After the devastating economic effects of the COVID-19 virus, the economy of the Philippines, like most of its neighboring countries, has finally started to thrive. This economic rebirth includes the business process outsourcing industry, which has had  global IT growth.  The crisis has forced an increased reliance on technology to communicate and collaborate online effectively.

In March of 2022, the Fiscal and Incentives Review Board (FIRB) denied the request of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) to extend the work-from-home arrangement. However, with the resurgence of Covid 19 strains and at the cost of temporarily losing tax incentives, most businesses delayed the return to the office. 

In addition, under the Telecommuting Act (Republic Act 11165) of the Philippines, the State protects workers’ rights and promotes their welfare, especially in light of technological development. This has led to telecommuting and other flexible work arrangements. This means working from any alternative workplace with the use of telecommunications and/or computer technologies.

With government agencies requesting the return to the office of business process outsourcing companies and the Telecommuting Act in place, it leaves BPO companies in the country a middle ground: hybrid work.

What Is Hybrid Work?

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You may have already heard the statement “The future of work is hybrid.” But what does hybrid working really mean?

A company that follows a hybrid work model is a workplace that gives employees the option to work both on-site and remotely. Employees can choose where they want to work on days that they are not required to report on-site. A 2021 McKinsey survey with over 100 C-level respondents established that nine out of ten organizations will be combining remote with on-site working.

This type of work arrangement gave employees security and peace of mind amidst the ongoing pandemic. It also gave them the freedom to organize their time and spend resources as they saw fit. Additionally, the hybrid work arrangement allowed an easier transition for companies returning back to the office, especially with government-mandated pandemic safety protocols in place.

How to Make Hybrid Work Actually Work for Your Business?

Most businesses are still used to traditional ways of working, such as face-to-face meetings and strict supervision of employees’ productivity on a daily basis. With this kind of mindset, hybrid work might seem counterproductive. So how do you start making the shift?

Change the Way You Think About Productivity

 

In the age of hybrid work, productivity shouldn’t be measured by time spent in the office. Instead, you should focus on your team’s mindset. You should also build trust by allowing your employees to define the most productive working habits and schedules for them. Encourage productivity by establishing short-term goals within a specified time frame.

A 2020 study made by the global staffing firm Robert Half found that 45% of remote professionals reported putting in more than 8 hours of work a day. In addition, 68% of them reported working during weekends as well. Given the right support and guidance, employees will go above and beyond without managers supervising their every move.

 

Analyze Your Data

Reviewing quantifiable information is key. So when planning for hybrid work, use data to make informed decisions. For instance, understand your stakeholders’ vision, analyze your staff’s needs, and discover the best action plan for your team. Taking a data-backed approach to your hybrid work planning will help you plan sustainable solutions that will make hybrid working easy and effective.

Connect with Your Employees

More than just looking at the data, it is also important to take the time to talk to your employees about the ongoing changes. This will help you understand what works best for them and which tools are essential to sustain or improve their performance. Also, consider setting clear expectations for both employees and management.

You can achieve this by holding interviews with your staff. Have in-depth discussions with both management and employees. You can alsor host focus group discussions to get a better understanding of their pain points, their roadblocks and their needs. This will make the transition to hybrid work seamless and effective.

 

Bring Your Connections to the Cloud

With the hybrid work model, you’ll only see your colleagues in person a few times a week or maybe not even for months. This working model can get lonely at times. It may also keep some employees out of the loop when it comes to updated practices or important conversations. 

To avoid miscommunication, you can equip your employees with the tools and tactics they need to effectively interact with each other. But while tools and tactics are important, it’s also imperative that management listen to their employees attentively. Regularly check on the state and needs of your employees, understand what they need now, and forecast their future needs. Keeping your employees motivated and at ease during this transition will make or break the success of hybrid work for your business.

Find Which Hybrid Work Model Works Best for Your Company

The pandemic has taught us that work isn’t a place and it can be wherever employees perform at their best. With this in mind, hybrid work arrangements offer different models. You can further explore the model that works best for you according to your needs and goals. 

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The most common hybrid work types are as follows:

Remote

Employees are allowed to work remotely at any place and time with few exceptions. Companies that make use of a remote-first model look very similar to fully-remote companies. The only distinctive difference is that remote-first companies have physical offices available for their employees to work from.

Office 

Some companies have employees who come to work on-site based on a schedule. For example they work remotely from Monday to Wednesday and report to the office on Thursdays and Fridays.  These businesses generally have stronger remote work regulations compared to remote-first companies.

The Office 

This hybrid model uses the office as the preferred and primary place for working with options for remote work commonly implemented among the leadership team.

These are only the most common hybrid work models. Explore the potential of the hybrid work arrangement and feel free to modify it to what works best for your business and your employees.

Custom-fit solutions for your business

There is no perfect plan to get hybrid work to work for you. Each company will have its own perfect recipe built on months of trial, testing, and revisions. But with a better understanding of the hybrid work model, you can equip your business with the benefits of both remote and in-office work arrangements.

We invite you to follow us on social media and to visit our website to learn more about our services.

About Us: Sourcefit is a widely recognized US-managed business process outsourcing company based in Manila, Philippines. We proudly serve over 100 clients with a workforce of more than 1,300 employees. Our global centers can serve multiple markets, and our staff is highly proficient in English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Whether you need a few or many employees, we can help you achieve your business goals and build high-quality offshore teams.

Latest Awards

Sourcefit’s commitment to excellence has been recognized through numerous industry awards and certifications.

We recently received the Fortress Cyber Security Award from the Business Intelligence Group. Sourcefit was also honored with the prestigious recognition of Best Outsourcing Solutions Provider in the Philippines during the 2023 Business Excellence Awards.

Other awards include: FT ranking of 500 high-growth Asia-Pacific, The Marketing Excellence Awards, Inquirer Growth Champion,  HR Asia Awards, among others.

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