HubSpot, the customer relationship management (CRM) platform, published its Hybrid Work Report for 2023, a study on how the hybrid work model is working in the world, for which they consulted 5,058 people from 10 countries, including Colombia, the only South American country analyzed.
The report revealed how the new work models have been transformed after the pandemic both around the world and in the specific case of Colombia. “We are excited to include Colombia, for the first time, among the countries evaluated in our Hybrid Work Report, in which we explore the current state of this work methodology. We know that the hybrid work modality still causes some questions for companies and collaborators and that is why we make this research available so that together we can continue building healthy, fair and positive work spheres,” said HubSpot’s senior marketing director in Latin America. and Iberia, Shelley Pursell.
The study found that throughout 2022, problems began to arise in the processes of relating, collaborating, and communicating within the framework of the hybrid format, but at the same time, new opportunities arose to create a workforce connected with this model that merges the face-to-face work with remote. Therefore, the subtitle of this year’s edition of the study is ‘The age of connection’, and the main discoveries revolve around this theme.
An example of this is that the study found that remote staff are more likely to know the names of their colleagues’ pets or family members (62%) than face-to-face staff (54%), which HubSpot considers to be a sign that it is not necessary to go to the office to establish solid ties at work.
Faced with the connection of people remotely, they indicate that they would have preferred to have more opportunities to communicate with other people during the process of incorporating new personnel, either in person (54%) or virtually (38%), which which could occur in the hybrid model.
“Despite living in a world where social media and technology are always available, people feel more disconnected than ever. We have learned that the quantity of interactions does not equal the quality of a good relationship. Those who work at the same company are looking for more meaningful ways to connect in person or virtually, not more communication options or channels,” said Eimear Marrinan, HubSpot’s senior director of culture.
And he explained that following this path in his own organization, they have wanted to deepen relationships through hybrid events, such as “Bring Your Family to Work Day”, in which each person brings family members to work, or recreational spaces such as “Great Ice Cream Social”.
Although the director highlights the essentials in the connection are not the channels but significant ways of connecting, it is relevant to point out that in the technical aspect of the preferred communication tools at work, 46% of the people surveyed consider that the use of communication platforms Messaging, like Slack, and video calls, like Zoom, have increased your productivity. And precisely those who most agree with this opinion are those who are in remote mode (54%), and hybrid (58%), surpassing those who are in face-to-face mode (34%), who are the ones who have seen the least increase in productivity with these tools.
Another aspect of materiality to point out is the economic savings that the workers of the remote model manifested; 46% say that their biggest savings is in the gasoline they spend to get around, 42% say that in general terms the biggest savings is in transportation, and 35% of the collaborators said that their savings are reflected in clothing.
Taking this into account, the survey also inquired about what would be the reason for people to want to return to the office, and 70% of the Colombian sample indicated that they would do so if they received food and transportation benefits. But despite this, 39% of those who are in hybrid indicate that the main reason they go to the office some days is to achieve a balance between work and social life.
HubSpot’s executive director, Yamini Rangan, delivered the conclusions of the study and pointed out its relevance for companies that are in the phase of building their hybrid model. “We believe that the companies that will be successful in the future are the ones that focus on connection, not customer management. This means that more than information, context is needed. More than leads, relationships are needed. More than contacts, you need a community”.
Strategies to strengthen hybrid work
Gerardo Osio, director of Kyndryl, an IT solutions company, made recommendations aimed at business leaders to promote greater employee satisfaction with this model. The first is to improve digital work strategies, which involves looking at which technologies facilitate the functions.
The second is to create more personalized experiences for collaborators, “so that employees do not feel that their jobs are becoming more transactional in a hybrid environment.” And the last one, collaborate with leading partners that identify the needs.
Source: https://www.larepublica.co/