches for showcasing work or initiatives to the higher management are higher on-site, as more regular chit-chats or in-person conversation is possible on-site.

Assumptions like this can ruin the progress, even if organizations move ahead with the rapid hybrid workstyle. Perceptions like this will push the employees to do on-site work more without any real need or take unnecessary risks.

Exciting changes are coming for sure.

The question is, which organizations will be visionary enough (or smart enough) to take the optimum possible solutions?

The scary part is that some organizations (which are entirely conventional in strategy and future direction) eagerly await the restrictions to go away, as they want to go back to their previous status-quo of on-site office.

Some of those directions for the on-site office will make sense; for some jobs, it will not. But, if the changes are taken without proper analysis or research, this will bite back to the organization.

In the race of survival and growth, the organizations making the transition half-heartedly will surely suffer. And, in the process, their employees too.

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This article was previously published in Medium.

Writer: Suntonu Bhadra is a Business Consultant, supporting corporate organizations in IT infrustructure and office workflow solution across Ontario province, Canada. He is an active writer in Vocal and Medium, 25 countries travel old, nature photographer and a newbie YouTuber. For additional stories, visit his Vocal+ profile, and also can explore Medium.