There is a new balance to post-pandemic working life. For some, the work environment morphed from the traditional office, with its clear-cut hours, hierarchical roles and defined desks to remote working, with devices to agitate an employee\u2019s cursor and cameras adjusted to obscure the view of the pool. <\/p>\n
Now attitudes have shifted to something approaching a blend of those two models: hybrid working. <\/p>\n
Organisations are learning about the merits of offering hybrid roles, a balance between in-office days and working from home, Rotterdam, or anywhere. But unlike the loneliness expressed in the song, hybrid working looks at alleviating the isolation of the work-from-home culture, which the pandemic uncovered, and maximising the potential of offering flexible working arrangements.<\/p>\n
Gavin Fox, director of Contract Recruitment and one of the founders of the tech recruitment firm Needl<\/a>, is a big fan of hybrid working models. \u201cAs a dad of three and husband to a shift worker, it works for both my work and personal life,\u201d he says. \u201cAt Needl, we work three days in the office. Our London team is mostly remote, though they try to meet once a week. Across the market, two or three office days are becoming the norm.\u201d<\/p>\n At Needl, compromise is key to managing flexible working arrangements, giving the company and its employees the \u201cbest of both worlds\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cWe get face-to-face time, a laugh in the office and the buzz of being together, but without the pressure of five days in,\u201d says Fox. \u201cWe\u2019ve even had people work from Spain for a month, so it brings flexibility too.\u201d<\/p>\n That said, he is conscious that hybrid working differs for each company, and it may not work for every environment or employee. <\/p>\n \u201cSome people want more office time, others less,\u201d says Fox, who is the founder and host of Dublin Tech Talks meet-ups and podcasts. \u201cThat\u2019s the balance companies are navigating right now.\u201d<\/p>\n Regarding how hybrid employees manage the social element of being involved in the workplace if they\u2019re mostly working from home, Fox believes we \u201csometimes overcomplicate this,\u201d saying that \u201cpeople will get involved if they want to get involved. The key is to tap into their intrinsic motivation, make them want to be part of it, rather than forcing it. That could be through social connection, meaningful work or creating the right culture.\u201d<\/p>\n The initiative of mass remote working created a new kind of employee with new challenges, including a lack of social interaction, which plays a large role in our lives, let alone our employment. Without it, isolation takes hold, and we know that loneliness poses health risks comparable to cigarettes.<\/p>\n Interestingly, reports suggest that Gen Z workers are beginning to consider traditional office roles over remote work, with many citing loneliness as their main motivator for a commute. And there is a consistent drive to get employees \u201cback into the office\u201d or back on site. Hybrid working allows for this interaction with colleagues and other benefits.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people might not be able to afford to live in Dublin city, but they want to work in a company that\u2019s based in the city,\u201d says Caroline Reidy, managing director of The HR Suite<\/a> and a HR and employment-law expert. \u201cHybrid working means they can live somewhere else that\u2019s more affordable and still work with that company.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople might be able to go to the gym in the morning, do yoga or manage childcare more easily. It\u2019s not lost time commuting on the Dart. They can do something more beneficial with that time. Time is a commodity, and people really value that.\u201d<\/p>\n Hybrid working benefits the employee, but what about the company? <\/p>\n