Welcome to the bold new ways of the hybrid workplace.

Earlier this year, both Google and Apple announced a planned return to the office for their employees – with one marked difference. Both global giants will be implementing hybrid working, which combines the best of remote and in-office practices.

According to Professor Nicholas Bloom, of Stanford University’s Institute for Economic Policy Research, hybrid working arrangements balance the benefits of being at the office in person, with greater ability to collaborate, innovate, and build culture, with the benefits of quiet and the lack of commuting that come from working from home.

His research suggests a split of two days a week working at home, focusing on individual tasks or small meetings, and three days a week in the office, for larger meetings, training, and social events.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) also highlights hybrid working as a way to transform organisations and better prepare for the future of work.

In its 2020 White Paper, “Resetting the Future of Work Agenda”, the WEF says that hybrid working can allow companies to expand their talent base beyond traditional sources, geographically as well as demographically.

A South African study, authored by Walter Matli and published in the International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, provides further insight into the experience of workers who had transitioned from the workplace to remote work.

Although there was an initial enjoyment in the novelty of remote work, says the study, the boundary between work and personal life became blurred, employees worked longer hours, there were too many distractions, and workplace relationships suffered.

While these experiences are shared with employees globally, Matli points out two specific disadvantages of remote working for South Africans: Internet connectivity issues in underserviced areas, and electricity outages.

Given some of these outcomes and constraints, it might seem obvious that back-to-the-office is best. But traffic and soaring petrol increases are a painful reality, and the new workforce has grown used to a greater degree of flexibility in their working arrangements.

Which is why a hybrid solution like the one Google and Apple are suggesting seems the best way forward.

Whether South African companies will get onboard with this remains to be seen, but a study by Microsoft’s Work Reworked points to a meeting of minds between employees and employers.

According to their findings, 88 per cent of leaders at large enterprises in South Africa expect to adopt a more hybrid way of working, while employees would like to spend close to half of their time outside of the traditional office setting.