Employee benefits can be traced back to Caesar Augustus in 13 BCE, when pensions were awarded to retired soldiers to keep them from rebelling against the emperor. In today's job market, it's not rebellion that is feared, but a quiet exodus of talent and the inability to replace it.
Years from now, history books will write about a new kind of benefit that worked wonders for the professional world: the hybrid work model.
As seen throughout 2022, it is flexibility that modern employees want most when considering their prospects, and employers are seeing a great ROI from offering hybrid work options. In a recent survey of over 1,000 HR professionals, IWG, a workspace provider, reported that over 90% of respondents said they use hybrid working to recruit and retain talent.
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Unlike fully remote offerings, the hybrid model strikes what those in HR view as an ideal balance between flexibility and in-person office time. An overwhelming 97% of those surveyed believe there is a direct correlation between productivity,
"Today, hybrid employees enjoy the benefits of privacy for individual work and the benefits of in-person for collaborative tasks," says Mark Dixon, founder and CEO of IWG. "While hybrid work is a tactic for cutting costs, it is also a strategy for boosting productivity and retention. According to IWG research, more than 70% of people say that hybrid work has had a positive impact on wellbeing — a critical metric, particularly in a competitive labor market."
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As the adoption of the hybrid work model becomes more widespread, it has become the center of a larger business strategy that puts employee wellness first — something that has become a top priority for more workers following the onset of the pandemic. Of those surveyed, 88% of HR executives believe they would reduce staff
"Hybrid working has been shown to offer mental health benefits, particularly with the greater flexibility it brings," says Dixon. "Employees have greater control over their work schedules and countless studies have shown they are able to enjoy an improved work-life balance with the ability to spend more time with friends and family, as well as on sports and hobbies."
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Unlike some benefits that only apply to certain employees, the positives of a hybrid schedule can be seen throughout a workforce. Employers have seen an increase in productivity combined with lower office expenses, and workers have enjoyed a reclaiming of their time as commutes are cut down and fewer workplace distractions exist. When it comes to employee retention, the survey found, hybrid work helps address the top three factors contributing to turnover: childcare (55%), work-life balance (47%) and
While some organizations and employees have run into challenges with hybrid work arrangements — such as unchecked working hours, fear of proximity bias, and complicated schedules for workers with caregiving responsibilities — Dixon believes the model still provides the most universal flexibility for industries that can support a hybrid option.
"Never has it been more important," Dixon says, "to support employee wellbeing. Progressive companies are taking this responsibility seriously with a range of measures and benefits, and this is an area that IWG is very focused on. Our partners can build on the wellbeing benefits hybrid work naturally offers, and from a business perspective, investing in such (plans) appears to be a no-brainer."
