Unsustainability of the hybrid model
The hybrid model, namely a combination of working from home and physically in the office, is unsustainable at many companies, according to Laszlo Bock, former HR director at Google and current CEO of Humu. Bock suggests that for Google employees this is only the beginning, a transition period of three or five years maximum, after which employees will be required to go the office on a permanent basis.
Why should companies want to return to the old model? Bock claims the answer is simple: for many management-level employees with 20 or 30 years' experience of working in the office, it is an environment they are fully familiar with; they know how to navigate it well and effectively monitor and lead their subordinates in it.
Productivity and home office
On the other hand, management's conviction that physical presence at the workplace is the most effective model for a company's productivity goes against the findings of recent research focusing on this area, especially because of the Covid-19 pandemic. According to surveys, employees' overall productivity did not drop during remote working, even if, as Bock admits, the downside is that for many employees the line between work and personal life became blurred and maintaining productivity often meant working overtime or during weekends.
What is the ideal model?
According to Bock, the 3+2 hybrid model, i.e. three days working in the office and two days remotely, offers the best solution for both employees and employer. This model ensures adequate socialisation of employees, as well as providing them sufficient flexibility and the ability effectively to manage work and personal life. Bock advises companies not to force employees to return to the office, but rather to motivate them positively by offering benefits to office attendees, such as free food or training available only to those physically present in the office.
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