Hybrid remote work models

Peter du ToitI'm the founder of FutureWork IQ where I spend my time assisting businesses to design digital workplaces or “offices in the cloud.” These environments enable companies to allow flexible and remote working for their teams. I also teach the digital literacy, fluency, communication and collaboration skills needed to work in these modern technology-rich workplaces.

The data keeps pouring in. Flexible/Remote Working is a global mega trend that is fundamentally changing how companies operate.

In fact in some countries governments are beginning to look at offering tax incentives for something know as “delocation” i.e. getting teams to work from home or away from the city. This is the exact opposite of the trend during the first industrial revolution which was all about relocation – leaving the country to come to the city to work.

Some executives I speak to express some trepidation when thinking of jumping into a fully remote model. For teams in transition I think a hybrid of remote and in-office works best during the transition. Interestingly, it seems that, at the moment, this hybrid model is producing the best results. A quote from this piece entitled Remote work is reaching unprecedented levels of popularity, and that’s a good thing:

“The ideal remote worker splits her time between in-office collaboration and distance working. The highest engagement is among workers who spend three to four days remote per week. They use in-person time to build strong connections that technology then helps them maintain while offsite.”