In the Fire of Expectations: About Work Models

Is it possible to kill two birds with one stone and create an ideal work model – one that would reconcile the expectations of employers and employees? See what trial by fire organizations are facing today and what they are doing to quench the desires of employees for the most comfortable working conditions.

(NOTE: Originally published on https://www.karierawfinansach.pl/przewodnik/2022/temat-numeru/modele-pracy.Translation from Polish to English provided by Google Translation.)

The concept of a day divided into three equal parts, which assumes 8 hours of work, 8 hours of rest and 8 hours of sleep, is evolving. It is safe to say that these are revolutionary changes. Work performed from anywhere in the world, shortening the working time to 6 hours a day in accordance with the “more is less” principle (less is more) and replacing fixed working hours from-to with a flexible form that allows the employee to perform tasks when he has it’s time (and willingness), it may sound like a fairy tale, but it may be just the beginning of what awaits us in the future. The traditional model, which was used a decade ago and was initiated by Henry Ford himself, is becoming obsolete, which was influenced by several factors [1].

One of them is the spread of the work-life balance philosophy , which was created at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s as a response to social problems such as workaholism or professional burnout. Employers who struggled to find employees were more willing to accommodate their growing expectations to maintain a work-life balance. It works today too!

The ability to perform professional duties from home is, in turn, the aftermath of the pandemic and the fact that, for the sake of health and safety, it was possible to work in the comfort of home (or noise, if the whole family was at home with the employee). This was not allowed in every industry, but in finance and IT it was used quite often. It would not be possible without technological progress and universal access to the Internet. Thanks to the fact that landline phones with a cable attached under the desk were replaced with dedicated applications in computers or mobile phones, some forms of work gained popularity and completely new ones were created.

No more balance, just fit (and it’s not about the gym)

The idea of ​​work-life balance, i.e. maintaining a proper balance between private and professional life, is still important for employees, but the trend called work-life fit, which goes a step further, is gaining momentum. According to this concept, the employee should be able to flexibly adjust work to individual needs, not only in terms of starting and finishing work, but also freedom in choosing the place where he will perform this work.

Work-life fitness is a wide opening to various forms of work, which allows you to combine professional and personal goals even better and adapt work to the lifestyle and needs of the employee. Each of us is different. One will find satisfaction in the toil from dawn to dusk, the other – in cooking Sunday broth for the family. The author of this concept, Donny Shimamoto, recommends focusing on the quality of life and work performed, rather than the number of tasks ticked off. Work-life fit is supposed to be fitness for the employee, a kind of training that is supposed to lead to a healthy balance and bring satisfaction. Sounds like a dream?

Supporters of this model see many benefits, such as: more rested employees (62%) and more productive (48%), fewer conflicts at work (48%) and savings related to running an office (38%) [2]. Despite numerous advantages, work life-fit is still a certain innovation – a novelty that requires a change in the way employers think, and certainly also appropriate preparation from the organizational side, so that this freedom and freedom equals a job well done.

A computer outside the base, i.e. about remote work

The possibility of remote work, which used to be part of the benefits package for employees, is now becoming a standard in many companies. The IT industry suffering from a shortage of talents dictates tough conditions to employers, which, in addition to a generous salary, usually also apply to working from home or from anywhere in the country or even in the world. Nothing will probably stop this trend, and other professions will follow in the footsteps of programmers. What’s more, there are also more and more technological innovations that support working from home (applications for videoconferencing, work monitoring, teamwork, etc.), which on the one hand makes it cheaper, and on the other hand – better suited to the needs. Working from home requires meticulous preparation from both employees and the company.

Working in the cloud working model – this is one of the types of remote work that is associated with greater independence and the ability to work online for many entities.

In order to perform one’s duties remotely, a set of features and predispositions is useful, such as: time management skills (76.5%), independence and result orientation. Enabling an employee to work remotely is based mainly on trusting that the tasks entrusted to him will be diligently performed, regardless of where the work will be performed. Employers who took part in the Antal survey rate the effectiveness of remote work very highly – as many as 92% describe it as good or very good. The advantages of introducing this model also include the reduction of business travel costs (81% of positive responses), as well as maintaining the level of salaries (71%) [5]. The great challenge remains to integrate and ignite the spirit of cooperation in the team in a situation where all employees perform their tasks in front of the monitor.

