claiming that he was going to work from home every Tuesday since he got more work done and felt more focused. Now, X allows employees to take full control of their work style, whether it be working from home, coming into the office sever- al days, or being at the office full-time. For example, top music streaming platform, Spotify, developed a “Work From Anywhere” model in 2021 that enables employees to work in three modes: Home Mix, Office Mix, or a co-working space. “Despite the flexibility and freedom of- fered by hybrid work, some office workers still prioritise the benefit of serendipitous encounters between colleagues.” For Australian software company Atlassian, hybrid work entails only four days of required in-office work each year. Their new policy, “Team Anywhere”, allows employees to work in any country in which the company has an office. 54% of employees now say they would look for another job if their employer did not offer remote-work options. However, a common con- cern for the many companies offering hybrid work is the question of worker productivity and meaningful collaboration (or lack thereof). Meanwhile, despite the flexibility and free- dom offered by hybrid work, some office work- ers still prioritise the benefit of serendipitous encounters between colleagues – the moments that spark insightful conversations, creativity and innovation.
HYBRID: NAVIGATING THE NEW NORM
T he phrase “hybrid work” has become something of a buzzword – up there with “woke” and “metaverse” – but it means different things for different businesses. X (formerly known as Twitter) was relatively ear- ly to the party, first exploring flexibility in work models pre-pandemic in late 2017. Then-CEO Twitter, Jack Dorsey, sent a company-wide email
Drawn by the appeal of greater flexibility, less time spent commuting, and having a work-life balance, an increasing number of companies are making the shift to hybrid spaces. On the flipside, often coming hand-in-hand with hybrid work is the question of meaningful collaboration and productivity. Hybrid problems call for hybrid perspectives. By Hazel Kang
INNOVATIA | Management
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