The new hybrid era, is now!

With the presidential elections approaching, our article would almost sound like a political slogan... We could also take inspiration from another well-known expression and shout loudly “Hybrid work for all is now!” » :)

It is clear that our French companies have indeed entered a new era: that of the totally hybrid work organization.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2020 French companies (and around the world) had no other choice but to have their employees work remotely – when their activities permitted it – because health restrictions prevented them from working as usual. While hybrid work was not yet a majority organizational model within French companies; this sudden change - which imposed itself on everyone globally - demonstrated their ability to be able to put themselves in working order to be productive and efficient, even by having their colleagues work remotely.

But what about two years after the first confinement on March 17, 2020? Is the organization of flexible work continuing and establishing itself definitively in the French landscape?

More than a fad, a lasting trend

Today, more than 4 out of 5 large companies have adopted a hybrid organization. We can still wonder if this model will continue; because several risk and warning factors concerning the well-being of managers in particular have been highlighted for several months by unions and organizations defending employees.

Indeed, according to a study carried out by OpinionWay for Slack*, 79% of large French companies offer flexible arrangements, knowing that before the pandemic, teleworking was adopted between two and three days per week.

With the pandemic, the French have seen their professional lives transformed, and this has made it possible to meet their expectations of their workplace. So, 43% of employees no longer consider their company a good place to work (according to the study The regenerating office, JILL, 2021).

This trend has become the norm and it seems impossible for companies to go back or risk seeing their employees leave the nest, as Gabriel Frasconi explains in the OpinionWay study.

"Hybrid work is no longer a passing trend, but a true transformation that is reshaping the way we work for good," noting that "62% of respondents believe the traditional 9-to-5 office day is no longer relevant."

The hybrid organization is therefore a model that tends to persist. Companies anticipate and offer flexible solutions for the proper functioning internally between teams: agreement on work, teleworking charter, organizational management tool such as BeeMyFlex, etc.

The advantages of this new hybrid model

In the Forbes media, Swann Le Moigne describes the benefits of the new hybrid model for companies and employees, through the article « Towards a New Work Environment in 2022 » :

For employees, hybrid work is a real opportunity: it gives everyone the choice to organize their professional life as they wish. Goodbye to 5-day weeks and 8-hour days! Furthermore, this new operating mode makes it possible to better appreciate sharing spacesby giving new meaning to physical presence in the office.

If working from home allows you to progress in complete autonomy, “in-office” reunions could become an excellent opportunity to build strong relationships and gain new skills

On the business side, hybrid work represents a real opportunity to remodel workspaces or even switch regularly to boost the motivation and creativity of employees.

On the other hand, working hybrid would make it possible to attract new talents – because there are no longer geographical constraints – and to increase diversity within teams.

Ultimately, hybridity should provide each stakeholder with the best of both worlds. »

What to do for effective hybrid work?

For the sustainability of the hybrid model to go smoothly, it is important to think about a complete restructuring of the organization.

Because this new model has many consequences concerning:

• Management ;

• Occupational health ;

• Workspace reorganization ;

•Document digitization.

So many crucial points that should not be overlooked but examined carefully to meet everyone's expectations and needs.

Digital, an aspect not to be underestimated

From smartphones to team management apps and meeting room booking systems, digital tools are everywhere. As a result, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all these new systems meant to simplify organizational management.

More progressive HR policies

When we talk about transformation, we think of the Human Resources department which is one of the fundamental pillars for the proper functioning of the company. According to a study published by Owl Labs, 91% of French business leaders want to explore more advanced HR policies regarding teleworking after the pandemic. Right to disconnect, number of basic hours allowing a certain working flexibility, allowances... many subjects to study to facilitate the well-being and productivity of employees.

The risks of flexible mode

The study “The fragmented office. Where are we going to work tomorrow? » carried out by the Jean Jaurès Foundation highlights three risks that apply to this type of organization:

• A dilution of collective meaning, favored with remote work;

• A fracture in the managerial relationship where the manager addresses each employee individually out of convenience, rather than speaking to the whole team;

• The transition from an organizational culture to a service logic for employees who risk becoming internal freelancers with remote working.

To mitigate these risks, it is essential that managers and employees can be part of the collective dynamic of the company. So, with forge a common culture, develop shared practices and skills are possibilities to avoid the explosion of the individualization of work.

And this is also one of the objectives of our application! BeeMyFlex allows your employees to organize their work rhythm so that they can be reunited and find time to share, which strengthens collective cohesion.

In conclusion, flexible work organization is no longer a simple “trend”, but is clearly establishing itself as the French work model..

If companies do not strive to follow the movement launched since the pandemic, they will face significant turnover and a recruitment problem. The “great resignation” phenomenon has been underway since 2021; searching for candidates has never been more challenging for organizations.

More recently, the raw materials crisis—driven by the war in Ukraine—has added to this dynamic. With fuel prices soaring, many people now share the desire to avoid daily commutes and seek a more peaceful lifestyle. Following the lifting of health restrictions in February, remote work has once again gained strong support from the majority of employees since March.

Libération quoted this to us a few days ago: « The pandemic popularized remote work; the energy crisis could make it permanent.»

In this period, prompted by the presidential election race, at BeeMyFlex we would like to repeat it to you… hybrid work is now good! :)

And it is because we are observing this phenomenon growing in France that our teams have been working since 2020 to offer you the best features of our application and to allow you to manage the organization of flexible work within your company, all by controlling psychosocial risk factors… and this whereveryouare* !

*where you are