Disadvantages of hybrid working: Uncovering the dark side

Hybrid work is the new buzzword. It seems to be a working model that you can't go wrong with. Instead of working 9 to 5 in an office, sitting in traffic every morning and afternoon, and wearing gray pants and shirts, you can simply work from home in your sweatpants three or four days a week while keeping an eye on your dog.

What's not to love? The advantages are obvious.

But after the initial boom during the pandemic years, some are beginning to realize that hybrid working also has certain disadvantages. What are these, and do they outweigh the benefits that hybrid working brings to our lives?

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What are the disadvantages of hybrid working?

The Gallup study shows that most employees prefer the hybrid work model despite all its disadvantages. Nevertheless, the studies show that there are numerous challenges of hybrid work that companies will have to face sooner or later. The nature of the challenges of hybrid working depends primarily on the size of the company, as well as its industry and culture, but some difficulties are more common than others:

• Inequality among workers.
• A high level of stress.
  
• Limited access to company resources.
• No awareness of the corporate culture.
  

Below we will look at each of these issues in more detail.

Disadvantage No. 1 of hybrid work: Inequality between workers

A study by the University of Konstanz on home office and mobile working found that the average German employee would prefer to work from home three days a week and only two days in the traditional office. The same study shows that workers are longing for a hybrid workplace policy because their employers do not recognize the challenges of hybrid work and the inequalities between workers.

In other words: While certain teams can easily work spread across Germany, others are forced to stay in the office five days a week due to the nature of their work. Current contracts and company policies do not distinguish between different needs, objectives, and working methods, leading to tensions and even hostilities between certain groups of workers.‍

Disadvantage No. 2 of hybrid working: Increased stress levels

The Gallup study from September 2023 concludes that hybrid workers are less likely to experience workplace burnout. However, the overall stress rates remain the same! How is this possible?

Given that face-to-face communication is reduced to a minimum and there are no clear guidelines or expectations, employees spend more time than ever thinking about the impression they will make. Should I be online all the time? What happens if I don't reply to an email after 5 p.m.? Did my boss tell everyone I have a day off? Did you read my message?

With the flexibility of the workplace comes flexibility in working hours and communication, which is not suitable for everyone.

Disadvantage No. 3 of hybrid working: Less access to resources

The McKinsey Global Institute made a bold claim in its research: If you are a hybrid worker in a large company, you probably have all the resources you need. If not, you will probably have to spend more time in the office than colleagues who work for larger companies.

The disadvantages of hybrid working include the importance of various tools and platforms that can help employees complete tasks, communicate, and share files. As more people work remotely, there is a greater need for tools like Flexopus, our exclusive desk sharing software that helps manage flexible workspaces, meeting rooms, and parking.

Disadvantage No. 4 of hybrid working: No corporate culture

The Harvard Business Review conducted a survey of 1,100 participants, which revealed that the "out of sight, out of mind" mentality appears to be one of the biggest drawbacks of the hybrid work model. When colleagues are far away, toxicity in the workplace flourishes.

Here are some of the most interesting results of the survey:

• Hybrid workers are more likely to feel excluded from conversations.
  
• Almost 50% of remote workers believe that their colleagues in the office talk badly about them behind their back.
  
• More than 60% of remote workers believe that their colleagues in the office can make changes to their projects without consulting them.
  
• More than 40% of them believe that there is secret lobbying among employees who are in the office more often.
  

These are some of the challenges of hybrid work that are not recognized by many employers and that can lead to bigger problems if left unaddressed.

The paradox for women: Less recognition and development

There is one particular group of workers who feel the disadvantages of the hybrid work model more than others – women. The Gallup study on hybrid work and women has shown that this model is more challenging for many of them than for men. Below we explain what this study found:

• In 2019, only 40% of men believed their managers saw them as a person, compared to 51% of women. With hybrid work, the values drop rapidly.
• Before the pandemic, 33% of all employers were open to allowing women to work from home if necessary. The same percentage of employers were not open to this idea.
• Women believe that their opportunities to learn and develop are limited by hybrid work models.
• Women are less likely to return to the office due to socioeconomic factors, which further limits their opportunities.
  

What should theoretically lead to a perfect work-life balance has proven to be a massive factor in promotions and the perception of women as employees. The disadvantages of hybrid work are more pronounced for women than for men. Nevertheless, there is hope. All studies show that companies with a proactive approach can thrive by adopting the hybrid work model. Basically, with a little investment and effort, you can still achieve maximum results and make this model work for you.

Flexopus - the simple Office management tool for your path to hybrid working

With the award-winning office management platform Flexopus , implementing hybrid working is child's play. Use the Desk sharing tool, which has been awarded the German Design Award, to counteract the downsides of hybrid working.

In just three clicks, you can conveniently book a workstation, a meeting room, or a parking space and simplify the organization of your hybrid work concept for all employees equally.