Remote working is officially part of the new normal as the pandemic solidified the idea that employees could work from wherever they wanted, and still be just as productive as they would have been in the office.
According to a report from Capgemini, over six in ten organizations saw a spike in productivity during the third quarter of 2020 thanks to less commutes and the adoption of collaboration tools.
Even more, remote working has allowed companies to cut down on real estate costs, facilities management, business travel and more.
On the other hand, some companies and employees have experienced the downsides of remote working. For instance, professionals have expressed feeling fatigued due to overworking, as well as blurred lines between their work and home lives.
Now, companies are exploring ways to reap the benefits of both work arrangements by adopting hybrid arrangements, or Hyflex.
Hyflex allows employees to enjoy the freedom of working remotely, while also allowing them the socialization and collaboration of the workplace through flexible offices.
Some organizations have adopted this strategy by implementing a 3-2-2 work week in which employees work onsite for three days, remotely for two days and have the last two days off.
But in order to make the transition to this new arrangement, companies will need to create new policies to better lead and manage this distributed workforce.
For instance, flexible offices should be arranged to suit collaboration, and employees should be provided with more tools to improve their remote working experience.