3 MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS INCREASING WORK FLEXIBILITY, ACCORDING TO EMPLOYEES:

• the ability to choose the time of starting and ending work (45%),
• more days off work (36%),
• the possibility of flexible choice of the workplace (35%).

Source: ManpowerGroup Report, “What Makes Workers Thrive”, 2021.

Also, employees who work in the remote model consider the fact that they have problems with meeting new people joining the company as the greatest inconvenience and negatively assess social life – as many as 28% of respondents say that in remote work they miss office jokes the most, another 28% miss for eating meals together in the office, and 26% for spontaneous meetings in the office corridor [4]. This is also confirmed by other Microsoft studies – 56% of remote workers have fewer friends at work since switching to hybrid or remote work [7].

Despite social isolation, the remote work model also has its bright sides – employees point to such advantages, above all, the lack of need to travel to work (84% of positive responses), which translates into a better family life [5].

Station – office, i.e. stationary work

One of the main motivations behind working from the office is social contacts – the possibility of establishing them, building and igniting a spark in the team. Close-knit teams that laugh at the same jokes are more creative and create a friendly atmosphere that can be positively perceived by new hires. Relationships that are formed in the office space are extremely important for effective, but also satisfying work. On the other hand, the example of the open space concept, which was intended to increase the number of interactions between employees, in fact radically reduced them by as much as 70%, shows that desk-to-desk interaction does not always have an impact on positive relations. Too many spontaneous interactions do not contribute to work efficiency, on the contrary – it can lead to isolation of employees who, instead of talking about the weather, prefer to listen to techno in wireless headphones. Therefore, creating a space where the conversation will stick together is a real challenge.

An environment conducive to building bonds and creating relationships between team members cannot be a row of glued together desks with compartments, and the office should not be just a place to work. Increasingly, there is talk of a change in the form of space and a domesticated interior, warm and pleasant, which will also ensure sanitary safety. It is envisaged that in the future, offices “will no longer be one place, but an ecosystem that fosters flexibility, efficiency and well-being of employees.” They should be a space that provides knowledge about the environment – e.g. temperature, lighting, noise, occupancy and control, and will foster social bonding. The ergonomics of the workplace (76%) is one of the most highly rated aspects of stationary work by employees, next to communication with team members (80%).

Stationary work is also associated with the phenomenon called “presenteeism” , i.e. the need to be in the office at all costs (even despite illness or feeling worse), enforced, for example, by the rules announced by the employer. As a consequence, the presence of the employee is only an illusion, because he deals with other things, completely unrelated to professional duties. In this case, efficiency, which is often the key argument of employers, is very low.

Hybrid good for everything?

Is there an ideal work model? Some see it in hybrid work, which is a strong preference of the employees themselves (56% of responses). It seems to be a successful compromise in a situation where – as in the PwC study – 33.7% of respondents consider access to remote work as a mandatory benefit, and on the other hand, 56% of young people want to work from the office [6]. The hybrid model of work can be a solution that will help reconcile the expectations and needs of both groups, and it fits perfectly into the trend of making work more flexible (work-life fit). Employees can save time on daily commuting to the office, and at the same time have the opportunity to meet face-to-face from time to time. Employees want to decide on which days they work remotely and be able to flexibly change these days – even every week. Source: ManpowerGroup Report, “What Makes Workers Thrive”, 2021. 4 out of 10 with team members, which has a positive effect on their well-being and deepens their sense of belonging to the organization. Employers also see a number of advantages of this model, primarily considering it as an opportunity to improve the efficiency and satisfaction of employees.

JOB SATISFACTION DEPENDING ON THE WORK MODEL:

4.8 – stationary workers
4.46 – remote workers
4.54 – hybrid workers [3].

