In this blog series, you’ll read more about hybrid working and our expert analysis of how to approach this new way of working where flexibility is commonplace for many businesses. The insights from this blog series come from our latest Hybrid Working whitepaper, in which you can find more in-depth information and useful advice regarding hybrid working. You can download it for free on our website.
In this second blog, you’ll learn more about some of the disadvantages of hybrid working.
The disadvantages of hybrid working
#1: Working from home doesn’t suit everyone
Working from home might not be suited to everyone’s personality or ability. Some employees might prefer the routine and structure that working in an office environment provides them. Some employees may prefer personal interaction with colleagues and also find face-to-face guidance with their manager extremely beneficial in helping them complete tasks and achieve their goals. You also need to be mindful of employees with a disability.
Working from home may have a negative impact on the support they need to do their job. Working from home may also not fit in with everyone’s home-life e.g. some people may have young children that may be unaware of boundaries and cause interruptions during the working day. Others may not have the physical space required to create a suitable dedicated working area.
#2: Difficulty monitoring performance
There could be difficulty managing home workers and monitoring their performance. Different personalities may also respond to monitoring with varying degrees of positivity. You could look at setting goals and targets with employees that are easily measured so that if their targets aren’t being met you can identify and remedy any performance issues at an early stage.
#3: Potential burnout
Where an office provides a clear physical distinction between work and home life, working at home can lead to employees forgetting to differentiate between work-life and home-life. This may lead to employees finding it difficult to know when to switch off from work leading to longer hours, increased stress and inevitable burnout. You should be encouraging your employees to take regular breaks and remind them of the importance to take their annual leave. A recent CIPD Health & Wellbeing survey found that 60% of respondents have worked outside of their contracted hours to get the work done.
#4: Cost of working from home
Although you are not legally obliged to cover all costs associated with home working, it would be reasonable to cover costs of equipment such as laptops, mobile phones and other IT equipment required to do the role. You will also have to consider adaptations to meet health and safety standards.
#5: Information security risk
Information security problems could be more likely to occur when employees are working from home. There is an increased risk with laptops being taken home and the need for employees to access servers remotely. You should ensure that you put measures in place to protect your company data by installing encryption software and remote-wipe apps if mobile devices provided by you go missing. Virtual private networks also encrypt your data and provide secure access to a remote computer over the internet. This helps keep your files and data secure yet accessible to your employees.
Learn more about hybrid working
These are not all disadvantages of hybrid working. Download our free whitepaper to discover what other disadvantages hybrid working has. In the upcoming blogs of this series, you’ll learn more about the following:
- Which considerations to take;
- How to change a contractual form;
- Hybrid working policy;
- How to manage hybrid working;
- Legal risks.
Do you want to read our full Hybrid Working whitepaper? You can download it for free!
Get in contact with an expert
Do you want to know how to approach hybrid working and achieve your business goals and dreams? Xeinadin Group is always happy to help you. Get in touch!
