Hybrid working models

What is hybrid working?

Both hybrid and remote working models are becoming increasingly popular across a range of industries and roles.

During the pandemic, many workplaces were forced to adapt their ways of working due to lockdowns and social distancing requirements. Now, several years since restrictions were lifted, many businesses have continued to allow employees to work away from their desks at least some of the time. Hybrid working allows workers to enjoy the best of both worlds, by dividing their time between working on site and working remotely.

Some jobs have to be done in person, but many can now be done from home or from anywhere with an internet connection. Hybrid working differs from remote work because typically remote workers work permanently off site, whereas hybrid working models require workers to split their time between:

• The workplace
• Working remotely

According to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), 28% of adults were hybrid working in the autumn of 2024 and IT was the most common industry to use hybrid working models. There are currently over 20,000 hybrid jobs advertised on the recruitment site Indeed across a range of sectors including education, government and public administration and real estate.

People enjoy remote work because it is flexible and can help workers to maintain a better work/life balance. Using a hybrid model allows for some of the flexibility of remote work, whilst still maintaining some contact between team members and oversight from management.

When people work remotely, they often work from home, although they may also work from other places such as a library, coffee shop or shared co-working space. Some businesses may have rules about where their remote or hybrid workers can work from which will usually be outlined in their hybrid working policy. These rules take into account factors such as privacy and security.

Many jobs are now advertised with the option for hybrid working and employees also have to the right to put in a request to move to a hybrid model once they have been hired.

When considering requests for hybrid working, employers should consider:

• How much physical space is available for workers to work on site
• What resources are available both on and off site
• The nature of the work and how effectively it can be done remotely
• The potential impacts (positive and negative) on both the workforce and clients/ service users
• Any costs relating to hybrid working

Positives of hybrid working

Employees report many different advantages of hybrid working, for example:

• Less travel/ commuting requirements which saves time and money
• Allows for flexibility whilst still maintaining a level of contact between colleagues
• Empowers workers to organise their own time and schedule
• May attract a more diverse workforce
• Can enhance workforce wellbeing and boost morale
• May improve employee retention
• More accessible to people with additional health or mental health needs

Hybrid working can help people with organising their work around their other commitments. This can be especially helpful for:

• People with children or a caring responsibility
• Students
• Workers who are disabled or have health conditions

Businesses may also benefit from using a hybrid working model as it may improve productivity, reduce absenteeism and can also potentially save money as there may be reduced running costs when people are working at home.

Negatives of hybrid working

When considering moving to a hybrid model, it is essential to try consider both the positive and negative aspects and try to strike the right balance.

Hybrid working may cause some operational issues within companies, for example:

• Problems keeping track of the working patterns of different employees
• Difficulties measuring productivity and timekeeping
• Inequality between team members and weaker team dynamics
• Loss of in person connection, especially with leaders
• Hybrid work is not suitable for all roles

Many workers report that hybrid working works well for them as it gives them increased autonomy and flexibility, however hybrid work requires employees to be highly organised, disciplined and good at communicating across different channels. Some of the disadvantages encountered by employees when hybrid working may include:

• Reduced collaboration due to less contact with coworkers
• Loneliness and isolation associated with remote work
• Problems managing time and deadlines
• Issues contacting team members when workers are working in different locations
• Security risks around privacy, cyber security and information sharing
• Costs associated with working from home, such as increased utility bills
• Problems with providing continuity of service whilst working remotely
• Stress over changing schedules

Hybrid working models do not work for everyone. For example, some workers find they are less stressed and more productive working some of the time at the office and some of the time at home. Conversely, others will struggle to manage their time outside of the workplace and may be more prone to getting behind or overworking, which can lead to stress and burnt out.

It is important for employers to monitor their hybrid working models, collect feedback from employees and make necessary adjustments to maximise the efficacy of hybrid working.

It is also vital that levels of professionalism do not slip due to people working remotely or in a hybrid way. This means providing training for staff on how to interact with clients or answer calls when they are off site. This includes thinking about:

• Background noise – do staff have a quiet place to work in when they are off site?
• Internet connection – is a fast, reliable, safe internet connection available?
• Distractions – are workers able to concentrate and provide the same level of client satisfaction off site?

If any gaps in levels of professionalism occur due to hybrid working, employers should consider ways in which to support staff to improve levels of service and maintain a positive reputation with clients and service users.

Supporting hybrid workers

For hybrid working to work well, it is important to put the right support in place for workers. This can help to improve productivity and lead to a more positive workplace.

Tips for supporting hybrid workers include:

• Using reliable and effective software
• Ensuring IT support is available to remote workers
• Providing proper training and instruction on any software and tools that hybrid workers need to use off site
• Ensuring hybrid workers have access to the right equipment
• Making sure that boundaries are respected, for example recognising the difference between an employee having a day off and working from home
• Ensuring communication is regular and professional, but not intrusive
• Making proper use of video conferencing tools such Zoom or Microsoft Teams
• Using time tracking software to ensure fairness and correct remuneration

It is essential that employees have access to support from managers or supervisors, even if they are working remotely. Managing a hybrid or remote team is different from managing a team face to face. Managers and supervisors should receive specialist training and upskilling to ensure they are providing effective support to their teams.

Wellbeing and hybrid work

Employers have a responsibility for the health, safety and wellbeing of their workers whether they are working on site or from home. This includes conducting any relevant risk assessments and ensuring that employees have access to ongoing help and support.