The respondents were asked to what extent they are satisfied with their current professional situation (on a scale of 1-7, where 1 – very dissatisfied, 7 – very satisfied)

However, there is no rose without thorns and hybrid work, although it seems to be the golden mean, is a huge challenge for the organization. It does not reduce costs as much as completely remote work, and additionally it requires proper management and setting clear rules. The difficulty arises in dividing the working days of the week (of which there are five – not a pair) into those in which remote work is performed and those in which stationary work is performed. Hence, different concepts of hybrid work and a division into remote-first and office-first models are possible, which, although seemingly very similar, are very different and carry both opportunities and numerous threats. More problems arise. Who should decide which days an employee works in the office? Should the days of remote work be predetermined, or is it better to give employees the opportunity to arrange their work schedule to suit their own family life schedule? Organizations develop their models, which makes it difficult to talk about one style of hybrid work. Every, even the smallest modification, makes a difference.

Sources:

1. ” After the hour. New models of work in the digital era ”, Warsaw Enterprise Institute, 2022.
2. Report ” Current work model in companies and the work-life fit system “, SW Research, 2021.
3. Jarczewska-Gerc E., Filiciak M., Brach B., ” Models of work in the new (non)normality. What do we already know about working outside the office? ”, 2021.
4. ” The future of work. Office Trends Report 2021 ”, hbreavis, 2021.
5. ” Work model and employee efficiency and satisfaction “, Antal, 2021.
6. ” Young Poles on the labor market 2021 “, PwC, 2021.
7. ” Microsoft Work Trend Index 2022 “.

Comments:

Maja Chabińska-Rossakowska
HR Bank Director, ING Bank Śląski:

The pandemic has accelerated the dissemination of the remote work model and it will certainly stay with us for longer. At the same time, we must remember that such a model applies to a small part of the labor market. There are still a lot of jobs that require on-the-job presence, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. The hybrid model will become more popular, as it allows to better combine the needs of employees and employers. It is a model whose success depends as much on the team as on the leader. The hybrid model of work requires from the leader a lot of mindfulness and care for the team on many levels. In such a model, the leader plays the role of a “connector” between employees and the organization, must take care of relations in the team, and work on the effectiveness of team routines. For the team in hybrid work, a long-term challenge may be the weakening identification with the company,

Boris Wouters
General Manager at PepsiCo GBS Poland: 

At PepsiCo GBS, we quickly learned that we can switch to long-term remote work in a crisis situation. However, it is now clear that Zoom is no substitute for real, face-to-face contact in all aspects of working life. We know that for many of our positions, the features of remote work (independence, flexibility, better combination of private and professional life) are only really beneficial when employees combine remote work with working from the office, working in a hybrid model. What discourages you from working 100% remotely is e.g. no spontaneous contacts with co-workers or no direct feedback. It’s hard to get them while working online. In addition, remote work may or may not result in higher productivity. It’s easier to be distracted here – the space of the workplace plays an important role. Working from home requires good planning and organization. Today, the vast majority of our employees would like to work remotely on a regular basis. They are better prepared for it and better supported. We are fine-tuning our hybrid work model to maximize the positive experience associated with it. On the one hand, employees value the right to self-determination and feel the trust of the employer. On the other hand, it is important to be able to interact directly with colleagues. Those who have tried working from home will want to continue using this form of flexibility, but possibly reducing the number of days of remote work in favor of working from the office. What this ratio will be depends on many factors, such as the type of tasks, the employee’s personal situation or the maturity of the organization. Today, the vast majority of our employees would like to work remotely on a regular basis. They are better prepared for it and better supported. We are fine-tuning our hybrid work model to maximize the positive experience associated with it. On the one hand, employees value the right to self-determination and feel the trust of the employer. On the other hand, it is important to be able to interact directly with colleagues. Those who have tried working from home will want to continue using this form of flexibility, but possibly reducing the number of days of remote work in favor of working from the office. What this ratio will be depends on many factors, such as the type of tasks, the employee’s personal situation or the maturity of the organization. Today, the vast majority of our employees would like to work remotely on a regular basis. They are better prepared for it and better supported. We are fine-tuning our hybrid work model to maximize the positive experience associated with it. On the one hand, employees value the right to self-determination and feel the trust of the employer. On the other hand, it is important to be able to interact directly with colleagues. Those who have tried working from home will want to continue using this form of flexibility, but possibly reducing the number of days of remote work in favor of working from the office. What this ratio will be depends on many factors, such as the type of tasks, the employee’s personal situation or the maturity of the organization. We are fine-tuning our hybrid work model to maximize the positive experience associated with it. On the one hand, employees value the right to self-determination and feel the trust of the employer. On the other hand, it is important to be able to interact directly with colleagues. Those who have tried working from home will want to continue using this form of flexibility, but possibly reducing the number of days of remote work in favor of working from the office. What this ratio will be depends on many factors, such as the type of tasks, the employee’s personal situation or the maturity of the organization. We are fine-tuning our hybrid work model to maximize the positive experience associated with it. On the one hand, employees value the right to self-determination and feel the trust of the employer. On the other hand, it is important to be able to interact directly with colleagues. Those who have tried working from home will want to continue using this form of flexibility, but possibly reducing the number of days of remote work in favor of working from the office. What this ratio will be depends on many factors, such as the type of tasks, the employee’s personal situation or the maturity of the organization. On the other hand, it is important to be able to interact directly with colleagues. Those who have tried working from home will want to continue using this form of flexibility, but possibly reducing the number of days of remote work in favor of working from the office. What this ratio will be depends on many factors, such as the type of tasks, the employee’s personal situation or the maturity of the organization. On the other hand, it is important to be able to interact directly with colleagues. Those who have tried working from home will want to continue using this form of flexibility, but possibly reducing the number of days of remote work in favor of working from the office. What this ratio will be depends on many factors, such as the type of tasks, the employee’s personal situation or the maturity of the organization.

