Shift towards a hybrid work arrangement

PETALING JAYA: In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the hybrid work arrangement introduced to mitigate infection risk is expected to stay as surveys have found that most Malaysians want such arrangements to continue.

In this transformation, WorkSmartly CEO Victor Phang sees a change in workplace dynamics as some employees are afforded the option to either work remotely or in the office and some businesses have found success doing so. Nonetheless, for long-term success, there is a need for businesses to take a deep dive into their organisation from an interdepartmental and intradepartmental perspective.

“For example, in a manufacturing company, when we speak of interdepartmental, the sales team can perform their work remotely; meanwhile, the factory operators need to be on-premises to perform their job,” Phang told SunBiz.

As for the intradepartmental aspect, he noted that arrangements could be made for some of the back office staff, such as the finance department, to work remotely to create a balance in their work schedule.

In the journey towards a hybrid workplace, the head of the HR-tech firm said, employers should note that employees need the right tools to perform a specific task.

“The first focus will be to look into the availability of the hardware, from proper equipment, laptops, mobile phone, and internet accessibility to support the hybrid work arrangement,” he said.

This is followed by the software needed for each task, collaborative and task management tools required to organise their task and even the right communication tool for employee’s interaction.

“Not to forget, employee readiness for a hybrid work arrangement; as this will ensure that there is no negative impact on their productivity. Other factors to consider will be employee work attitude and, most importantly, the employee engagement.”

Despite the change in dynamics, Phang noted that the shift towards a productivity-oriented approach from a by-the-hour approach will be contingent upon job functions. While certain functions such as administration and finance could evolve to a productivity-oriented approach, work which has to be done during specific working hours such as customer service, could not benefit from such a change.

Weighing in on the matter, WORQ CEO Stephanie Ping said in-office workers are more likely to be favoured than their remote-working peers, by virtue of being more visible, and as a result remote workers are likely to shift towards fully-remote environments that invest in their remote workers.

“The trick here is to find the balance between in-office hours and remote work versus measures of productivity that are not bound by office space or clock-in hours, while also ensuring that communication, engagement between teams and leadership is well-managed,” she said.

Ping said leaders of hybrid workforces need to be proactive, communicative and transparent, as they must be aware of the group dynamics and foster a collaborative environment where everyone is treated the same way, whether they work remotely or otherwise.

An advantage of the hybrid work arrangement is the flexibility it affords encourages productivity.

“To enforce a time-oriented approach to work would be replicating the old, office-bound model, which may undo the very flexibility that remote work is supposed to provide.

“If we want to reap the benefits of hybrid work, we need to go beyond the traditional — and this might mean moving towards a productivity-oriented approach, where all workers, regardless, are assessed based on their results or output rather than the time spent,” said the flexible coworking space provider’s CEO.

Nonetheless, Ping acknowledged that hybrid and remote work arrangements may not work for everyone immediately – some people, and some businesses require structure to thrive. In addition, the right digital tools need to be in place, and digital transformation takes time.

She explained that organisations will need to understand their workforce and how remote work arrangements will be able to complement them while ensuring a level of productivity is achieved.

“However, the ‘traditional’ space of the office is transforming: The focus will move from cubicle work – that can happen outside of the office, in a place of employees’ choice – to the conference and meeting rooms, as sites of collaboration, creativity and serendipity are on the rise. As more and more spaces cater to these new work arrangements, the easier the shift will be,” she said.

Source: The Sun Daily