Go back to the office or stay in telework? These are the challenges of the hybrid modality (and the tricks to adapt to it)

It was in the midst of confinement that María Paz Reveco started her new current job: organizational talent analyst for ISA InterChile, a company that operates in the electrical energy and telecommunications sector. The occupational psychologist began her work from home — something very unusual before the pandemic —, without knowing her employers or her colleagues other than what they showed through their computer cameras.

Despite the distance, María Paz says she had no problem integrating into her team. “They received me very well. We had a lot of communication on Whatsapp and meetings via video calls, ”he says. More than a year he remained without setting foot in the company building to which , in another context, he would have been dating Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

“I got along well with teleworking, so much so that it is still difficult for me to return to the office”, he admits about the return to face-to-face work, which his employers have tried to put in place. practical, but not without difficulties. The first attempt was in November, but there was an increase in cases and we had to back off. A few weeks ago they resumed their plans with a hybrid and flexible modality, in which the administrative employees choose the days to attend and the rest they work remotely.

Although the hybrid modality is comfortable for María Paz, it was not so easy for her to leave her house. The most complicated thing, he explains, is that during all the time he had to work remotely, a new dynamic was generated in his life, where he took on “more responsibilities at home. I imagine it’s happened to other people too, especially those with children.

For Felipe Matamala, psychoanalyst and professor at Diego Portales University (UDP), after two years of “adapting all our life, our coexistence and our spaces” to the new conditions of the pandemic, we are now entering a process whose complexity lies in “how to come back to adapt these new times to face-to-face, telematics and online life”.

In any case, if there is a modality that makes it possible to switch from remote work to face-to-face work in a more optimal —or less abrupt— way, it is the hybrid. This is how Matamala argues, since on the one hand “the spaces created at home are put to good use but those linked to face-to-face meetings are also taken up, such as meeting with others at the level of the work group and a certain organizational culture” that was impossible to replicate remotely.

Workers also seem to prefer the hybrid. A business study coworking Wework, titled “Redefining work models in Latin America” , establishes that 88% of the workers consulted in Chile consider this model to be ideal for the post-pandemic labor market. This figure is even higher than the Latin American average, which is 81%.

But one thing is that it’s the preferred modality and the other is that it’s easy to adapt.

Felipe González has worked for two and a half years for a technology consultant and developer. He is an industrial civil engineer and his job is to be glued to the computer 99% of the time. For the same reason, it was not difficult for him to get used to telematic work, which he does from the house he shares with his partner and daughter.

He says, however, that before the pandemic he had regular face-to-face meetings with clients, which meant traveling to different locations. This changed after the health restrictions: appointments started to be made electronically and time lost on journeys turned into minutes gained for other activities.

The same thing happened to him concerning the daily downward transfers: “I live an hour and a half from the office. There is no metro near my house, so I have to drive to a station and take a train there,” González explains. In total, it is three hours of travel that, based on the telematic work, he was able to occupy in other ways. “It allows me to wake up after 6:30 in the morning, and when I finish work it’s not dark at home, so I can do other things,” he says.

Time savings on commuting is considered the main benefit of remote working according to 99% of people surveyed by Wework. González sees him that way too, who in recent weeks has had to revert to a semi-presence that forces him to do two-day shifts one week and three the next; the rest is telecommuting. The dynamic seems fine to him: “we adapt”.

However, González’s hour-and-a-half commute pales in comparison to those who have been absent from their workplaces during the pandemic. “A lot of people no longer live near the office,” explains María Paz Reveco, because they had to move the office to their home. “Many went to live on the beach, in the countryside or in the south. They have carte blanche to work from home and only come when needed,” he adds.

Despite the benefits of technology and connectivity, distance has posed new challenges for employees and employers. Fast and effective communication is one of them. “If a new campaign is launched during a meeting, for example, people working from home cannot be excluded from communication. You have to know how to integrate them in the same way as those who work in person, ”explains the psychologist.