Employers should consider taking a holistic approach to the wellbeing of their workers This includes taking steps to protect their:

• Physical health
• Mental health
• Stress levels

Employers can support workers who are feeling stressed due to hybrid working by:

• Agreeing a regular point of contact
• Establishing regular check ins
• Providing mechanisms to report IT issues
• Establishing clear expectations and parameters around hybrid working
• Offering resources to support their mental health

Some workers may struggle to switch off when working off site and may work longer hours or forget to take rest breaks. Others may take advantage of having no supervision and become less productive than they otherwise would. Employers can help to mitigate this by:

• Setting out clear start and finish times
• Advising workers to log off at the end of their shift
• Not contacting employees out of working hours unless it is unavoidable
• Allowing for rest breaks away from a screen

Unlike 100% remote work, hybrid work allows for colleagues to connect face to face some of the time. In large teams, the chances for everyone to be together may be few and far between. Making sure workers maintain some level of connection with one another is essential for hybrid businesses and their employees.

Consider scheduling a time, even once every couple of months where the whole team can connect in person. This time could be used for:

• Meetings, projects and workshops that are better done in person
• Team building exercises and wellbeing check-ins
• A team lunch or social event

Common hybrid working models

There are many different hybrid working models available and each organisation will have to decide which one will work best for them. Factors that may affect which model to choose include:

• The size and scope of the business
• The type of work involved
• The needs of employees
• How many time zones the business operates within
• The level of day to day collaboration required

Although all hybrid models mean spending some time working onsite and some time working remotely, hybrid working patterns can vary greatly between businesses and do not always follow a 50/50 split between onsite and remote work.

The specific hybrid working models that an employer chooses to offer should align with the information outlined in their hybrid working policy. The models used may need altering and updating to reflect the changing needs of the business and the workforce.

Some common hybrid working models include:

• Fixed/specific onsite days
• Core office hours
• Flexible hybrid working
• Remote first
• Office first
• Half days
• One week on site each month
• Specific number of days each week 

Fixed/specific onsite days

A fixed hybrid work model means that an organisation sets out guidelines on specific days, times and locations for their workers to follow. For example, employees may be required to work on site Monday to Wednesday and can work remotely Thursday and Friday.

Core office hours

Core office hours are hours that employees are expected to be fully available, for example to answer emails or attend meetings, whether they are on site or working remotely.

An example of core office hours would be a working day that is typically eight hours long, where employees are expected to cover core office hours between 10am and 3pm outside of these core hours, workers would be free to choose when and where they want to complete the rest of their hours, providing that they satisfy the working hours outlined in their employment contract.

Core office hours will vary from organisation to organisation. With an increasing number of businesses now operating outside of typical office hours, core office hours may also mean night shifts or weekends need to be covered.

Flexible hybrid working

A flexible hybrid working model allows employees full autonomy to choose their work location. Flexible hybrid working works best when workers are engaged and able to make sensible decisions regarding their projects and deadlines. Flexible working also allows for different patterns around the needs of the business.

Remote first

A remote first model means that employees are not expected to come into the office at all (or very rarely) but can if they choose to. This model can make planning workdays challenging and might not work in organisations that work on projects that require significant collaboration.

On site/ Office first

Some organisations prioritise on site working but allow for occasional remote work. This may be done on a case by case basis or it may be that remote work is only allowed for some roles.

Half days

Some organisations offer workers the option to work half a day from home and half remotely. Employees may be given a choice about whether they come into work in the morning or afternoon.

This may work well for some organisations and employees, although still requires a daily commute and an on site space to be maintained.

One week per month on site

Some organisations find the one week on site model works well for them. This allows staff to work from any location (including on site) for the first three weeks of the month but requires everyone to come together on site for a full week at the end of the month. The final week of the month allows for team meetings, in person training and for workers to catch up with one another.

Specific number of days each week

Some organisations may request for their workforce to work a specific number of days on site and the rest off site. They may specify which day/ days or may leave it up to the employee. There are a number of combinations available, or example:

• One day at work on site, four with the option of remote work
• Two days on site, three remote
• Four days at work on site, one remote

The above are some of the most common hybrid working models although there are other combinations and options available that may also work.

Flexible working vs hybrid working

Hybrid working is a type of flexible working, but they are not necessarily the same thing. Hybrid working allows for flexibility around where an employee works from, but there are many other types of flexible working patterns available. Anyone who is legally classed as an employee can put in a request for flexible working, for example they may ask to:

• Compress their hours (work longer hours over fewer days)
• Work part time
• Work from home
• Use flexitime

By law, employers must consider flexible working requests and can only refuse them if there is a good reason related to the needs of the business.

Home and Hybrid Working Policies

A home and hybrid working policy is a document that outlines a company’s parameters around flexible working and sets flexible limits. Having a clear policy in place can help with the decision-making process when flexible working requests come in.

The policy should:

• Explain how employees should request flexible working
• Outline what types of flexible working arrangements are available
• Explain when and how employees should expect decisions to be made
• Explain where employers are allowed to work remotely, for example they may not be permitted to work in public places or on unsecured WiFi networks for security reasons

Employers who allow for hybrid working need to put a significant amount of trust into their workforce. Hybrid workers need to be highly organised and able to manage their productivity and meet their deadlines regardless of where they are working.

When employers assess the performance of their employees who are working remotely some, or most of, the time, they may refer to other policies within the organisations, for example:

• Communication
• Use of social media
• Sickness and absence
• Team working

Employees who work off site should be given the same opportunities for training, professional development and promotion and should never be disadvantaged due to where they work. Hybrid workers have all of the same employee rights as other workers, for example paid annual leave or the be paid at least the minimum wage.

Employers should monitor how well their flexible and hybrid working arrangements are going and consider making any necessary changes. It is also important to consider any other factors that may affect hybrid working arrangements such as insurance implications, safety concerns or any issues around data sharing and privacy.