How to Identify the Right Postpandemic Work Model: The How-To of Hybrid Work | Boston Consulting Group

Employers continue to strategize on how to preserve the benefits of remote and hybrid models while mitigating the risks. This article provides a three-factor approach that helps company leaders select the post-pandemic work model that best meets employee and firm needs while maintaining productivity. They include: 1) Understand the nature of the work being done. Firms can assess remote readiness by first understanding which activities are relatively more independent or more collaborative, more complex, or routinized. 2) Orient at the team level. Leaders should assess how work gets done at the team level versus the individual level, given that the nature of work varies more at the team level. 3) Be responsive to individual preferences. Once determining the best-fit model for a team, leaders can accommodate differing employee needs and preferences. Aside from the work models, the authors offer five enablers for firms to consider as they support implementation, ranging from tools and technology, skill development and training, to metrics to track impact. The practices provide a helpful framework as firms begin the next phase in the future of work.