Five things to know about hybrid work
Senior Advisor and Professor Emeritus Matti Vartiainen explains how hybrid work has changed life here and elsewhere - and what we can expect from the future
New book on flexible hybrid work
Despite hybrid work becoming increasingly relevant since the COVID-19 pandemic, exactly what the phenomenon entails remains a burgeoning field of research. Matti Vartiainen explores this shift in working culture and what it means for staff wellbeing and performance, as well as how remote work policies can be implemented effectively.
Hybrid work (HW) is a flexible, timewise combination of physical, virtual, and social elements for working anywhere (WFA). It is based on the flexibility paradigm. In addition to multiple physical locations and workplaces, time autonomy and digital technologies are used flexibly in HW based on agreeing employees' and organisations' timely and context-based needs. As the working context, the configuration of these basic elements sets demands and interacts with an individual’s mind or mental space. The sustainable use of these elements as job demands requires their development as physical, virtual, social, and personal resources compatible with demands. The human mind utilises the mental space consisting of cognitive and affective sub-elements. HW benefits from the flexible use of workplaces and rearrangements in communication and social relations, including digital collaboration platforms. The quality of outcomes is shown as the states of well-being and performance. The book describes the elements of hybrid work as the designable bases of flexible organising. HW is based on remote work and telework tradition and experiences gained in the work-from-home (WFH) during the pandemic.
The book shows hybrid work's demands, potential resources, and human, social, and performance outcomes based on empirical studies. In addition to designable features, critical factors impacting the implementation and adaptation of HW are also shown. Superiors, as well as employees, need to update their competencies. Finally, the future of hybrid work is sketched.
Matti Vartiainen is a Senior Advisor and Professor Emeritus of Work and Organizational Psychology at the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at Aalto University. His new book on flexible hybrid work has just been published.
Reviews
''In the ever-evolving landscape of work and an era marked by rapid technological advancements and changing workplace dynamics, this study addresses a critical aspect of contemporary work structures for flexible hybrid work. Matti Vartainen navigates through the challenges and advantages of hybrid work, their contextual demands and enabling resources, offering practical models that can guide organizations in optimizing their work ecosystem. The adaptable nature of the hybrid work model requires thoughtful consideration, and this research contributes significantly to the ongoing dialogue surrounding the future of work.'' – Renate Fruchter, Stanford University, US
"This book delves into the important and timely topic of hybrid work arrangements. Beyond discussing what these arrangements are and their importance to organizational success, this book delves into practices that can hinder and enhance these work arrangements as well as provides concrete recommendations on how these arrangements should be structured and concludes with discussion of how hybrid work arrangements are likely to adapt in the future." - Travis Maynard, Colorado State University, US
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