Go Hybrid or Go Broke: The Future of Hybrid Work

Go Hybrid or Go Broke: The Future of Hybrid Work

 

Would you return to the office full time?

For a while now, companies have been discussing the future of work, and what it might look like in the post-pandemic environment. It’s likely that a full return to “in-office” employment isn’t on the cards for most companies these days.  

Even if businesses wanted to return to a full “traditional” work model, restrictions around how many people we can reasonably have in the office will prevent this for a while to come. However, there is a chance that organisations might bring all of their team members back “in-house” one day in the future. So, how would that decision impact staff? 

Analysts say that around 40% of the global workforce are thinking of leaving their employer this year. And the 2021 Work Trend Index notes that options to work in remote and hybrid environments will be the key to attracting future talent.  

But how do people really feel about not being able to work from home? 

Would the request to return to the office full-time prompt you to start refining your resume? 

The Old Workplace is Dead: Long Live Hybrid 

To find out how people feel about the concept of returning to the office “full-time”, I hosted a poll on LinkedIn, asking what professionals might do if their employer gave them no option for hybrid or remote working days.  

Only 12% of the people who responded to this poll said they’d just “do as they were told” and go back to the office without a fuss. 34% of people said they’d start looking for a new job, and 50% said they would try to negotiate a better working opportunity with their boss. 5% said they’d leave their workplace immediately.

Overall, this means that a full 88% of people would respond negatively to the thought of going back to the office full time. Around 39% would likely end up leaving their employer, and half of all staff members would do their best to change that leader’s mind about remote work.

We’ve all gotten used to a new kind of working here – and we’re not willing to go back.

Ultimately, flexible work is here to stay, and any company that fails to recognise that could be in for a nasty surprise. Brands still planning to “one day” bring people back to the office 100% will likely find that they’re in for a fight with their staff. These employers might also be on the bottom of the list of “top places to work” when talent starts searching for new careers.

Go Hybrid or Lose Your Staff

It wasn’t so long ago that the concept of working remotely was a pretty bizarre one for most of us. Only a tiny portion of the global workforce worked remotely full time before the pandemic, and a just a fraction more had the option to work remotely part-time. Now, we’re living in a world where staff members expect to have the option to split their work between home, and the office. Hybrid has become the “new normal”, giving employees the best of both worlds when it comes to interacting with colleagues and maintaining work/life balance. This new mode of work is also a fantastic opportunity for employers – if they know how to leverage it correctly.

With hybrid workplaces, you can reduce your overhead costs, minimise risk in the workplace, and benefit from a team of happier, more productive workers. Yet, somehow, there are still business leaders who aren’t comfortable making the transition.

For most companies, the demand for hybrid work isn’t something that can be ignored. As we head into a future where workers require new forms of working, employers will have to be prepared – this means investing in the right technology.

UCaaS is leading the way as the ultimate tool to bridge the gap between the old ways of working and the new. Bringing teams into the flexible environment of the cloud, UCaaS connects and empowers teams wherever they are, ensuring employers can stay up to date with the demands of their workers.

The Future of Work is Hybrid

Like it or not, today’s employees, and the talent of generations to come are going to expect access to more flexible schedules and working environments. Right now, there are still some companies living with the belief that they can simply “skip” the workplace shift and fall back into old routines. However, the evidence seems to suggest otherwise.

It’s going to be the companies that act now, invest in the right cloud-based technology, and prepare for a future of hybrid work that survive the talent wars in the years to come

 

Share the article on social networks:

Our products

img
VideoMost Server
Enterprise video conferencing with mobile messaging and content sharing
img
VideoMost SDK
Complete set of media processing technologies, signaling / transport protocols and collaboration tools to enable mobile group video calls inside your app