Maybe a couple of years ago, you hadn’t heard of the hybrid working culture. But now, the hybrid work model is an important tool for many organisations as compared to the traditional model that the companies have been following for so long. Because of the pandemic, the organisations have started to offer their employees the flexibility to work remotely. It is difficult to adapt to any change and the WFH model was also difficult as some people complained of extra working hours.
What exactly is the hybrid working model?
The hybrid work model means that employees get to split their workdays between office space and their homes. This means that employees can work from home on certain days and from the office on the rest of the days. In hybrid work models usually team meetings can be held in person as two days can be dedicated to work from the office and people can catch up on all important deadlines and then continue working from home for the rest of the week. The hybrid work model makes it easier for employees to maintain the Covid protocols also.
Employees want hybrid work model mainly because of the following reasons:
Better work life balance:
Flexibility to work increases an employee’s productivity and the energy they bring to their work. People get more time with their families, can attend to personal things, and run errands that have been pending for so long.
Safety
Majority of the people working in the corporate industry say that they are worried about their health. Especially if offices return to the traditional model, they feel they are exposed to health hazards. With a hybrid work model, one department can work on Mondays and another on Tuesdays and so on. With less people working, the chances of falling sick also reduces.
Resources Saved
The time is eliminated when one works from home. A long commute irritates an employee and they arrive at the workplace all exhausted. The office maintenance cost is also saved.
The PR industry also seems to have adapted with the new normal quite nicely. Even though it has its own challenges. For example, brainstorming sessions work great face to face as you get the entire team together and work out of the box ideas. Sure, meetings work on calls as well but it takes some time getting used to it. The PR industry needs to pitch to different clients and that has also shifted to online modes. Maybe that makes no difference- as pitching to clients basically means explaining to them what you can do to make their brand better. You can do that on a call as well. The new normal has been challenging but the best PR agencies are doing their best to adapt to it. Running social media has been a treat as there are a lot of content ideas available and team members have been more creative.
The PR industry has contributed a lot to the success of certain brands during the pandemic. The ideas how to stay in the news, how to generate positive stories and how to sell services in spite of the lockdown has also been a game changer. PR has also faced challenges as many brands stopped using the services because of lack of funds and it wasn’t really their fault. Without business going well, it was becoming difficult to continue with PR services. Now the hybrid work culture has set foot in the PR industry as well and the transition has been smooth. The WFH model also worked quite well for the PR industry.
