From Surviving to Thriving in Hybrid Work

Employees’ appreciation of the hybrid work model is clear. But if employers want to reap the benefits of this flexible work arrangement to fuel growth and productivity, they must optimize their hybrid work environments.  HFS Research, in partnership with Unisys, conducted a study examining the intricacies of the hybrid work environment, in which employees work from home and spend one to two days per week in the office. We built this analysis of today’s work environment on in-depth surveys of employers and their employees in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, and Australia, with 2,000 respondents from enterprises with revenue greater than $500 million.¹ We surveyed employers, identified as managers and above, and employees with non-managerial duties to understand the commonalities and tensions between the two groups. Net-net, an effective hybrid work environment is one in which employees, their teammates, and their managers communicate effectively remotely and in person, taking full advantage of secure, reliable, collaborative technologies and having productive in-office time together.

Note: 1 For Australia, enterprises with revenues exceeding $250 million.

One major finding was the popularity of hybrid work among employees. Most employees using a hybrid work model (89%) report being either more engaged or similarly engaged in their jobs compared to six months ago. While employer understanding of hybrid work benefits is on the rise, many opportunities remain for managers to optimize their hybrid work environments. Only 26% of managers declare they have strongly pivoted their management style for hybrid work.

Our research points to crucial actions employers can take to design a hybrid work environment that drives business growth. This takes leveraging the full potential of the hybrid digital workplace, even as economic conditions likely become more challenging in 2023:

• Use the flexibility of hybrid work to motivate your workforce: Our research shows that 87% of employees believe a hybrid model creates a very or somewhat effective work environment. Location flexibility for work-life balance is one of employees’ top motivational factors, with 67% citing it as a factor influencing work performance.
• Invest in your employee experience (EX) program for more engaged employees: The more mature an EX program, the more significant its impact. Approximately 74% of employers with a mature EX program think their employees are more engaged now than six months ago. For somewhat mature programs, 59% of employers report increased engagement, and for immature programs, only 24% of employers report an increase.
• Leverage technology to drive empowerment: Nearly two-thirds (62%) of employees describing themselves as more engaged said having the right technology was highly motivating. However, it’s important to tailor the technology to your employees to address generational differences in Millennials versus Gen Z (such as 26- to 45-year-olds seeing far higher value in chatbots, wearable devices, and virtual whiteboards than their colleagues 25 and younger). Employers also must recognize which technology solutions, such as automation tools, are universally appreciated across age groups.
• Deliver seamless IT support to minimize downtime: Nearly half the workforce (49%) loses between one and five hours a week dealing with IT issues, and another 23% loses more than six hours each week. While employees demonstrate clear privacy concerns—they don’t want bossware or productivity monitoring software—they are happy to share device and app performance data to enable IT teams to provide proactive, tailored support. Approximately 92% of employees surveyed are either very or somewhat willing to share if doing so will help resolve their technology issues quickly and effectively.
• Design a security framework that doesn’t impede employee collaboration and productivity: A third (33%) of employees report that restrictive IT security policies negatively impact their ability to work. Employers must modernize their approach and adapt to the needs of a hybrid workplace, addressing the growing risk of cyberattacks without imposing barriers to workforce productivity.

To read the rest of the research, click the download button below.