{"id":50623,"date":"2021-11-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/the-pros-and-cons-of-the-hybrid-workforce\/"},"modified":"2022-05-04T14:43:19","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T14:43:19","slug":"the-pros-and-cons-of-the-hybrid-workforce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.techopedia.com\/the-pros-and-cons-of-the-hybrid-workforce\/2\/34583","title":{"rendered":"The Pros And Cons of The Hybrid Workforce"},"content":{"rendered":"

The past several months have proven how resilient and adaptable to change most people are. When public health events forced employees out of the workplace and caused businesses to slow or halt their operations, human innovations made for a reasonably smooth transition, given the situation\u2019s gravity.<\/p>\n

Since remote work is expected to last for two years<\/a> now, the idea of hybrid offices and workforces is becoming more commonplace. They are set up to accommodate in-house and remote employees, and some companies may adopt this concept permanently.<\/p>\n

There are pros and cons to this trend. Let\u2019s discuss some of each.<\/p>\n

The Pros of Hybrid Work<\/span><\/h2>\n

Making a workplace friendly to both in-office and telecommuting employees requires a mixture of cultural adaptation and investments in technologies. Here\u2019s how a hybrid work setup might provide some advantages. (Read also: Post-Pandemic Life in the Tech World Looks Pretty Good<\/a>.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Improves the Economies of Rural Towns and Small Cities<\/h3>\n

One of the most widely beneficial ways remote work has impacted communities is through the influx of new bodies and revenue streams to rural areas and small cities and towns.<\/p>\n

This boost to the fortunes of smaller, less-developed, and typically inland regions may come at the expense of larger, better-developed metro areas. However, the fact remains: Areas in need of economic development have been finding it amid the pivot to hybrid and remote work.<\/p>\n

2. Easy to Implement Thanks to Modern Tech and Apps<\/h3>\n

The relative ease of transitioning to a remote or hybrid working environment is another of its chief benefits. Anybody with a personal computer, like a desktop, laptop or even tablet in some cases, can telecommute part time or full time.<\/p>\n

Additionally, modern time-tracking and productivity apps tend to be multiplatform and cloud-based, meaning anybody can use them for work purposes no matter where in the world they happen to be. Other high-stakes workflows, like exchanging signatures on contracts and invoices, have also gotten a digital overhaul<\/a> in recent months and years, meaning most work can now happen remotely.<\/p>\n

3. Allows for Family-Oriented Flexibility<\/h3>\n

Survey after survey confirms that the modern worker would spend more time with their family if they could. One research project polled people from eight countries and concluded that <\/a>71% of employees say work interferes<\/a> with their personal lives.<\/p>\n

Some countries and even school districts in the U.S.<\/a> are experimenting with shorter weeks. For the time being, remote and hybrid work environments have provided a glimpse into a world where family life doesn\u2019t have to come at the expense of professional obligations. Even one or two days working from home per week can go a long way for gainfully employed mothers and fathers whose families thrive when they\u2019re near. (Read also: How the Pandemic is Affecting Women in Tech<\/a>.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

4. Allows Employers to Access Larger Talent Pools<\/h3>\n

Millennials catch flak for it<\/a>, but they\u2019re often likely to jump from job to job if making a change suits their lifestyle or circumstances. The tendency of the modern employee to be less anchored to one position or company, the impact of the recent and ongoing global pandemic, and the \u201cgreat resignation<\/a>\u201d combined means lots of companies across industries have jobs open.<\/p>\n

Shifting to remote and hybrid offices and workplaces means companies, whether or not they\u2019re hard-pressed for qualified candidates in their local area, have access to a larger talent pool. When talented individuals can work from any place on earth, companies can cast an extremely wide net when they need people with specific or hard-to-find skill sets.<\/p>\n

The Cons of Hybrid Work<\/span><\/h2>\n

Hybrid work isn\u2019t all upside, of course. It\u2019s important to remember that not every workplace is the same, and not every productivity solution, modern or not, will be a perfect fit. Here are some of the potential downsides of a hybrid working environment.<\/p>\n

1. Pulls Work Away From Inner-City Hubs<\/h3>\n

There has been a pronounced migration of skilled laborers from larger and coastal cities to smaller, more rural and inland regions that often have a lower cost of living. This shift is so pronounced that some of the major cities left behind by these professionals are now struggling economically<\/a> and to fill available positions.<\/p>\n

Smaller and less-developed communities benefit from remote work, but the long-term impact on industrial centers isn\u2019t yet adequately understood.<\/p>\n

2. Poses Concerns for Cybersecurity<\/h3>\n

Before hybrid work became a mainstream workplace trend, there was BYOD, or \u201cbring your own device.\u201d In both cases, it\u2019s often up to the employee to:<\/p>\n