The disadvantages of the hybrid work model are not something that everyone dares to talk about. Although this concept, which has been in our lives for about 1.5 years, seems like a great invention of the future that will take over business life, everything may not be as beautiful as it seems.
The hybrid model, seen as the future of work, is a system that is highly desired by the employees according to the surveys.
This model, which works from home on certain days of the week and remotely on certain days, wants to be the new trend of the business world by preserving the advantages of different working systems and eliminating their disadvantages. But it can also create some disadvantages that no one thinks about.
Among the advantages of this model are:
- Saving costs by reducing the size of offices,
- Saving time by cutting travel times to work, offering a solution for traffic by reducing the number of people on the roads by arranging the working order of more companies in a hybrid way in the long run,
- Employees who cannot establish a relationship with their colleagues can come to the office a few days a week and form relationships.
We can count such items. These items are the visible and beautiful side of the business, but we will focus on the cons of a hybrid model in this article.
In this article, we won’t examine the disadvantages of working from the office or working remotely separately. Since hybrid work is a mixture of these two models, the pros and cons of both can be counted here.
The disadvantages of the hybrid model, which is the business model in which these two models are used in a mixed way, are as follows:
- The possibility of hierarchy within the company between office workers and home workers,
- Vulnerability to cyber-crimes,
- Extra costs to create a working environment fit for purpose.
Let us now examine them in detail.
The Superiority of Office Employees
Ensuring equality between those working face to face and those working from home in the hybrid model will be one of the biggest challenges.
Studies show that employees who switch to the remote working model think that their work is seen less by their bosses, appreciated less, and less likely to receive a raise and promotion.
Economist Nicholas Bloom also confirms these studies; he says bosses can have a better idea of their employees in the office and put them ahead in matters such as promotions and raises. It seems inevitable that this situation will create a crisis among workers in the long run.
It will be very important for companies that will transition to this model to build a corporate culture suitable for hybrid work, which they will optimize with the help of the HR department. If this work is not systematically inserted into, corporate culture, it will be inevitable for those working from the office to feel more privileged than those working from home and to be truly privileged in some matters.
Vulnerability to Hacking
Cyber security is one of the most important issues for companies today. Illegal possession of the vital data of the company would cause undesirable consequences for both company and the customers. As a result, litigation that will last for years could happen.
Hybrid work has a structure that has vulnerabilities to cyber-attacks. Devices that hybrid workers will use from the office on some days of the week and from home on some days can create security vulnerabilities in the company’s network.
Since the remote workers never visit the office; they had no chance of infecting the company network with viruses and malicious software that was placed in their devices.
But hybrid workers will do business both from their home and from the office. This makes them an excellent target for cyber attacks. A virus that they will bring from the insecure network they use at home to the corporate network can have huge consequences.
With the damage to the prestige of the company being hacked, solving these problems can also require huge expenditures.
Making the Work Environment Suitable for Hybrid Work
Many expenses may be required for the transition to hybrid workplaces.
The new work model could produce some good-looking results, including downsizing the office. Fewer people working from the office means there is no need for a large office. By moving to a smaller office, a reduction in expense items such as rental costs, electricity, and water costs would happen. A new workplace model may reduce the costs.
But this can cause other problems. Downgrading workspaces can affect employee productivity. Restricted personal spaces can make employees feel insecure, causing more harm than the costs saved.
Some of those working remotely during the covid-19 pandemic stated that they could not work fully efficiently because their equipment is not sufficient. Deficiencies in computers, work chairs, headphones, microphones can affect working performance. The company needs to provide the necessary equipment to its employees to get full efficiency from working from home.
SaaS programs that will facilitate hybrid work and ensure the coordination of those working from the physical office and those working from home are also one of the expense items that this working model will bring. SaaS programs, which serve in many different areas such as calendar, workflow, video conferencing, sales automation, field team management, may demand high monthly fees.
Companies that want to build a fully efficient hybrid operating system will need to add these fees to their annual finance plans.
Solutions to Hybrid Work Model Disadvantages
We also know that the hybrid model provides many advantages despite all these disadvantages. So, are there any solutions where we can eliminate the disadvantages of this model and make the system maximum efficient? Why not?
Hybrid working can be made into corporate culture to prevent inequalities that may occur between those working from the office and those working remotely. It may be possible to overcome this discrimination with a corporate culture that will be adopted by all stakeholders of the institution and that will ensure the requirements and sustainability of the system.
Necessary measures can be taken within the institution to protect against cybercrime. Although it may seem like making the devices used at home and those used in the office different from each other may create extra costs, considering the problems that hacking will bring in the long run, it is actually a very cheap method.
OctaSales is the solution you are looking for for your field team management and video conferencing needs. Through a single platform, you can meet your video conferencing needs, perform workflow management and gain an advantage in the field team management.
OctaSales, which has a more affordable price than SaaS services that provide services on the same subject, can realize this transition of field teams, which is one of the most difficult departments to hybrid work, with budgets that will not strain your company.
Hybrid operating model disadvantages may keep you from this transformation. But with the solutions we propose, you can reverse these minuses; You can create a profitable and more enjoyable work environment for both your employees and you!
