Microsoft Argentina presented The future of work (hybrid): a model that is consolidated in Argentine companies, a study with unpublished data whose objective is to explore the development and impact of the various hybrid work modalities in companies operating in Argentina and, at the same time, the perception by their employers and employees. It was carried out by the Human Resources masters of the University of San Andrés.
“One of the fundamental characteristics of the hybrid model is that there is no established, one-size-fits-all format. It is the property of each organization and work team to find the best possible way. For this reason, hybrid work is here to stay, “he says. Silvina Uviz D’Agostino, Director of Human Resources at Microsoft Argentina. “The results of the study show us that productivity and creativity are multiplied with empowered collaborators, choosing from where to work. In this sense, hybrid work is inevitable and we must build a culture for it ”.
In this sense, hybrid work is not an evolution of remote work, but a momentous moment that raises new questions: what should be done remotely? How to bring people back to the office safely? How do you get everyone moving if people work from home, in the office, out of the office, and in so many other places? For that, Microsoft presents three approaches to move forward on hybrid scenarios: people, places and processes and transform the culture of any organization.
Among the most positive traits are: higher team productivity (60%) and increased well-being and personal balance (81%).
“We are clearly facing a new normal. For a group of workers who have already experienced hybrid work, the traditional five-day 100% face-to-face work schedule in offices is already perceived as obsolete. People feel empowered and prefer to self-manage presence. This is going to mean a great challenge for organizations since a marked preference for this type of work is being generated, which translates into an almost absolute preference for choosing organizations that offer this modality ”, he remarked Sebastián Steizel, Professor of Organizational Behavior at the San Andrés University Business School.
The main conclusions drawn from the research show that hybrid work is perceived as a substantial improvement in team productivity and people’s well-being. This is why hybrid work works: in all the variables surveyed, the positive impacts are greater than the negative ones, both for the organization and for employees. Also, on an individual level, people expect to be able to choose the days on which they will attend the office.
The future is already today: 94% of the people surveyed would prioritize those organizations that allow working in a hybrid way, in particular people between 18 and 34 years old (94%) and people with jobs in the technology sector (96%) .
In Argentina, Banco Galicia, the largest private bank in the country, has been advancing digital transformation processes for many years with Microsoft. In this sense, and observing his experience on hybrid work, Rodolfo Zimmermann, consultancy manager and agility COE of the entity, explains that “in Galicia we agree to work on the return with a purpose that implies in a culture of trust that the teams agree on the meaning of each meeting in order to always improve the customer experience and of the collaborator ”.
For its part, López Hnos., an Argentine SME founded in Resistencia more than 30 years ago, dedicated to the two-wheel market, such as motorcycles and bicycles, with its own brands such as Volta and Topmega and Forte motorcycle spare parts also advanced in hybrid modalities. They live this experience as an opportunity to grow and develop, it allows them to expand the number of employees in different parts of the country. “It is an opportunity to add to our organization professionals with training and experiences from different parts of the country and to continue operating without distance being a barrier. In addition, we can reinvent the way of doing things in an integrated way, without giving up the values and mission of the company despite not being all in person “, he highlights Patricia Foschiatti, Human Resources Manager at López Hnos.
Complete study: The future of work (hybrid): a model that is consolidated in Argentine companies
1. Radiography of hybrid work in Argentina: how do you live according to region, industry and sector ?:
· The first study that reveals data on this modality makes it clear that the policy on the number of days of work in the office is heterogeneous. According to the study, 91% of the people surveyed visit the office 1 to 3 times a week. In turn, the vast majority can choose the days they work in person: 45% do so and 32% can choose partially.
Figure 1. Days of face-to-face work per week (on average) | Possibility of choosing days.
· In the interior of the country and in the public sector there is a greater prevalence of more days of face-to-face work, while in the technology sector less. This shows that the technology industry, due to its digital acceleration and organizational culture, is a pioneer in this type of practice. However, the hybrid is becoming transversal to any type of industry and sector.
Figure 2. Days of face-to-face work per week (on average) | Distribution according to territory, sector and type of company
· Regarding the decision of the days to attend, it is divided by thirds between: they are the same people who decide which day to go, it is an agreement between parties and it is a managerial decision. In turn, the research shows that people prefer to choose the days themselves, rather than having someone else decide for them.
Figure 3. Who decides the days to attend vs. Preference about who decides.
2. Appreciation of hybrid work: a model that is here to stay:
· According to the study, 77% of the people surveyed prefer to work in a hybrid way. This sets the tone that, just as the levels of digital acceleration of the last two years will not go back, hybrid work is a work phenomenon that is here to stay. Only 3% opted for the totally face-to-face work.
Figure 4. Preference to hybrid work.
· As a complement, 87% of the people surveyed highlighted that they like hybrid work very much and quite a lot.
Figure 5. Taste for hybrid work.
3. Impact of hybrid work on teams and people: appreciations and tastes:
· In terms of equipment, the most positive impact of hybrid work is observed in its productivity (60% declared to be more productive), while the most negative has to do with informal communication (32%). In this sense, Microsoft Teams plays a fundamental role as a collaborative center to improve the work and projects of organizations, whether they work from the same office or at home. But, also, to be able to establish more informal and daily connections between collaborators.
Figure 6. Impact of hybrid work on teams.
· In individual terms, hybrid work is also received positively by each collaborator. The main impact in favor is linked to personal well-being (81%), with people living with children being the ones who highlighted the greatest well-being (86%). While the most negative is related to the loss of recognition of the bosses (20%).
Figure 7. Impact of hybrid work on people.
4. Concerns:
· 64% of the people surveyed are concerned about the application of fixed contact days, which decreases as the age of the people increases. Likewise, 61% fear missing important spontaneous conversations and 51% fear feeling disconnected from the team. This feeling is known as FOMO syndrome (fear of missing out).
Figure 8. Concerns.
5. Hybrid work as a priority for organizations:
· Finally, in the face of what is to come, hybrid work is here to stay. 94% of people who work in a hybrid way agree that they would prioritize organizations
that allow working in this way to choose where to work.
Figure 9. Future.
“When we have meetings with people who are in physical space, there is another type of communication level. We have the challenge of being more inclusive with those who are in hybrid work, there the challenge is greater “, emphasized the director of Human Resources of Microsoft Argentina.
Collaborative technologies
Given this scenario, some of the solutions that enable hybrid work have to do with Teams and Office platforms, designed to meet the different needs and work styles of employees, no matter where they are:
· Companion mode in Teams mobile, so attendees in the room can quickly access engagement features such as chats, real-time reactions, and Microsoft Whiteboard.
· New features in Outlook They provide information on when and where your colleagues are working and how they will join meetings. For example, with the Working Hours function, they will be able to include information about their working hours directly on their calendar, while the RSVP function provides the possibility to confirm whether they will attend the meeting in person or online, so that the organizers are better prepared for the appointment.
· New desktop sharing experience on Microsoft Teams devices that enables people to locate and reserve flexible workspaces in the office.
· Cameo, a new PowerPoint experience that integrates Teams camera streaming into the presentation, so the presenter can choose how and where to appear on the slides.
· Microsoft Live is the new employee experience cloud, enabling organizations, even those with widely dispersed workforces, to focus on their mission and culture and create a holistic employee experience. In addition, it is possible to use the data in Workplace Analytics, part of Viva Insights, to provide managers and directors with anonymous information on the well-being of the team and the organization, helping to identify issues such as meeting overload and weekend work.
– .
