Our ways of working have changed fundamentally over the past few years. Businesses worldwide are moving away from the traditional office model and adopting hybrid-working models. Thousands of businesses have found huge benefits to this new, more flexible workplace, while employees also benefit from having a greater work-life balance.
The key challenge now is how best to ensure businesses and employees reap the rewards of hybrid working conditions. Research from Brother Australia* has shown over 90% of workers see at least one advantage to hybrid work – including greater flexibility, reduced commute times, and cost-effectiveness.
However, there are several factors for businesses and employees to consider that can help determine the best hybrid working conditions.
- Boosting productivity
As businesses across the board adopt new working models, they’ve also had to assess the impact of hybrid and flexible arrangements on individual productivity. Recent studies and research have shown positive results so far, with many employees feeling just as, if not more, productive at home.
However, steps need to be taken to ensure that productivity does not eventually trend the wrong way in the long term. Businesses need to consider things such as remote access to information, how to align schedules with co-workers if there are no set hours, providing the necessary equipment, training and support to employees, and keeping channels of communication open so we can all connect, adapt and share learnings about this evolving work model.
- Maintaining relationships with colleagues
Although we know that most Australians enjoy working remotely, our research* shows that more than two-fifths of employees do miss being with their co-workers in the office. Studies have shown that many employees are concerned about the reduced opportunities for collaboration and networking, lack of face-to-face time with managers and associated consequences of this for their long-term career prospects.
Without that physical office space, businesses need to ensure the right strategies are in place to facilitate proactive communication between employees, employers, and even clients. This could mean a dedicated in-office day, employee training on business communication platforms, scheduling regular check-in meetings or organising more in-person social events to ensure that working relationships are maintained while still allowing employees the increased freedom of flexibility.
- Optimising work-from-home setups
At the centre of the evolving workplace model is the home office, which is rapidly becoming the main workspace for employees across the country. When optimising your home workspace, you should take into consideration how often you work from home, what space is available and what tools and equipment you need.
Fully remote workers may benefit most from a permanent, dedicated space; whereas workers who live in apartments or smaller homes might need to think about study nooks and multifunctional tools to maximise their available space; and hybrid workers may want a smaller space that can be easily packed away.
When Australian workers were asked* what tools did they wish they had in their home office, the top answers included an adjustable desk, an ergonomic chair, extra storage, a Wi-Fi booster and a printer/scanner. A fast, reliable and cost-effective printer available in the Brother INKvestment range can be extremely important for users who work from paper, empowering hybrid workers to get the most out of their home office space.
- Separating personal from professional
As the home becomes a more permanent workspace, some Australians are struggling with the lack of separation between work and their private life, with many finding it difficult to ‘switch off’. While working from home can improve physical and mental health by giving workers more time and control over their day – we’ve also seen reports of people finding it more difficult to maintain a healthy work–life balance now that their home is also their office.
Small steps such as making and sticking to appropriate work schedules, as well as creating a workspace that can be either hidden away or packed up once you log off can help redefine the boundaries between home and work. Businesses may need to work together with their employees to ensure strategies are in place to prevent team members falling victim to work-from-home fatigue.
Given that hybrid work is here to stay, now’s the time for employers and employees to work together and form solutions that suit both parties. For further insights and advice into creating a better home office, please check out our guide for employers and employees.
Op-ed by Dorothy McDonald – Senior Manager, People & Corporate Support at Brother International Australia
*Research conducted in May 2022 by Pureprofile on behalf of Brother Australia, on a sample of over 1000 Australians who have worked remotely over the past two years.