Anna Klaus-Uryga
HR Business Partner Hub Lead at ABB:

Work organization is one of those areas of the company’s activity in which space for flexibility is needed nowadays. Employees and supervisors need some kind of charted course to know what is expected of them and in what area they can move. At the same time, however, it is very important to have a sense of influence on the surrounding reality, i.e. in this case the possibility for employees to shape at least the place and form of their work. Needs can change dynamically, e.g. in connection with the role performed, assigned tasks or a specific situation in private life. In order for both parties to know what is important at the moment, a continuous and open dialogue is needed. It is not easy, but thanks to this, we can regularly verify whether what we agreed on some time ago is

In response to this challenge, last year ABB created the “Hybrid Model” – a specific catalog of available solutions, including: hybrid work, telework and occasional remote work for people working from the office. Importantly, flexibility was built into this model, thanks to which it was possible to take into account the needs of the individual employee, the team of which the employee is part, and the business goals of the department and the entire organization. After a year of using the model – based on conversations, observation of trends (e.g. frequency of visits to the office) and feedback from employees and superiors – we came to the conclusion that it would be beneficial to modify some of the originally adopted assumptions. We are now implementing the model in its second version, in a shape adapted to the current needs of employees and organizations, while planning when and how we will check its effectiveness. The hybrid work model is a permanent element of work organization today and in the near foreseeable future. What is not constant are the needs of employees and superiors, which is why one of the most important assumptions of this model is readiness to adapt to changing needs. And this is our proposal for the organization of work in the near future.  

Paulina Genszczak
HR Business Partner at Barry Callebaut:

For years, the standard work model was a five-day workweek, mostly in the office. The undoubted advantages of this model are real-time communication, face-to-face meetings, affecting better cooperation, ease of building team and company affiliation, but also a higher level of data security. In March 2020, due to the need to maintain social distance caused by the pandemic, many employers introduced a remote work model. The benefit of this was undoubtedly global access to candidates, and for the employee  –better work-life balance. Also, contrary to appearances, greater efficiency of employees, better conditions for conceptual and creative work. On the other hand, the prolonged pandemic has loosened the ties between employees and the company and weakened the energy to work. Increasingly, we also began to hear about the impact of social isolation on mental condition. On the part of team management, there was a concern whether managers would be able to maintain an appropriate level of motivation in the team and ensure a good atmosphere, ensure efficient and quality communication, maintain work efficiency at a high level, as well as effectively select new team members during online recruitment. Currently, the effects of the pandemic are beginning to weaken, and employers are considering implementing the most effective work model. Therefore, a hybrid 

Author: Karolina Zdunowska

Editor-in-chief  Grupa MBE

A graduate of Polish philology at the University of Warsaw. In the past, she collaborated with the following publishing houses: Media Regionalne, Ringier Axel Springer and Marquard Media. In the MBE Group, she was responsible for editing texts for the magazine “Kierera w Finansach i Bankności” and for the website KarierawFinansach.pl in the years 2018-2022.