Just one or two days in the office is the ideal setting for the hybrid Work, according to a new study, because it gives workers the flexibility they crave without the isolation of working completely remotely.
(See: Colombia was the second OECD country with the most unemployment in February).
The findings, from an investigation of Harvard Business School were based on an experiment carried out between June and September 2020 in which 130 administrative workers they were randomly assigned to one of three groups for nine weeks.
Some spent less than 25% of their working days in the office, others were more than 40% of the time, while a third group attended an intermediate amount of time, which translates to one or two days per week.
That subset produced more original work than the other groups, and “this difference was significant,” the authors wrote.
“The hybrid job in the middle is arguably the sweet spot, where workers enjoy flexibility and yet aren’t as isolated compared to their predominantly home-based peersnoted the paper, co-authored by Harvard Associate Professor Prithwiraj Choudhury.
(See: The most boring jobs that increase loneliness, but pay better).
“Intermediate hybrid solution could offer the best of both worlds“, was added.
The study, an oddity in that it examines the actual outcomes of hybrid workers rather than just their preferences, comes as companies like Apple Inc., Bank of America Corp. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google, they are pushing workers back into the office without a clear sense of the ideal balance between remote and in-person schedules.
The research, which was co-authored by Stanford University professor Nick Bloom, found that employers expect almost a quarter of working days to be spent at home in the future, but there is a “sizeable gap“between what employers and employees want in regards to the days required to be in the office.
(See: 31.5% of companies expect to increase their workforce).
That discrepancy was made clear in a survey released Tuesday of 200 senior executives, who said remote workers are primarily disadvantaged and have fewer opportunities compared to those who work primarily in the office.
There is a “considerable gap” between what employers and employees want when it comes to days required to be in the office.
The survey, commissioned by Vyopta Inc., that helps companies manage their workplace communication and collaboration systems, also found that leaders simply do not trust the ability of most employees to work remotely.
Still, nearly half of executives surveyed said remote workers weren’t given the tools to be as engaged as their on-site counterparts.
Choudhury’s investigation will likely frustrate bosses, Not to mention civic leaders like New York City Mayor Eric Adams who have urged workers to go back to their desks most of the time, arguing that collaboration and corporate culture suffer when people work from home.
The Harvard article analyzed more than 30,000 emails sent by white-collar workers, using textual analysis to gauge the novelty of their output.
(See: US announces 35,000 work visas due to lack of labor).
He discovered that the hybrid group performed better and got better grades of managers than those who were mostly at home or mostly in the office.
In addition, the researchers analyzed survey data from the start of the pandemic to conclude that those who come into the office just a few days a week don’t feel like they’re missing out on things like tutoring, as they sometimes do. fully remote workers.
“Remote work modalities allow workers to capture the benefits of a productive and enjoyable workplace almost as much as workers who are always in the office“says the research.
“Our results consistently suggest that intermediate levels of remote work can result in both greater novelty of work products and greater work-related communication.“, says the article.
Nevertheless, the key with hybrid arrangements is to organize things so that the teams are together in the office on the same days, avoiding the problem of workers traveling alone to spend half the day on Zoom in calls with colleagues who work remotely.
(See: Educate to generate employment).
“People want to try to come together, so office time is time to be togetherBloom said via email. “A well-organized hybrid seems to be the sweet spot.”
BLOOMBERG
