The office was changing far before the COVID-19 pandemic propelled many organizations into the world of work-from-home. Many offices were moving toward offering remote work options or a hybrid work model that included both in-office and work-from-home options.
But now more than ever, organizations are considering what type of work model might be right for them. They are balancing employee experience and satisfaction with productivity and office culture and trying to determine what office situation is best for their team.
Thankfully, you don’t have to be 100% remote or 100% in the office. There are a variety of hybrid work models to choose from.
What Is a Hybrid Work Model?
A hybrid work model is a structure that permits employees to work both remotely and in the office. Rather than having everyone in the office all of the time or having everyone work from home year-round, a hybrid model allows an organization the flexibility to have a little bit of both.
Like many organization leaders, Align HCM’s VP of Talent sees a benefit of having a hybrid work model.
“I think we all have learned that an ‘all or nothing’ or ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach no longer works in supporting different functions, locations, and situations,” Angie Ramsumair says.
Many organizations are moving toward finding the hybrid work model that works best for them, and they have plenty of options.
6 Options for Hybrid Work Models
There are six common hybrid work models that give employers and employees options for where to work.
#1) Come to the Office When You Want
Employees aren’t required to work from home or the office. They can choose where they want to work at their own discretion. Challenges with this hybrid work model is in-office seating. Unless everyone has an assigned seat in an office, it could be difficult to manage a changing, unscheduled influx of in-office staff.
#2) Company-Scheduled Work From Home
Employees are able to work from home on days assigned by team leaders. This structure could be set up so all employees are scheduled to come in on the same day. Or, it could be set up so teams or groups are assigned in-office days on different schedules.
#3) Self-Scheduled Work From Home
Employees can work from home on the days they want. In this scenario, employees are scheduled to be in the office on the days they choose in advance. This structure could be beneficial for people who have activities (at-home or work-related) that make it easier or more productive for them to be in or out of the office on specific days.
#4) Office-First
Employees work from the office, unless they are given permission for taking days or weeks out of the office. In this structure, the goal is to have employees in the office while giving them leeway to take days out of the office when needed. For example, an employee may work in the office year-round, except for the week around Thanksgiving so they can travel to be with family and work from home.
#5) Remote-First
Employees primarily work from home but have scheduled in-person team meetings and engagements. This structure is only one step above full-time remote, as the staff is typically remote but has scheduled in-person events with their team.
Recommended Reading: 6 Virtual Meeting Tips Your Company Might Be Overlooking
#6) Employee-by-Employee Basis
One of the trickier hybrid work models assigns work-from-home access on an employee-by-employee basis. It is not the same for everyone in the office. Team leaders can give permission to certain employees or teams regarding when they can work-from-home.
Align HCM follows both a “company-scheduled work from home” and a “remote-first” model. We have team members across both the United States and Canada so we need to be flexible with our work models.
“Align HCM has been able to provide a hybrid model where employees have flexibility, however our model is not totally free-form,” says Angie Ramsumair.
Our teams near our office locations operated under a “company-scheduled work from home” model and have scheduled work-from-home days. Our distance teams use a “remote-first” policy and have bi-monthly meet-ups and team outings to stay connected.
What Is Right For Your Organization?
Organizations have a lot to consider when choosing what type of hybrid work model is right for them. When we were creating our hybrid work model at Align HCM, we considered four things.
Safety: Team health and wellness should always be at the forefront of your decision-making. While COVID-19 has created a unique safety challenge, there may be other factors to consider when deciding where your team should work.
Work/Life Balance: Remote work can both improve and diminish work/life balance. On one hand, it can give your team more time at home. On the other hand, it can blend the workplace with the home. Develop policies that give your team a healthy work/life balance whether they are in the office or at home.
Engagement: “We firmly believe that being together and having a sense of community is super important especially when you are creating something new, growing and scaling a team, and working hard to solve projects,” says Align HCM VP of Talent. Consider how you can keep your team united from near or far.
Accessing Talent: One of the best benefits of a hybrid work model is that it kicks the door wide open when it comes to hiring. Rather than being limited to nearby workers, you can hire the best talent across the country with a remote work option. At Align HCM, we are growing rapidly and a hybrid work model opens the door to accessing new pools of talent without the constraints of location.
Related: How To Develop a Modern Talent Acquisition Mindset
After assessing these considerations, we determined that two types of hybrid work models were best for our team at Align HCM.
Work is no longer just in the office, just out of the office, or just one hybrid model. A blend of two models worked for us. Keep that flexibility in mind while crafting a hybrid work model of your own.
Managing All Types of Work Models
The workplace is always evolving. Hybrid work models are just one way that employment boundaries continue to change. As an organization, it’s important to keep up to date on human resource trends and shifts.
If you need help adjusting your human capital management based on changes in the workplace, let us know.
Align HCM is here to ensure your systems and software evolve as your organziation does. See how we can help. Schedule a call with our team today.
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