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Hybrid: where are the risks behind the hype?

Date

April 2022

Research sample
  • 67,000+ Employees
  • 60% Hybrid working employees
  • 29% Home working employees
  • 11% Office working employees
Key words
  • Hybrid working
  • Surplus real estate
  • Leadership
  • Employee experience
Resources
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‘Hybrid’ is the buzzword of the moment. In the world of work and place, there is no shortage of opinions on the potential opportunities and threats of hybrid working; but how is it actually working?

Hybrid: where are the risks behind the hype?

After surveying 67,000 employees in the second half of 2021 and noticing that the majority were working in a hybrid way, we knew it was time to do a deep dive. We zoomed in on their full hybrid experience and extracted key lessons to be learned. While this data was collected while Covid was still present, it provides useful insights into what a hybrid future may look like post-pandemic.

Organisations must adapt to the evolving work patterns and consider the potential surplus of underutilised office space, or they risk being left behind. The research is clear: hybrid work offers opportunities to optimise employee experiences but requires careful management of associated risks. Demographic, trust, commute, and health factors will all influence the success of hybrid work models.

Key takeaways
  • There is no magic recipe for success with hybrid working. There’s no-one-size-fits all method. Instead, understanding the requirements, circumstances, and concerns of your employees is more pressing than ever.
  • Hybrid working will likely look, feel, and operate very differently to the workplace-centric model that some may be used to. Although it can optimise an employee’s experience across multiple work locations, the pre-pandemic mentalities, infrastructure, and routines may not match the new habits developed during the pandemic.
  • There are multiple factors that can affect the success of a hybrid work model. These require careful management in order to avoid potential associated risks.
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