Considering A Hybrid Work Schedule? Here Are The Pros and Cons Of Each Model

In case you haven’t noticed, there have been a lot of changes regarding how we work. This is especially true after dealing with the pandemic in recent years. Because of the virus, many businesses worldwide were forced home to work or, at the very least, in a hybrid setting. Now it’s 2023, and many businesses are still divided about the hybrid work schedule. Some are keeping it, others are switching back to the office. Still, some are testing the waters for a hybrid model that works for them.

Studies and surveys have taken place, and an overwhelming majority prefer the hybrid or remote work model. The reasons vary, but it makes the employees happier and even more productive. Now, these businesses are trying out hybrid work and have found different styles depending on the industry.

Related: Remote Work Doesn’t Stifle Innovation — Overlooking These Best Practices Will.

The 2/3 work schedule

The energy company BP has adopted this model. Also known as the 3/2 hybrid model, employees are expected to be in the office two days a week and work remotely three days a week.

This style of hybrid work schedule could have a work calendar that tells the employees what days they would be at the office or not.

Pros:

• A mix of remote and in-person
• Less Commute
• Consistent Expectations

Cons:

• The schedule is not for the entire team
• Office attendance can fluctuate
• Might need more office space

50/50 hybrid policy

Employees are to split their time between the office and remotely in half. This type of hybrid model is more for office visits than a set schedule. Companies that use this include Uber, Facebook, and Microsoft.

Pros:

• Even mix in remote and in-person.
• Longer term view over weekly schedule
• Consistent expectations

Cons:

• Schedule is not for certain employees
• Lacks consistency
• More office space than needed

Bring your own hybrid

Called the Bottom-up model, this hybrid is made by the manager and the employee. Executive members will offer up different work models like the ones mentioned above. Then, each employee decides which model works best for them. If this is a team, then it would be what is best for the team. Team leaders would then ensure that their tasks are being met. This type of hybrid work schedule gives workers greater autonomy over their work.

Pros:

• Teams can customize schedule
• Employees get more say in their schedule
• Ensures that the team is working at the right time and place

Cons:

• It doesn’t give full schedule autonomy to employees
• Can lead to remote work from the office
• Unhappy teams with their schedules

Flex-Time

This hybrid work schedule model is when the executives make this a business-wide policy. Flex-Time allows the employee to set their own time in their work days. They can start at any time and it is similar to asynchronous work. However, it still plans to have overlap so that there are employees working throughout the entire day.

Pros:

• More autonomy for employees
• Employees can commute outside of a rush hour

Cons:

• Inconsistent work culture
• More complex to work with
• Needs more office space

Cohorts hybrid work schedule

The company ChurnZero uses this hybrid work schedule. How this one works is that employees are put into similar-sized groups. These groups are then rotated every week when the employee is at work or at home.

The idea behind the model is that there is a rotating pattern that has the employees cross paths at a specific time period.

Pros:

• Overlap time for all employees.
• Sets expectations

Cons:

• Hard to manage
• Lacks consistency for employees
• No schedule autonomy for employees

Manager hybrid work schedule

Credit Karma and Amex both use this as power is given to the manager to pick a hybrid work model for their employees. It makes the team more flexible in their time.

Pros:

• Allows flexibility
• Policies can change if needed

Cons:

• Office attendance fluctuates
• No full schedule autonomy for employees
• Requires office space

Conclusion

These are just some of the hybrid work schedules that are out there. More are out there as businesses try to figure out which is right for them. Picking a model can be difficult because you need to understand your business and your employees well enough to know what would work best.

This can take time. From days to weeks to even months. But this is just another part of the business experience. You need adaptability to work from home and at the office. If not, then it is best for you to find a job that doesn’t do the hybrid work schedule.