If the last few years have taught us anything, workplaces must be flexible to stay operational. So it’s not surprising that hybrid workplaces have gained immense popularity in recent years as organisations strive to strike a balance between remote work and traditional office settings.
This growing trend reflects the recognition of the numerous benefits and advantages that hybrid work arrangements bring to employees and employers. It’s becoming more evident that hybrid workplaces are the new future of work.
So why are hybrid workplaces becoming popular?
The rise of hybrid workplaces endures for a myriad of reasons, as employers and employees search for the ‘status quo’ between working from home and in the office.
Key factors influence the nature of hybrid working, including technological advancement, shifting work-life expectations, the need for real-world workplace culture and striking the right balance between productivity and wellness.
How people work is in a constant state of flux, however, some form of hybrid flexibility is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.
Flexibility
With trust and strong sense of company culture, hybrid workplaces can result in a happy and productive workforce. Ideally, employees can use their ‘at home’ days to hunker down on more focused tasks and use the office for more collaborative work. The flexibility of choosing where to work empowers people to make the best choices for their productivity and for their wellness.
Hybrid is not a perfect system; productivity may dwindle for employees working from home, and employees who go to work for social connection may be greeted by an empty office. Employers and employees must work together and compromise to make the flexible ‘hybrid’ solution a real success.
Satisfaction & Convenience
There’s no doubt that the occasional ‘WFH’ day provides employees freedom from a rigid work structure and reduces the stress factors of ‘going in’ five days a week.
Work-from-home days can help employees not feel overwhelmed by their working weeks. Reducing commuting hours gives employees extra time to catch up on sleep and keep up with household chores and exercise more regularly.
Hybrid working, when well managed, can support employees’ long-term wellness and satisfaction: and, therefore, their long-term productivity. However, employees need to step-up to the mark to ensure they keep their home working days productive against the temptations of home-comforts. Moreover, employers need to trust their workforce to take ownership of their productivity levels.
Food creates shared experiences
Shared mealtimes foster trust, camaraderie and understanding between teams. When office catering delivers high-quality dining experiences, it can boost company culture within hybrid-working teams.
Sitting down together to enjoy good food as a team is a positive experience that negates the isolating effect of the ‘home working’ days. Plus, the promise of a decent meal ‘on the house’ is precisely the personal touch a workplace can offer to draw people back to their office desks.
Hybrid working can go wrong: there are dangers to it if mismanaged. But if a company takes the right approach, making clear its expectations to employees and creating a more social workplace experience: effective hybrid working can shape a company’s success. Office catering provides experiences that unify teams and helps to keep people connected with hybrid work.
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