Is the much-discussed loss of control a disadvantage for employers?
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2025 3:56 am
Who the hybrid working world is suitable for
This work model is generally suitable for all employees who can work on a laptop. A stable internet connection is also necessary in order to be able to participate digitally in meetings with colleagues and superiors or business partners. Anyone who has children or elderly parents to look after, or perhaps a dog that has to go out at lunchtime, can also benefit from this work model and adjust their presence in the office to individual care needs. The model also appeals to people who in the past may have refrained from taking up a new job that was far away from their home. People do not always want to move in the direction of their employer, even if the job offer is excellent. The reasons mentioned above can be decisive for this. Perhaps they do not want to ask their children to change schools, or want to be able to see sick parents as often as possible. If the employer then offers a hybrid work model, this can lead to the applicant accepting the job offered, which they would have turned down if the work option had been purely analogue. Ultimately, both sides benefit from this: employer and employee.
Of course, there are voices that are rather critical of the hybrid working world . In this case, the talk is usually of an impending loss of control by employers over their employees. Critics fear that employees could exploit their great freedom of self-determination by no longer working their full working hours, but deceiving their employers into believing this. Critics freight forwarders brokers email lists also believe that employees could become ineffective due to distractions that the increased focus on private matters can bring. Dissenting voices respond that the opposite is even likely. Because if employees have the freedom to combine work and private life according to their own needs, motivation increases and they usually work more concentratedly and effectively on their tasks. If an employee is no longer just a recipient of orders, but notices that they have their own scope for creativity when it comes to freely choosing where to work, this also promotes creativity in terms of their work. As an employer, you do not lose control over employees. Because that is not always possible in the office either. Employees who are unmotivated and have no desire to complete work tasks will not complete them if they are constantly working in an analog office with their supervisor standing next to them.
What do employers and employees have to prepare for when it comes to hybrid working ?
The working model is different from what employers and employees have known so far. Therefore, there needs to be a period of getting used to it, during which new things have to be tried out. Both sides should adapt to this. Because if you no longer see each other all the time in the office, new channels of communication have to be established. This is a task that both sides have to master. It is neither the employee nor the employer alone who is responsible for staying in touch with each other and exchanging information about current projects. Communication with colleagues should not be forgotten here either. Employees should also feel like they are team workers even if they no longer see each other every day. Furthermore, there should be a healthy culture of trust in hybrid working companies. Employers should give their employees the feeling that they trust them to make the right decision about when and where they work. They should also convey that they are convinced that employees do their work and respect the working hours. If employees have to constantly justify themselves in this regard, or log in and out with a lot of communication effort, the hybrid working model squanders its chance of increasing motivation through increased well-being among employees.
This work model is generally suitable for all employees who can work on a laptop. A stable internet connection is also necessary in order to be able to participate digitally in meetings with colleagues and superiors or business partners. Anyone who has children or elderly parents to look after, or perhaps a dog that has to go out at lunchtime, can also benefit from this work model and adjust their presence in the office to individual care needs. The model also appeals to people who in the past may have refrained from taking up a new job that was far away from their home. People do not always want to move in the direction of their employer, even if the job offer is excellent. The reasons mentioned above can be decisive for this. Perhaps they do not want to ask their children to change schools, or want to be able to see sick parents as often as possible. If the employer then offers a hybrid work model, this can lead to the applicant accepting the job offered, which they would have turned down if the work option had been purely analogue. Ultimately, both sides benefit from this: employer and employee.
Of course, there are voices that are rather critical of the hybrid working world . In this case, the talk is usually of an impending loss of control by employers over their employees. Critics fear that employees could exploit their great freedom of self-determination by no longer working their full working hours, but deceiving their employers into believing this. Critics freight forwarders brokers email lists also believe that employees could become ineffective due to distractions that the increased focus on private matters can bring. Dissenting voices respond that the opposite is even likely. Because if employees have the freedom to combine work and private life according to their own needs, motivation increases and they usually work more concentratedly and effectively on their tasks. If an employee is no longer just a recipient of orders, but notices that they have their own scope for creativity when it comes to freely choosing where to work, this also promotes creativity in terms of their work. As an employer, you do not lose control over employees. Because that is not always possible in the office either. Employees who are unmotivated and have no desire to complete work tasks will not complete them if they are constantly working in an analog office with their supervisor standing next to them.
What do employers and employees have to prepare for when it comes to hybrid working ?
The working model is different from what employers and employees have known so far. Therefore, there needs to be a period of getting used to it, during which new things have to be tried out. Both sides should adapt to this. Because if you no longer see each other all the time in the office, new channels of communication have to be established. This is a task that both sides have to master. It is neither the employee nor the employer alone who is responsible for staying in touch with each other and exchanging information about current projects. Communication with colleagues should not be forgotten here either. Employees should also feel like they are team workers even if they no longer see each other every day. Furthermore, there should be a healthy culture of trust in hybrid working companies. Employers should give their employees the feeling that they trust them to make the right decision about when and where they work. They should also convey that they are convinced that employees do their work and respect the working hours. If employees have to constantly justify themselves in this regard, or log in and out with a lot of communication effort, the hybrid working model squanders its chance of increasing motivation through increased well-being among employees.