It’s finally happening. More than a year after leaving for “The world’s largest experiment of working out, “Many businesses bring people back to the office.
For some, this is great news. They eagerly awaited highway travel, face-to-face meetings, and an ever-important water-cooler call. These people are in the minority. as per Survey on work arrangement preferences, Only 26 percent of respondents indicated that their ideal work situation would be outside the home. For most people, the sweet spot is a mix of work in place and remotely.
While some bosses are happy to agree to this hybrid work model, many insist the place is top notch, and require people to return to the office sooner rather than later.
Before you pack up your home office and return to your booth, a little smart negotiation can convince your boss that hybrid work is worth the investment. Here are three reasons to get started.
Hybrid work No. 1 yields better results
In 2013, Yahoo banned remote work while noting the power and promise of spontaneous interactions to drive the company’s results. Like Jacqueline Razzes, the Yahoo executive who issued the order, Wrote to the team“It’s critical that we are all present in our offices. Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people and impromptu meetings.”
This myth has dominated workplace decisions for more than a decade, with companies striving to capitalize on the apparent innovation that can result from spontaneous interactions.
However, Eitan Berstein from Harvard University recently painted a different picture, she says The New York Times, “There is credibility behind the argument that if you put people in spaces where they are likely to collide with each other, they are likely to have a conversation. But might this conversation be beneficial to innovation, creativity, helpful at all to what an organization hopes people will talk about? There, almost no data at all.” .
In contrast, we have evidence that employees are equally or more productive when working remotely. A A survey of more than 800 companies Found that 94 percent indicated that “productivity was the same or higher than it was before the epidemic, even when their employees were working remotely.”
# 2 Hustle and bustle are not location specific
At the Summit of the Wall Street Journal CEO in May 2021, JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon Told the audience That remote work is not compatible with “those who want to mess around”. Similarly, WeWork CEO Sandeep Mathrani Draw distant workers with a wide brush, Saying, “For those who are less engaged it is very convenient to work from home.”
While these sad feelings may apply to someone, it does not mean that they apply to you. After all, you probably have the data to back it up. A A survey of 2,000 employers In a remote or hybrid job offer it was found that 78 percent Implemented employee monitoring software to track employee behavior. This software catalogs everything from mouse movements to app activity to message frequency, and gives employers all the data they need to know that you are, in fact, a very busy and involved employee, even when you work from home.
It should seem obvious, but the commotion and hard work are not location specific. Show your boss the data, and finally prove that you can embody both, regardless of location.
# 3 Happy and healthy employees do things
The past year has been uniquely challenging on many levels. Surveys often reveal that employees are exhausted, burnt out and ready for change. According to Bureau of Labor Statistics, More people are leaving their jobs in May 2021 than in any single month for almost 100 years, which proves how much they are willing to make a move.
Meanwhile, a Learning about job satisfaction remotely Concluded that flexible work arrangements improved job satisfaction by 22%. as one Recently announced title, “Remote work is the new signing bonus.”
In other words, flexible work arrangements are beneficial to businesses as happy and healthy employees stay around and do things.
There is no guarantee that you can convince your boss to allow for more remote work. However, if flexible work is important to you, there are good reasons why you should be allowed to continue in this role.