The biggest mistake companies are making when it comes to hybrid work

Three years on from the start of the pandemic and it’s safe to assume hybrid work isn’t going anywhere. 

What started as a temporary solution has evolved into a new way of working, and with good reason: 62% of workers feel more productive when working remotely. It’s also estimated that those working from home clock up an extra four hours per week than those who work in the office. Remote workers are also 22% happier. 

Despite evidence to the contrary, many large organisations believe working on-site is more productive, and are increasingly putting pressure on staff to return to the office. Workers then feel coerced into playing the proximity bias game—when management believes staff who work from the office are doing more than those who are working from a remote location. 

But is it now time to review hybrid work in its current form and revise fundamental aspects to allow organisations to function more efficiently and help hybrid workers thrive?

A new perspective

“Employees feel more productive when they are able to do their work in the location of their choice, which is primarily remote, but they believe that being in the office is better for their career,” Frank Weishaupt, CEO of video conference device company Owl Labs proposes. 

“How does that make any sense? There’s a mismatch there, and I think the mismatch is trying to make that leap from the way we once worked to where the future of work is going to be. I think it’ll be choppy for a while.”

 One way Owl Labs is attempting to strike the right balance is through its remote first approach—“100% of us won’t be together 100% of the time, is the way to look at it”—along with the adoption of a non-linear approach which includes no meetings on Fridays. 

“If you’re a parent and your children get home from school at 2.30pm, and it’s chaos from 2.30pm until 4.30pm, are you better at spending time in that role, and taking those hours and doing the work later when you’re more focussed and productive?” Weishaupt says.

“There’s so much that can come from being able to leverage your time differently.”

This idea of disconnecting is gaining traction across Europe with France, Italy and Spain implementing legislation to prevent workers from engaging in electronic communication outside of traditional business hours. 

However, if you feel like your employer doesn’t respect your boundaries or isn’t offering the kind of flexibility you want, it could be time to look for a new opportunity. Below are three jobs in companies that are currently hiring or check out the Tech Eu Job Board for thousands more. 

Software Developer Frontend, Europ Assistance Services GmbH, Munich

The Europ Assistance Group offers insurance and service products in the areas of travel, mobility, assisted living, health and senior care. As a Software Developer you will be responsible for software and web development in Germany, while also working closely with international colleagues. As such, you’ll design and develop future web applications and associated microservices based on JavaScript, Vue.js, Node.js in the cloud (Azure and AWS). You’ll also be required to maintain and migrate existing web portals and have competence in programming languages such as PHP, JavaScript, Laravel, Node.js and Vue.js. View more details here. 

Senior Infrastructure Security Engineer, N26, Berlin

Neobank N26 is seeking a Senior Infrastructure Security Engineer to proactively drive the identification and remediation of security threats. Working in partnership with the platform engineering and data engineering teams you’ll detect and mitigate cloud infrastructure security threats, own the cloud infrastructure security function roadmap, perform threat modelling sessions and security training or table top exercises to platform engineering and data engineering teams. Applicants should have experience with Python, Bash or GO for scripting and automation along with experience in ethical hacking. See the full job description here. 

IT Project Manager w/m/d, Computacenter, Munich

As IT Project Manager (f/m/d) you’ll support customers in digital transformation You’ll implement innovative state-of-the-art projects in the field of data centre and cloud computing, mobile workplace, unified communication and collaboration, network and security as well as industry 4.0. To apply for this role you’ll need three years’ of experience in the implementation of complex IT projects, you’re also a master of project management and confidently use PMI, SCRUM or hybrid methods. Apply here.

For more opportunities across tech visit the Tech EU Job Board today