Is the hybrid work model here to stay?

Previously companies and people in general were very skeptical about ever really allowing employees to work from home. The pandemic gave us no option but to embrace the work-from-home model and it seems to have had a long-term effect on companies worldwide.

Currently my company works three days in the office and two from home, and it’s working, with no view on changing that for now. Many companies here and internationally have also implemented a full work-from-home strategy, including Facebook, Microsoft, Oracle, and Paypal.

I’m certainly pro this new hybrid model and have a few feelings on the matter, mainly trust. If you can’t trust your team you already have a big issue. You should be able to trust that your team are working as productively and effectively as they would in the office.

The hybrid way works well because it means you can still have some face-to-face time which I believe is still very important, especially in our industry. Clients have slowly started to request in-person meetings which is also important to respect and work with where needed. Plus, it is rather nice to see some faces after so long at home or behind a screen.

Does it work for all? No probably not. I understand that for some businesses it is very important to be in the office, but I do believe that there has been a shift in the mindset of remote working worldwide which could be a very interesting future for the business model of many companies.

When I started my agency, I never wanted us to be that ‘9-5’ office vibe. Many of the ladies in my company are also mums who require flexibility to be able to balance their home and work life, something that we support wholeheartedly and pride ourselves on.

So remote working is not entirely new to us and has always been something we have believed works. You have to have the trust and transparency with your team, but if this is broken then the model begins to crumble. I’m glad to say that we are yet to need to worry about that.

Remote working doesn’t work for everyone from a personal or emotional perspective either. Many people have had enough of sitting at home and really want that human interaction, to have the chance to chat and bounce ideas, which is where I think the hybrid format is the future, rather than a total move to remote working.

It has been a tough year for many and the move back to face-to-face has actually given a lot of people the lifeline they needed. Which can’t be taken lightly.

Another good thing to come out of this new work-from-home situation is the advance in a lot of new technology that perhaps wouldn’t have been seen this quickly had we not been forced to accelerate it. There is a rapidly evolving virtual conferences and training sector that has given access to amazing people, knowledge and resources that we haven’t had before.

For now, we will be sticking with the hybrid model, at least until we feel it doesn’t work or needs a change. Because let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to work in their pyjamas a couple of days a week!

Natasha Hatherall-Shawe, founder and CEO of Tish Tash.