The problem is not minor if we take into account what is indicated in the report. “High Expectations: Making Hybrid Work Work” from Microsoft. It highlights that among average users of Teams — the company’s video conferencing platform that has become mainstream with remote working — the time used weekly for meetings has increased by 252% since February 2020. does not mean always being online,” he notes. the report among his teachings.

And one of the problems with working online is that not everyone gets along with technology; some out of ignorance and others out of lack of access to their homes. This is why, Reveco specifies, it is that in the midst of forced remote work, it has happened that “many ask to return to face-to-face work”. This is the case for many older workers who are not digital natives.

Felipe González comments that, among the advantages of going to the office from time to time, there is the possibility of sharing with colleagues. A point that Felipe Matamala considers extremely important to achieve a less restrictive transition to face-to-face presence.

“Rehabilitation necessarily involves the possibility of talking to others about my experience, of being able to understand the situations that others are going through and not just sticking to mine. This allows us to psychically support all the changes that are beginning to appear,” explains the psychoanalyst.

However, a return with few definitions by the company can also affect a group level, according to Matamala. “The working group may feel lost or upset if the feedback is unclear or if certain ambiguities arise. This amounts to insisting more than clarifying, which is detrimental and prevents the adaptation from being the most appropriate”.

In that sense, he adds, personalities with anxiety tendencies or who need more control in their lives may struggle more in the hybrid format. “These people need clear changes, because they may have some fears that something could happen to them. For them, the house has become a refuge where they have greater control over various aspects. This is why progressiveness is important, because it allows the psyche to adapt better,” he explains.

According to Microsoft’s report, 53% of workers are more willing to prioritize health and wellness at work, which is very different from before the pandemic. The key behind this, for Matamala and for Reveco, is work flexibility: that the company listens to its employees and brings them psychological benefits.

This is something hybrid work can deliver to a greater or lesser extent, depending on the employer’s setup. In the case of ISA InterChile, explains the psychologist, the administrative employees have the freedom to appear in person whenever they wish. To do this, they must be noted on a list, so that the company can have control of the capacity. And if someone prefers to work from home all week, they can do so without any problem.

But just as flexibility is important, “self-management” is also essential, says Reveco. “It’s something that needs to be promoted to employees. By giving them the flexibility to organize themselves and come to the office whenever they want, they also develop the ability to self-manage,” he says.

The WeWork study also highlights the relevance of autonomy: since the start of the pandemic, it has been the most valued by 93% of Chilean recruiters in their work environment.

If anything was lost with remote work, it was spontaneity, that creativity that could arise between people in an office and had the potential to become a great idea, solution or project. “Before, you could generate an initiative, go to the working groups, bring them all together in a room and comment on it, make a reflection», Comments Reveco.

Felipe González also sees that certain aspects are simplified in the presence. “My boss is in meetings all day; if I need to talk to him, it is much more efficient for me to go to his office than to send him an e-mail”.

During the lockdown, the WeWork study indicates that 70% of respondents missed interacting with their colleagues and team leaders, the so-called “meaningful spontaneous encounters”. Meanwhile, Microsoft maintains that 38% of people who currently have hybrid jobs say their biggest challenge is knowing when and why to come to the office.

“When I go to the office”, explains González, “I try to do more things that have to do with internal meetings, for example, and thus advance certain solutions or see problems that are easier to solve in person. And when I am at home, I prefer things that only depend on me, such as appointments with clients”.

In short, taking advantage of face-to-face and telematic work is up to everyone, as employers provide flexibilities that allow employees to adapt their daily routines and needs. According to Microsoft, 58% of its employees who plan to spend more time in the office do so for one reason only: to be more focused.

A dude A little extra, also provided by the North American firm: to avoid mental fatigue between so many virtual or face-to-face meetings, it is better to take a 10-minute break. Find activities that allow you to relax and change your mindset. This will help to face the next match with more spirit and concentration.