Hybrid work is best characterized by its flexibility, but how do you go about choosing the best hybrid model for your workplace? Let’s discuss the five hybrid work models.

Why Are There Different Hybrid Work Models?

The essence of the hybrid work model is the ability to work from the office on some days and from home on others. But there are five models that take into account different needs and functions associated with different company positions, sizes, and setups. They can also fluctuate based on the industry, location, and culture of a company.

Fully Remote Model

The fully distributed or fully remote model isn’t a hybrid model, but due to growth in the technology industry and the acceleration of digital solutions due to the coronavirus pandemic, this work model is rising in popularity.  

Many companies evolve as they try out new work models, so the fully remote model is at one end of the hybrid work spectrum, while a fully in-house model is at the other end.

One pro of this model is the flexibility and autonomy your employees will experience. When they can tailor their work life to fit more fluidly into their personal life, many studies have shown that workers are more productive and happier. However, fully remote options also have some shortcomings, like in the “face timing” areas – Zoom fatigue is real and it’s affecting more and more people as they navigate their new remote environment.

Default Digital Hybrid Work Model

The default digital model takes the following approach: it assumes that everything should be set up to reflect a remote workforce, but still include some face-to-face workdays. It’s sort of one step closer to a 50/50 split.

This may mean that a few team members work in the office more days than others, or that a department works from home every day but Thursdays, for example. This allows those individuals who want a dedicated space outside of their home to do their work to still have that but to still be forward-thinking and remote-first in all the ways that matter. The struggle here can stem from differences in specific team members and their access to in-person communication channels. The trick is to find a balance that is inclusive to all team members while still fostering diversity and supporting personal preferences.

Static Hybrid Work Model

A static hybrid remote work model can be found in those teams who are a pretty even mix of remote and in-house workers, but the locations are generally the same week over week. For example, you might work from home 5 days a week, but your colleague works in the office at headquarters every day.

The big benefit here is consistency. While endless flexibility is great for accommodating life changes, it doesn’t offer much in the way of stability. Think of it like this: many people, especially managers and other higher-level employees, often have an office or a dedicated space they can be reached at. If you change the location of that office within your company building, even, it becomes hard to track down where that person is at any given moment. Static hybrid work allows for the flexibility to choose but caps that flexibility by assigning a primary location to each individual.

Synchronized Hybrid Work Model

Synchronized hybrid work is a more manager-friendly option. This model allows each team, department, or company to create a predictable schedule for the days they will be working remotely and in-house.

For example, most teams will choose a weekly schedule to abide by – this could include Fridays always classified as work-from-home days or Monday, Wednesday, Friday in the office. The key here is to find a good balance. And this will fluctuate by department and by industry. Some industries can accommodate a higher percentage of remote work than others.

Dynamic Hybrid Work Model

Likely to be the most common hybrid work model, the dynamic hybrid has all the flexibility one could want. While some informal structures will exist, such as expecting team members to all gather in the physical office space for certain seasons or team meetings, the rest of the model is constantly fluid. On any given day, your employee can easily work from their desk on the company premises or carry out the whole day from their home office or kitchen table.

The difficulty here is managing expectations. Managers can get frustrated quickly if there are no rules about presence – it’s best to sit down as a team, including leadership, to hash out some gentle parameters to help ease tensions between people who have different expectations on the remote/office balance.

MMITC Can Accommodate Any Hybrid Work Model

No matter what hybrid work model (or models) you choose for your team, Meet Me In The Cloud’s training and education solutions can help ensure all members are up-to-speed on the latest and greatest collaboration technology features and uses.

Contact us today with any questions.