The data shows an overwhelming consensus in favor of adopting a new work model

Thanks almost entirely to the Covid-19 pandemic, the typical 9-to-5, on-site work model has been nearly obliterated, but this is no crisis. Unprecedented times offer employers a unique opportunity to get creative with the traditional work model for the first time in decades.

A resounding 74 percent of U.S. companies are already utilizing, or plan to adapt a permanent hybrid work model in the imminent future. Yes, there will be some employers who are unable to adapt to the shifting landscape, like grocery stores, restaurants and other service-industry organizations that require essential employees to be present to cater to on-site consumers. However, there are many organizations, including some leading New Hampshire providers, who are seizing the opportunity to provide the optimal employee experience.

Pioneering companies, the forward-thinkers and leaders of instrumental change, are adapting to new workplace models and finding that their employees are happier and thus more productive overall.

Google, a tech tycoon frequently seen as a corporate leader on workplace policies, has officially adopted a hybrid work model, allowing employees to work from home two days a week. Their stance that bringing employees together for productive collaboration, client and vendor meetings, and other essential in-person tasks, not just for facetime, is crucial in returning to office locations. By bringing employees back to offices part time, they also hope to combat the three biggest challenges associated with the work-from-home model: unplugging after work, loneliness and collaboration/communication struggles.

Employees, often reluctant to return to offices for health and safety concerns, are also concerned about losing precious productivity to slogging commutes and trivial interactions with colleagues. By telecommuting, the average American worker can save up to 8.5 hours a week, using that time instead for more continual and focused work, or even personal recreation time, like a 30-minute workout that had previously been out of the question.

A 2021 study of over 2,000 full-time remote workers by Owl Labs reports that 90 percent of remote workers claimed they were as productive, if not more so, working from a home office. In fact, working remotely either part- or full-time is something many workers, including 69 percent of millennials, would sacrifice additional benefits for, including company-matched retirement contributions or larger raises. Additionally, 74 percent said working from home was better for their mental health, and a staggering 74 percent said that having remote opportunities would make them less likely to resign.

If you’re an employer looking to adopt a hybrid work model, check out these three “must-do’s” from leadership expert Debbie Lovich, managing director and senior partner at Boston Consulting Group:

• Trust your people: When Covid-19 arrived, employers were forced to trust their employees to get the job done, often picking up the slack of non-essential colleagues who had been laid off. Why stop trusting them now, after they’ve already proven themselves more than capable? Lovich says, “A trusting culture will not only attract, retain and motivate your people, it will also save you a lot of time enforcing rules.”

• Be data-driven: If the numbers support increased productivity for employees, and profits are reflecting that, why mess with success? Ask your teams for measurable feedback like, “How is your work-life balance? Are you producing value? What challenges do you encounter daily,” and then test what works best for your organization. Whatever your modifications, always be driven by quantifiable data to support workforce changes.

• Think beyond the schedule: Work has been the same for decades — we hit the factory floor back in the Industrial Revolution, and we never stopped returning to on-site employment, even when it’s become clear that some roles could operate better with a different work model. “We could stop contorting our lives around work, but we could actually reshape work to better fit our lives,” writes Lovich.

Finally, one survey found that 97 percent of employees want to continue working remotely at least part of the time for the remainder of their careers. From productivity and profits to the physical and mental well-being of employees, all are in favor of companies acknowledging the possibility that the traditional on-site work model is, in many cases, outdated. It’s time to do something new and follow the lead of thriving, innovative New Hampshire companies.

Sara DeLaVergne is content specialist at Bedfordbased BANKW, parent company of the staffing and recruiting firms KBW, Alexander Technology Group, The Nagler Group, Sales Search Partners and KNF&T Staffing Resources.