A qualitative study on the future of hybrid workplace across industries

Abstract

The last few years have been a roller coaster ride for individuals, organizations, and nations alike. The year 2020 was mostly about adjusting to the new working conditions and simply surviving the pandemic. The year 2021 involved adapting to the new working order, experimenting with more efficient working methods, and constantly evaluating every step of the process. The pandemic led to a seismic shift in how employees work. The lines have completely blurred between the professional and personal lives of employees. As part of our primary research, we conducted interviews with industry professionals with significant work experience who have worked both in the office and remotely across the Consult, Finance, and IT sectors. We lay emphasis on the job, task, and social characteristics that influence productivity at the workplace. We discussed the demographic and psychographic factors inhibiting and conducive to the mode of working. The essential attributes essential for success were examined with respect to every sector. We then floated a detailed survey to the target population who satisfied the criteria of our sample space. Some of the key themes that emerged from our study is that the workplace (offline) experience cannot be replaced. It can only be enriched. Working online leads to a decrease in connection with the organization and inadequate interaction with colleagues. Thus, reducing the overall camaraderie of the team as people stick to only time-bound work-related talks. The overall lead time in problem-solving and query resolution is also higher in online communication channels. As an outcome of this research outlined critical factors that organizations should consider while designing the hybrid work mode to attain maximum productivity.