Hybrid Work Between Necessity and Opportunity

“The labour market is at a point where, more than ever, the mental health of employees is at the forefront, and employers are open to addressing solutions to make labour more flexible, following the model of other European countries.” – Ana Vişian, BestJobs Marketing Manager

Over the past two years, working from home has become a necessity, effectively an experiment that has shown everyone that this way of working on a large scale is possible. According to the “Future of Work and Skills” survey conducted by PwC in September 2021, productivity in remote / hybrid work increased, with almost 60% of respondents showing that their organization performed better than its goals compared to previous periods.

At the same time, however, the phenomenon of “burnout“ has grown, both due to the increase in workload and the difficulty of disconnection, on the background of a general stress caused by anxiety regarding the disease and the reduced human interactions, among others.

As a consequence, a record number of resignations have been recorded, generated mainly by the desire to make a change or to increase the quality of life, re-evaluating personal priorities.

Hybrid Work Between Necessity and Opportunity

As a result, many companies that can operate remotely will continue working in a hybrid system. Out of these , according to the PwC survey, approximately 58.9% will adopt the hybrid system under certain rules (either a number of days with mandatory attendance or planning these days through a dedicated application), while 25% will leave the employee to decide when to work from the office.

A global trend regarding flexibility at work  has been penetrating several countries, with companies switching to a 4-day working week, and in Romania a bill on this approach is being submitted to parliament.

According to a recent poll (March 2-24) by BestJobs Recruitment Platform:

• 78% of employees are looking  forward towards switching to a 4-day work week 
• 71% of employees believe that the 4-day work week would suit their current job and activity;
• 70% of employees believe that a short working week would improve their work-life balance; 
• 68% of employees believe that the 4-day work week would provide more free time to prioritize mental and physical health;
• 45% of employees feel that in the event that they have adopted such a way of working in the company for which they work, there would be more pressure on them to complete the tasks faster;
• 41% of employees believe that the main disadvantage would be the higher workload in the 4 days;
• 29% of employees consider that the reduced working week would lead to an increase in the level of productivity when they are at work;
• 25% of employees believe that a 4-day work week would reduce the risk of burnout.

Regarding employers:

• 60% think that this moment would be a good one for the transition to the 4-day working week;
• 50% would see it possible to operate their company with a program of 4 days a week in the form of a legislative proposal (10 hours / day);
• 25% believe that it would reduce the company’s operating costs;
• 25% believe that there would be a risk of decreasing the workload.

Regarding the effects on employees, 1 of 4 employers considers that an extra day off would bring them more happiness, but 12% fear that this program could quickly lead to exhaustion due to the increased workload during a working day…

In this context, many companies have already started to implement plans for a gradual return of their employees to the office. In addition, in the real estate field there has been a growing interest regarding sustainability – as an analysis recently published by a company specializing in real estate services shows. 

Therefore, sustainability translates into:

• energy efficient buildings, with geothermal systems included, to cool / heat the entire building, or offices with as much natural light as possible;
• business parks that offer green areas in the inner courtyard or on the generous terraces (on the roof or outside);
• real estate projects focused on urban regeneration, with green areas, attractive pedestrian spaces, outdoor running tracks, facilities for cyclists, swimming pools, areas with fountains, etc.

Finally, remote work is here to stay. And with this great shift regarding work, we’ve seen the need of managers and leaders to switch towards virtual mentorship. Commitment, trust, relationship quality, and mentor competence are the real ingredients of developmental growth, all of these can be successfully applied in virtual mentorship.

Bibliography (sources): 

• https://www.agerpres.ro/economic-intern/2022/04/26/companiile-cauta-cladiri-cu-zone-verzi-pentru-incurajarea-revenirii-angajatilor-la-birou-analiza–907906
• https://www.agerpres.ro/economic-intern/2022/04/13/aproape-8-angajati-din-10-ar-vrea-sa-lucreze-doar-4-zile-pe-saptamana-studiu–901978