The coronavirus pandemic has radically changed our working world. Many companies are now pushing their employees back into the office – often with the argument of productivity. But is this the right approach? The scientific evidence suggests otherwise. What we need now are tailored concepts for the optimal working environment for each organization.
The productivity myth
The claim that home office is fundamentally detrimental to productivity has long been scientifically refuted. Recent meta-analyses, which consider over 40,000 employees (Gajendran et al., 2024; Hall et al., 2024), show clear positive effects of hybrid working on productivity, employee satisfaction and employee retention – when it is designed correctly. The key question is not “home office yes or no?” but “How do we organize our work to achieve maximum value creation?”
What science says
Research shows clear advantages of hybrid working. The optimal arrangement is 2-3 days of home office per week. Within this framework, measurable positive effects can be demonstrated: employee satisfaction increases due to the flexibility gained. Productivity benefits from focused work phases at home and simultaneous personal interaction in the office. Employee loyalty is strengthened because companies are perceived as modern, trust-based employers. The work-life balance improves due to the elimination of commuting times and more flexible work arrangements.
Rethink leadership
The hybrid world of work places new demands on managers. Instead of monitoring attendance, other qualities are now in demand: clear goal definition, results-oriented leadership and the ability to create trust and cohesion virtually. Especially in international or cross-location teams, virtual leadership has long been a reality – and a core competence of successful managers.
New leadership skills
Leadership in hybrid teams requires new skills. Results-oriented leadership means setting clear goals and measuring success by results rather than attendance. Virtual communication skills include both technical competence and the ability to create digital presence and proximity. Trust-based team leadership relies on autonomy and personal responsibility instead of control. Hybrid meeting moderation must integrate virtual and present participants equally. Confident use of digital collaboration tools is not only technically important, but also methodically.
NEW LEADERSHIP SKILLS
- Results-oriented leadership
- Virtual communication skills
- Trust-based team leadership
- Hybrid meeting facilitation
- Digital collaboration tools
“Our Best Work Environment” – A systematic approach
The path to an optimal work environment is a transformation project. Unlike many change initiatives, however, it must be thought of in terms of productivity: What do we need to achieve our goals in the best possible way? An “Our Best Work Environment” project follows a clear process:
- Analysis of the initial situation
- Precisely define the mission and goals of the unit
- Analyze core processes and interfaces
- Develop measurable productivity criteria
- Designing the work organization
- Develop a leadership and communication concept
- Optimize meeting and presence structure
- Establish virtual collaboration formats
- Integrating individual needs
- Gather personal work preferences
- Consider team dynamics
- Enable work-life balance
- Test phase and evaluation
- Define clear success criteria
- Obtain continuous feedback
- Systematically measure productivity factors
Success factors for hybrid working
A customized concept takes into account the specific requirements of each organizational unit. This includes a precise definition of productivity: what are the measurable outputs and success criteria? The measurement of success must be transparent and comprehensible. Regular evaluation should not only look at the hard figures, but also at soft factors such as team spirit and employee satisfaction. Flexible adaptation means continuously developing the model and adjusting it to changing conditions.
SUCCESS FACTORS FOR HYBRID WORKING
- Customized concept for each unit
- Clear definition of productivity
- Transparent measurement of success
- Regular evaluation
- Flexible adaptation
Finding the right balance
The optimal mix of on-site and remote work is different for every organization. Internationally operating teams need different solutions than local units. Customer-facing areas need different solutions than internal service providers. The following are crucial:
- Type of tasks and processes
- Team structure and size
- Geographic distribution
- Customer requirements
- Individual preferences
Successful organizations develop their own model based on clear productivity goals and taking into account all stakeholders.
We do for our customers what we did for ourselves
Five years ago, the pandemic forced us at Breitenstein to develop completely new ways of working in our consulting projects. We realized that in order to be productive, we still need a shared place where we can meet regularly and work and exchange ideas together – 2-3 days a week. And each of us also needs a home office to save travel time, to work on projects in a self-organized and focused way, and to optimally integrate our private lives with our work. Because we always have client appointments and workshops that require travel for several days.
In our office, we need optimal conditions: an office that is centrally located (in the heart of Munich), where everyone feels comfortable, with top equipment for virtual training and meetings and space for workshops and customer visits. And a nice kitchen. We (the employees) have set up this office ourselves according to our own taste so that we and our customers enjoy coming there. We found our optimal setup after a few rounds of improvement, just like we design the consulting process for our customers. And every company is different and needs something different.
Hybrid is the future!
The future of work will be hybrid – not as a compromise, but as a deliberately designed, productivity-optimized form of work. The path to get there requires systematic analysis, clear concepts and continuous evaluation. But it’s worth the effort: for employees, managers and the company’s success.
