As we know, the future of work is hybrid, as more and more employees seek this type of benefits associated with emotional salary, especially the younger generations, who consider this aspect prior to accepting a job offer above, even, the economic compensation.
Likewise, once the companies have identified that it is possible to work under hybrid team management schemes, it became clear that the positive and not so much aspects of this new way of working have a direct relationship with the quality of life of the collaborators. ; For example, we know that a hybrid work model helps to reduce travel times and the possibility of organizing a day in a more productive way, but there is still the complexity of separating personal life from work when you are at home office.
It is not possible to talk about hybrid work models and well-being without analyzing the relationship it has with work stress factors, this being one of the great problems that companies and workers have been dealing with for a long time, in addition to its increase worldwide it is alarming; In Mexico alone, 75% of working people suffer from stress, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).
To understand it better, let us first take into account that the challenges that work schemes bring are changing; At the beginning, when they moved to a 100% virtual working life, a significant effort was made to adapt to the home office, which took several months, either because they did not have the work tools or because they did not have the soft skills that were needed. required to perform or lead people totally remotely.
Now the new challenges that the hybrid model brings are evident, since it is not at all easy to manage activities in person and remotely at the same time, especially when working autonomously and in an accelerated way for a long time. I’m sure you agree with me that there are definitely days where you would think that working life in the hybrid format is complex in terms of leadership; Without a doubt, it will also take time to find a balance that allows us to avoid accumulating stress as a result of the working hours we currently have.
Human Resources leaders recognize that this phenomenon contributes to employee fatigue; According to a Gartner study, 40% of employees who work in hybrid or remote jobs have reported an increase in the length of their workday in the last 12 months and more than 90% of HR directors recognize that this puts employees at risk of burnout.
Undoubtedly, hybrid work models provide great benefits to companies and the workforce if they are implemented correctly, so it is essential that leaders develop and apply strategies that prevent employee stress, in the face of factors such as work overload. virtual meetings, due to the need to always be connected; the days of face-to-face work where, in some way, the operational management that is maintained when working from home office and the lack of limits around communication are slowed down.
It is important to allocate blocks of time for individual work or a corporate policy that establishes that meetings cannot be held without a prior agenda with the topics to be discussed, since generating calendars full of consecutive meetings makes it difficult to take active breaks or take a meal time.