How often do you think of work as a place you go rather than a thing you do?

You’re not alone.  Headlines highlight the seemingly endless tug of war between the pull toward return to office mandates and the push toward flexible work options.  

Closing the gap between what employers are willing to offer and what employees expect is easier than you might think.  Beyond searching for location independent tech jobs like these, understanding the style that sets employers and employees up for success is key.  

Will Hybrid Work for You?

Hybrid jobs – also posted as flex jobs, bimodal jobs and remote-one-site jobs –  are perceived to be a “best of” balance.  Balancing commute time, facetime, and distraction free work time.  A recent Pew Research Center study reveals 41% of people are in a hybrid work model, an increase of 35% from January 2022.  And 71% of people who work from home all, most or some of the time say it helps them balance their personal and professional lives.

Just because hybrid work works for someone else doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for you.  Here are hybrid work tradeoffs for employers and employees to collectively consider.  

Advantages of Hybrid Work:

1. Flexibility and Autonomy: Hybrid work provides employees to choose where and when they do their best work often resulting in higher quality output for employers.  
2. Enhanced Work-Life Balance: Hybrid work encourages employees to strike a balance between their personal and professional lives resulting in higher workplace attendance and performance. 
3. Reduced Commute Time: Hybrid work reduces unnecessary commutes and saves employees valuable time to be reinvested elsewhere (often in work for employers).
4. Intentional Collaboration: Hybrid work environments provide new ways for employees to collaborate productively when leaders intentionally create those opportunities, according to new Gartner Research .  According to the same study, knowledge workers who collaborate intentionally are nearly three times more likely to achieve high team innovation than teams that do not use an intentional approach.
5. Improved Employee Retention: Over 60% of HR leaders stated that hybrid work increases retention in IWG’s recent study, “HR Leaders & Hybrid Working Report.” And 80% of respondents believe hybrid work leads to a happier and more loyal, motivated, engaged, and productive workforce. 

Disadvantages of Hybrid Work

1. Decreased Face-to-Face Communication: Hybrid work arrangements rely heavily on video conferences, collaborative documents and instant messages to facilitate communication.  These context poor platforms make it easier for misunderstandings and delays to occur.
2. Blurred Boundaries: Hybrid work makes disconnecting from work a challenge.  When you literally sleep at work, you are at a higher risk for burnout and compromised mental health.  
3. Lack of Schedule Accountability: Some employees excel at being self directed and managing their own time to realize results.  Others need the consistent cadence of office accountability to stay on time and on task.  
4. Potential for Isolation: Hybrid work can be isolating, particularly for employees who work remotely most of the time. Without daily interaction with colleagues, it can be challenging to establish relationships and build trust, which can lead to reduced collaboration and job satisfaction.

Pilot Your Plan

As you evaluate the workplace model that works for you, consider a pilot.  Evaluate your pilot progress every 30 days, and adjust accordingly.  Communicate what you discover.  

Ready to explore remote jobs at startups and tech companies in the Powderkeg community? Look for companies in hot industries with room to grow. You can even research each company by reviewing their company profile, and login to Powderkeg to request an introduction to the hiring manager.

If you are interested in exploring remote companies in the Powderkeg community, check out our curated list of The Best Tech Companies to Work for Remote Jobs in areas beyond Silicon Valley.

You can browse all of Powderkeg’s Best Tech Companies to Work for, follow them for insights, or request an introduction to plug into your next big opportunity.