Benefits of Hybrid Work and Monitoring Employee Availability

Hybrid work is one of the most popular organizational models in recent years. For some workplaces, it’s even considered the new normal. Even research proves its effectiveness in creating a better work-life balance while maintaining the same (or nourishing an even better) level of productivity as working from the office, (per McKinsey). The hybrid model combines the best parts of working from home and being in the office, giving employees the flexibility, freedom, and balance they need. But, keeping an eye on employee availability and who’s at the office or working from home can be tricky.

In this blog, we’ll go through some of the benefits of hybrid work for employees and businesses – from various perks, reasons why tracking availability is important and how it helps, to some tips and tricks on how to create a better remote work experience. Hopefully, this list will help you to determine whether or not your company should implement the hybrid working model.

Hybrid Work Benefits – for Employees and Businesses

The freedom of choosing where to work brings many benefits to employees and businesses, all while offering the face-to-face option when needed. We’ve compiled a list of a few amazing things that come hand-in-hand with hybrid work models:  

Flexibility 🤸

Working when and where suits you helps strike a healthy balance between work and personal time, which leads to better time management, higher productivity, and improved well-being overall, as seen in this article by EMBO Press.

Productivity ⏱️

Crafting a dedicated place for work, one that fits your preferences, and being in control of it is a huge work-from-home benefit for employees. Without any outside distractions and in the comfort of your home, you can focus and get more work done. Some of our colleagues tend to say they do their best work when working from home.

Cost savings 💰

Less commuting = lower expenses! And it goes both ways. For employees, flexible work means saving on fuel, car maintenance, parking fees… For businesses, it means lower overhead costs, such as utilities, office space, equipment, and even parking spots. A win-win.

Expanded talent pool 📂

With a hybrid option, especially unlimited, businesses have a wider talent pool to tap into, allowing them to hire the best candidates regardless of location.

More free time 🎉

Working from home eliminates the need for commuting to and from work, and an average person saves approximately 72 minutes per day, according to this research by The University of Chicago, rather than working at the office full time. Now, you have more time to spend with your family, pursue your hobbies, or simply relax and take it easy.

Extra benefits for parents 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

We can think of the countless benefits for parents, but just to name a few – increased flexibility and control over their schedule, an opportunity to be present for their children’s milestones, and the very much talked about work-life balance that contributes to the overall family wellbeing

Employee Availability Tracking

Keeping track of when your team is available is key if you want to make hybrid work run smoothly.

Tracking employee availability has a few benefits:

Better communication 💬

A clear view of everyone's schedule makes it easier to coordinate meetings, work together on projects, keep communication in sync, and avoid misunderstandings. This kind of transparency keeps everyone on the same page and is better for employee engagement in the long run.

Time off regulation 🏖️

With availability tracking, businesses can have a clear overview of how many vacation days their team is using and when. Knowing when someone is taking time off allows managers to allocate workloads effectively and helps employees be aware of how many vacation days they have for the year.

Employee satisfaction 🎉

When employees have a say in their schedule, can be flexible, and know that their availability is respected, they are more likely to be motivated and productive. Naturally, this kind of positive work environment contributes to higher job satisfaction (and talent retention rates). In this article by the National Library of Medicine, it’s proven that work flexibility decreases the likelihood of job stress by 20% and increases job satisfaction by 62%!

Remote Work Solutions

To get the most out of hybrid work options, companies should consider implementing collaboration tools and tracking when and where their employees are working.

In PontaHR, we’re working on building one of our biggest features yet – Availability. This module will help you see your team’s work location (if they’re in the office, working remotely, or on vacation, etc.), manage your calendar, request and approve time off, and celebrate birthdays and anniversaries, all with seamless UI and smooth navigation.

If you’re really in a rush and can’t wait for us to ship this amazing new feature later this year, tools like Asana or Monday could work. Or take it back with the good old Excel sheets (good is probably an overstatement here, at least from us, we’re not huge fans).

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Finally, workplace flexibility is crucial for employee satisfaction, collaboration, and building trust. Still, it’s important to keep track of your team through a tool with an employee availability calendar (like the one PontaHR will have soon 🥳) or other time-tracking options. Flexible working has many more benefits, like employee productivity, work-life balance, and improved mental health. Those are just some of the hybrid work benefits we think are important.

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If you ask us, we’d always choose the unlimited hybrid working model, nothing beats working near the sea during the summer!)

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So, what are you waiting for? Make your workplace a happier and more successful environment, we’re rooting for you! 🙌

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