Everything is about balance.

Q: Why would work-life balance be any different?

A: It’s not.

Work-life balance is vital for any working environment, and remote work seems to be, at least somewhat, here to stay.According to an analysis by Forbes, 2/3 of employees prefer to work from home part of the time.

Implementing a hybrid work model ensures that employees would be happier, healthier, more productive, and more likely to avoid burnout.

As social animals, we as humans suffer when we don’t experience face-to-face interaction.

What better way to create a balance than by utilizing a coworking space?

A hybrid work schedule becomes beneficial for both employers and employees alike, creating a balance between all motivations, and satisfying the needs of both employees and employers, simplifying working practices by blending office-based, remote, and semi-remote employees. It gives employees the freedom that they need for productivity.

Here we discuss 5 reasons why Hybrid working works best.

1)    Improved Employer- Employee Trust

Trust between employers, employees, and managers can be somewhat difficult to build, yet it is one of the most important characteristics of a healthy and productive working environment.

When working within a hybrid model employees can prove that they are equally productive working at home and in an office, giving them the autonomy to make decisions themselves and not be micromanaged, even when in the office. This stimulates confidence, independence, and creativity.

Coworking spaces and flexible working environments reinforce employee trust in and loyalty to their company and create the opportunity for interesting solutions to arise.

According to a study by Tango called the Rise of the Hybrid Workplace, “If allowed the freedom to balance work with personal tasks that they might need to do during work hours, employees won’t feel like they’re constantly being “watched” by management or that their every non-work action is scrutinized.”

Working in the office also has SEVERAL advantages.

When employees are working in an office, they have a greater chance of being noticed and recognized. Staff that is close to their leaders are often the people who are considered first in the event of a promotional opportunity or large project.

Additionally, face-to-face interaction allows coworkers to develop closer relationships with each other and makes collaboration easier. On breaks, employees can talk about business ideas informally without the pressure of a meeting, furthering the creativity of all.

2)    Improved Time Management

When working within a hybrid model, there is a clear distinction between the time for collaboration(coworking time) versus individual, focused remote work. Overthinking and distractions decrease, thus reducing the amount of time it takes to complete a task.

According to the HarvardBusiness Review article, Employee Burnout Is a Problem with the Company, Not the Person, time management is enhanced with hybrid schedules because it eliminates excessive collaboration, weak time management disciplines, and a tendency to overload the most capable with too much work.

An average executive will lose one day per week answering electronic communications, many of which could have been answered by someone else. When someone is interrupted or attempts multitasking, they become exhausted, resulting in counter productivity.

By having time dedicated to specific kinds of activity, employees can minimize distractions, and managers have time to work on the office culture and coaching types of leadership, allowing employees to grow, all while establishing the fact that everyone’s time is a precious resource.

3)    More Meaningful Collaboration/ Relationships

When employees aren’t always together it allows for the time they spend working together in a coworking space to be more valuable.

In-person interaction allows employees to get closer with their coworkers and deepens their relationship with the added element of trust.

Coworking space models reduce excessive collaboration and Zoom fatigue. Many corporate cultures collaborate far past what is needed.When there are too many decision-makers or overlap between responsibilities, often it results in unending rounds of meetings and conference calls to make sure that all stakeholders agree and are aligned with the decisions made.

Implementing a hybrid model allows everyone to get the best of both worlds.

4)    Reduced Business Expenses

Another benefit to hybrid coworking spaces is lowered business expenses. Lower expenses come from not having to rent an entire office space, having to commit to long-term leases, reducingIT costs, and eliminating employee turnover costs. 

BYOD (Bring your own device)and CYOD (Choose your own device) are trends more commonly seen now and contribute to reduced IT costs whether working in the office or remotely. Employees having their own chosen device allows them to experience increased flexibility in where, when, and how they work.

Hybrid schedules also significantly reduce employee burnout, which is a real physical and phycological problem that costs US organizations an estimated $125 billion to $190 billion a year in healthcare spending. These costs only increase when factors like increased turnover, loss of talent, and lower productivity are taken into consideration.

5)    Health and Wellbeing

In addition to reducing burn-out, hybrid coworking can also decrease absenteeism. If someone has a minor health issue, they can work from home instead of taking the whole day off to avoid getting other people sick.

Even with many reported benefits to a hybrid model, remote working isn’t always the best option for some people if they lack a dedicated workspace or if their kids are off from school and make it difficult to work without interruption. Having a dedicated workspace, such as Alloy26, a few times a week gives people the room to schedule what is appropriate for them and to plan accordingly with family matters.

People in cities like Pittsburgh often reside in apartments and don’t have extra rooms in their living area for dedicated office space, so there’s no cut-off between what is work and what is play. Having a dedicated desk in a coworking space removes this conundrum and offers a clear distinction between the two.

The bottom line is, KISS; keep it simple silly and balance your work with your life.