While hybrid work began to widely develop within companies, the COVID-19 crisis accelerated the democratization of this innovative form of organization. Now, more and more companies are using “flex office”, offices shared by employees according to the days they are present. We are going to define for you the concepts of hybrid work and flex office. We will then see what the implementation of such an organization system involves for employees and for businesses. You will discover that some tools make it possible to limit the negative aspects of this practice, which is becoming more and more widespread.
Some definitions
Let's start by defining the two concepts we're talking about here: hybrid work and flex office.
Hybrid work
Hybrid work is a form of work organization in which the employee Share your time between the premises of his company, his place of life, and any other place in which he can work (coworking space, library, etc.). Hybrid work may also, but not necessarily, involve scheduling adjustments according to the needs of employees or the company.
A “hybrid team” often refers to a group of employees who do not share the same pace of presence at work. It can include employees who are in person 100% of the time, some who are only working from home, and others who divide their time between the two.
The flex office
The Flex Office is a form of workplace organization in which The offices are not assigned to one person. Thus, every day, the employees present can choose a place to work, according to their needs: open space, meeting room, space dedicated to the team, etc.
The practice of flex office in business requires a certain organization, since it implies that each person present can have a workspace. For employees, it is essential to have easily removable equipment (especially laptops), and above all, to have no personal effects on their desk.
Flex office is sometimes called “flex desk” or “desksharing”.
The benefits and risks
If the flex office is now attracting so many companies, it is because the advantages of this new organization are numerous, both for companies and for employees. It is still important to highlight the risks inherent in this practice, especially when it is not sufficiently supervised.
A real challenge for businesses
Les potential gains are important for companies that choose to implement flex office. Indeed, alternating workstations with staff who are not always present represents a real estate gain. If the practice is well supervised, it allows you to have fewer offices, so a smaller surface area to pay for rent for example. Energy costs can also decrease (lighting, heating, etc.).
For employees, flex office involves a few days of teleworking per week. This is often appreciated, especially by people who live far away and who spend a lot of time on public transport. For workers who drive to their workplace, this is a significant financial gain, with reduced fuel expenses for example.
Risks that should not be overlooked
The risks of flex office are linked to those of remote working in general. Some are related to psychological aspects of isolation : loss of human links, loss of reference points, possibility of unequal treatment between employees who are often present and those who work remotely, etc.
Others risks are physical : employees who do not have equipment adapted to teleworking at home may develop musculoskeletal disorders. These can be linked to poor posture, for example, because of a chair or table that is not appropriate for static work all day long.
When implementing telework charters, companies must be aware of these risks and best support employees towards hybrid work. Here are a few tips.
Flex office: a successful transition
If you want to set up a shared office organization within your premises, it is important to go step by step and take into account certain parameters.
Define a clear framework
The first thing you need to do is Define a framework and rules for hybrid work within your business. Indeed, if you reduce the number of offices available, it is necessary to know how many people at most will be present in your premises each day. An employee who would travel from home to work and who would not find any space available for him could experience it very badly.
So it's up to you to Define the number of teleworking days that you give to your employees, and whether they are optional or not. For example, some companies offer employees to determine each Friday the days on which they will be present the following week. It's up to you to set up your organization so that everyone can easily find their way around.
Adapting management
Hybrid work also involves a strong adaptation at the managerial level. Indeed, managers must juggling a team divided between face-to-face and remote. It is not always easy for them to understand the workloads assigned to each person. Trust and communication are essential in this type of organization.
Managers also need to find ways to maintaining social ties between members of their team. This limits the risk of isolation, but also reinforces their sense of belonging. This is essential for them to feel fully committed to their daily tasks.
Implement tools to keep in touch and engage teams
If it is important to promote employee engagement in any organization, this becomes even more essential in a hybrid company that practices flex office. Indeed, some people just cross paths, and therefore have more difficulty creating relationships with their colleagues.
While communication apps like Zoom or Slack are useful for managing daily tasks, try implementing other tools that promote engagement. La Teamstarter crowdfunding platform is an example: thanks to collective intelligence, employees propose projects that they care about and Make them concrete themselves. Each month, each employee chooses the idea or ideas for which they want to allocate their budget.
Hybrid work, through Flex Offices, will most certainly becoming more and more widespread within organizations. It offers numerous benefits, both to businesses and to employees. However, everyone must be fully aware of the constraints this represents, especially with regard to isolation and employee engagement. It is important to anticipate these elements well and put in place the necessary tools to maintain a high level of involvement on the part of everyone. As an added bonus, these tools can be particularly profitable for your business. Discover The ROI to expect when deploying Teamstarter.
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