Hybrid Work and the Challenges It Brings to Modern Employers

Did you know that as many as 35% of adults worked remotely during the pandemic?

Remote work is great. You skip the commute, enjoy the comfort of your house, and eat a home-cooked meal. It only makes sense that even after the pandemic, many employees still want to continue working from home.

Employers, on the other hand, want employees back in the office. However, they recognize that remote work can save them money and make employees happy. So they strike a balance with hybrid work.

That said, hybrid work doesn't come without its own difficulties. Join us as we discuss the challenges this working scheme brings to the modern employer.

What Is Hybrid Working?

Hybrid working is when employees work a certain portion of their hours remotely. In many cases, this is a half-and-half situation. One-half of the employees come in for the first portion of the week; the other half come in for the second.

Hybrid work provides what employees want in terms of remote work benefits. They can skip the commute, work from the comfort of their home, and still maintain work productivity.

On their in-person attendance days, they take care of any duties needed in the office. They can still take part in the tightknit office culture you need them to be a part of. 

Further, they still get regular face-to-face interaction with their direct managers. They still get the more highly-coordinated office working environment. And, perhaps of equal importance, their boss can make sure they're not suffering too much from distraction.

One could say it's the best of both worlds. There's never a better time to start. So, where does the challenge come in?

Hybrid Work Is Productive, But...

Probably the key complaint of remote work is communication. In a fast-paced office environment, collaboration is easy. While there are working benefits that come with being online, communication suffers since employees often have to make do with fickle technology.

In person, there's no wrangling a 100+ person Zoom call. None of the, "Jessica, you left your mike on; we can hear you arguing with your husband in the background." Just fluid human communication without barriers.

In short, communication and teamwork struggle in a hybrid environment. The constant switching between an office and remote workplace takes a lot of getting used to. It can make it hard to maintain the integrity of lines of communication.

This also presents a problem for coaching. No sport is complete without a personal mentor to help you with the ropes. Managers may have to use multiple management styles to fit the hybrid environment.

In-person coaching is a staple of any work environment. Managers and employees both benefit greatly from ironing out any issues that they may have. In a hybrid environment, there are less chances for these organic learning experiences.

These are growing pains. For the world's workforce to suddenly work online requires adjustments. The advantages our society has observed with remote work cannot be ignored.

Employees Want Benefits

Many lost their jobs during the pandemic. Given the time to contemplate while job hunting, they realized the current career path wasn't for them. This led, in part, to the legendary Great Resignation.

With many of these employees on unemployment benefits, they had a window to be picky. Picky enough to turn down job offers. For the first time in a while, employees had the power to dictate terms.

Many businesses hiked wages to lure in potential hires. Others lowered their standards for employment. But the most successful were those that loaded on the benefits.

The verdict is clear: employees want job benefits. Fail to provide them, and they'll look for another company that does. In the modern work landscape, an employer can no longer afford to placate employees with the occasional free t-shirt.

There's a lot an employer can provide in the way of benefits. But the discerning employer looks for something that benefits them as well as their employees. 

Why not kill two birds with one stone? Hybrid work means employees don't get out of the house as often. When half the team is working from home, the team spirit and teamwork overall may suffer.

Benefits of Sport Sessions

To solve the Benefits Problem, many businesses simply offer their employees a gym membership. This, however, does not solve neither employer's nor employee's problem: weak team and lack of motivation. The way of thinking is correct, though. Sport indeed can bring many benefits to your employees as well as to your business. But only of played in team.

Whether it's yoga, running, or even sailing, sports build group cohesion. They provide a fun, healthy way for employees to bond off the clock. Plus, they give your employees a chance to try out something new.

Happy employees mean better retention. Employees who have taken part in the Great Resignation won't settle for mediocrity. By treating them right, you're guaranteed to keep them around.

Second, this results in increased productivity. By showing employees you care, you earn their trust and their respect. They're willing to sacrifice more to ensure your business excels.

Further, sport is good for anyone. Regular exercise results in a long list of benefits and practically no downsides. A healthier workforce is one that's always on its A-game.

Finally, work culture does best when employees hang out after hours. Extending the office culture beyond the walls of the office can only provide improved unity. Improved unity means stronger culture, better communication, and therefore better overall work quality. 

This is exactly what SPORTSESSION.COM offers. 

Try Out sportsession.com Today

The advent of remote work during the pandemic transitioned into a solid, hybrid work culture. However, employees who move back and forth from office to home suffer when it comes to communication. Sport team-building exercises may be a solution to boosting productivity, retention, and local office culture.

When it comes to team-building sports, there's a lot to choose from. It's time for you to join SPORTSESSION.COM. See for yourself the advantage of increasing teamwork off the clock.