{"id":69415,"date":"2021-08-10T00:52:21","date_gmt":"2021-08-10T00:52:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/?p=69415"},"modified":"2025-04-14T03:56:06","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T03:56:06","slug":"hybrid-workforce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/hybrid-workforce\/","title":{"rendered":"The Hybrid Office Model Is Here To Stay"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 4<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

Chris works in Beijing. Pat works in Lima. Morgan works in New York City. They all work for the same company, which is located in London. They\u2019ve never met. They probably never will. This isn\u2019t the workplace of the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the workplace of today – a hybrid model that has been fuelled precipitously by the worldwide spread of a virus.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Steve Morrow, who also works for the same company from Parramatta in Western Sydney, is currently looking for a new job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many, he\u2019s been working remotely since March 2020. Like many, he says he has \u201cno desire to return to a cubicle again … ever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Related: How To Implement The Hybrid Working Model<\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While he\u2019s not desperate to find a new job, he says he\u2019s surprised by the number of employers that want people to be on-site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If he was<\/em> desperate, he says, he recognises that he would have to consider going into an office, something he\u2019s now loathe to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t stand the thought of being confined to a cube all day,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m a productive employee, and I don\u2019t see the need to be face-to-face with all the technology we have today with Zoom, Webex, etc.\u201d<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

At this point, Morrow says, he would not consider changing jobs if it required him to be physically on-site. He\u2019s not alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Related: Best Small Business Accounting Software<\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Genie Is Out of The Bottle<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Research conducted by plugable<\/a>, based on responses from 2000 US adults in January 2021, found that, like Morrow, nearly half of those currently working remotely would rather work at home for the long haul than head back to the office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joe Flanagan, a senior employment advisor with VelvetJobs<\/em>, has experienced the reluctance\u2014or utter refusal\u2014to consider jobs that require employees to be onsite firsthand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCandidates today are less forgiving of employers who don\u2019t provide the flexibility of remote or hybrid work,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMany applicants that I have worked with simply refuse to consider in-office jobs because they don\u2019t want to go entirely back to the way things were.\u201d<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Corey K. Brown is a case in point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown recently changed jobs. Having a hybrid working environment was a big part of his decision-making process. After working remotely for more than 18 months at his last job, he says the leadership team decided to bring all staff back into the office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That, he says, \u201cwas a game-changer for many of my coworkers and me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Related: Best Carry-On Luggage For Business Travellers<\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

It Was Also A Decision That Defied Logic.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The company had been entirely in-office before the pandemic. Then, like many, it was forced to send people home to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During that time, says Brown, the company had \u201chistorical growth.\u201d That, he says, should have proven that employees could work effectively remotely<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After getting pushback from employees, the company agreed to move to a hybrid environment.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a move that more companies are likely to consider seriously. After getting a taste of the benefits of remote work, employees have become seriously averse to on-site work requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Related: 7 Best Ergonomic Office Chairs For WFH<\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Opportunities For Employees.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“Hybrid work offers a number of key opportunities for both personal and professional growth”, says Corey K. Brown, head of marketing with risk3sixty<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flexibility and work\/life balance are two primary benefits, according to Brown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the little things \u2014 like being home to admit a service person, or having the flexibility to leave for appointments, or to throw a load of clothes in the wash can be highly valued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those are personal life convenience-related perks, but the benefits of remote work can become much more tangible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scott Hirsch is CTO and co-founder of TalentMarketplace<\/em>, a coworking space for tech companies<\/a> and candidates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on input from job seekers on his platform, Hirsch says that many have started searching for new job opportunities beyond their immediate location \u2014 including across the country.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey could even start looking for work in places that offer higher pay than their current location,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, those remote jobs wouldn\u2019t even need to be located in the United States. Remote work literally opens up a world of possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, as with anything, there are always both upsides and downsides, says Hirsch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Related: 11 Best Website Hosting Providers In Australia<\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Worrying Drawbacks Of Hybrid Work.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, Hirsch says: \u201cWhile remote work means more job opportunities since you can search outside of your location, it also means more competition.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider a rural community in a sparsely populated area where you are the only IT developer with qualifications for a position you\u2019re a shoo-in for. If that position can suddenly be handled remotely (and it can) the competitive field of candidates has grown exponentially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Related: Best Standing Desk For Your Home Office)<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This, says Flanagan, is the biggest challenge facing candidates in a remote\/hybrid work environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People who have been laid off over the past year are looking for work, and so are people who have been waiting to ride out the volatility before changing their jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is an influx of talent supply, which makes it harder for average and above-average candidates to get noticed or receive call-back interviews.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On average, most people are applying to more job openings today and getting far lesser responses. Those who are less likely to feel the pinch of competition are \u201cniche experts or workers with very specific skill sets,\u201d says Flanagan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Related Article: How To Set Up A Home Office On A Shoestring<\/a>).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being able to work anywhere in the world opens up a lot of opportunities, but also raises issues related to interacting with people across time zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get together for lunch at midnight, anyone?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, says Hirsch, while not having to commute to work is certainly an advantage, onboarding and working entirely remotely can negatively impact the social aspects of a job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plugable also points to some \u201cbad habits\u201d that can emerge when working from home based on its research:<\/p>\n\n\n\n