Study / At least two days in the office, the "strong point" of hybrid work

2023-08-28 19:25:00, Sociale CNA

Employees overwhelmingly prefer hybrid work, but the ideal number of days in the office is still up for debate.

According to a new McKinsey study, spending half of the working time in the office is the ideal solution for hybrid work, as it gives employees the flexibility they want without being isolated from full-time remote work.

For McKinsey employees, whose work often involves traveling to client companies for long periods of time, this can mean spending one week working in an office and working remotely the following week.

For other employees, with a 5-day work week, it may mean two or three days in the office each week.

During 2022, the management consulting company analyzed the data of its 4,000 employees working around the world, including behavioral data and anonymous surveys, and found that working in the office 50% of the time - even in the company of a client – ??works better than an all-or-nothing approach.

"When more than 50% of the time is spent at work, it is seen that compromises arise - Katy George, chief people officer at McKinsey, tells CNBC Make It - Employees and the team have less flexibility, less time to recover and less opportunity to work concentrated".

But there are some differences to this: for McKinsey employees, spending more than 50% of their working time in the office does not mean going to the office on the same days of the week, or the same number of days, every week.

A McKinsey spokeswoman told "CNBC Make It" that employees and managers are encouraged to meet in person to strengthen connections between team members, on client presentations and other projects, depending on the needs of each team.

The research found that when employees spent at least 50% of their time together, mentoring, collaboration, trust between colleagues, ability and overall team performance improved significantly. The study shows that this is the "strong point of hybrid work" - says George.

On the other hand, telecommuting for two or three days a week gave employees more time to focus on work and improved feelings of psychological safety and team belonging.

George points out that giving employees equal opportunities to work in the office or remotely benefits a large number of employees, as opposed to just one personality type in the
workplace.

“Work can be very individual … I'm an extrovert and can think better in a group meeting, but I've had colleagues who identify as introverts tell me that their deepest thinking comes from solitude. This type of organization gives people the opportunity to benefit from both environments" - she emphasized.

Por për të qenë efikasë, çdo marrëveshje pune duhet të ketë kufij dhe pritshmëri të qarta për punonjësit.
Strategjitë më të suksesshme të rikthimit në zyrë kanë rregulla të qarta që shkojnë përtej numrit të ditëve kur punonjësit duhet të punojnë së bashku në zyrë.

“Drejtuesit duhet gjithashtu të punojnë me punonjësit e tyre për të kuptuar: Cilat janë objektivat tanë në takimet ballë për ballë? Në ç’mënyrë duhet të takohemi rregullisht? Si e masim saktësisht produktivitetin?” – shpjegon George.

Avantazhi më i madh i një zgjidhje hibride është që ndihmon në shmangien e burnout.

“Para pandemisë, shumë prej nesh kishin pilotin automatik. Ishim të aftë të shtypnim gazin dhe të punonin jashtë orarit kur ishte e nevojshme, por nuk synonim të përfshinim kohën e rikuperimit në fluksin tonë të punës”.

"My hope is that we are now becoming smarter about how to work and improve productivity by adapting the contours of work around our individual needs"./ Monitor Magazine