researchHalf of the week at the office, the other half working at home. The cabinet advised this in the press conference on the new corona measures last Tuesday. Not all workers are equally happy about this, according to new research. More than a third of executives say they find hybrid work difficult.
Research by health insurer Zilveren Kruis – conducted among both managers and employees – shows that 92 percent of employees like to work hybrid. More than half of the employees also indicate that hybrid working makes it much easier for them to get their work done.
However, not everyone is equally enthusiastic about hybrid working. 36 percent of executives say they find this new way of working difficult. One in ten employees is less happy and has more stress since the hybrid working. “It seems like small percentages, but this is a large group of people,” says Laura den Dulk, professor of labour, organization and work-life at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Ask your employees how things are going. Don’t wait for them to come to you
Anyway to the office
Den Dulk sees various reasons why workers prefer the office over the home workplace. “Some people don’t have a good workplace at home, which means they can’t concentrate as well.” Working from home is also too lonely for some. 39 percent of employees say they miss colleagues. “At the office you can walk to someone’s desk, or speak to a colleague at the coffee machine. Because part of the team works from home, this is now a lot more difficult.”
Den Dulk sees that the conversations have become much more businesslike than at the office these days. “When we work from home, we don’t call each other to chat. Catching up doesn’t really happen with a video call. We usually get to the point there.”
Don’t leave it to chance
Managers seem to find it more difficult to keep their finger on the pulse in hybrid working. 69 percent say they can’t keep in touch with the team. They can partly change that themselves, says Den Dulk. “You should not leave contact with employees entirely to chance. Ask your employees how things are going. Do not wait for them to come to you, because then it is usually too late.”
Also read at Intermediary: ‘Do you drop a job if you’re not sure about the corporate culture?’
Now that hybrid working is no longer a novelty, companies can look to the future, according to Den Dulk. The research shows that managers and employees trust each other, even if they are not physically near each other. “The idea that a homeworker doesn’t get anything done has now disappeared,” says Den Dulk. “We know the work will be done.”
If companies want to improve hybrid working in their organization, they will have to regularly evaluate the state of affairs with employees and managers. “Everyone needs to be considered. How often do people have to come to the office, how often is it desirable to work from home and how is communication with everyone if not everyone is in the same place? That way you can arrive at a system that works for everyone.”
Are you having a hard time in the office garden after working from home for so long? These are the tips from office guru Japke-d. Bouma:
Free unlimited access to Showbytes? Which can!
Log in or create an account and don’t miss out on any of the stars.
#ten #happy #mix #office #working #home