Nothing is what it was. The commercial areas are more populated, the traffic was once again indomitable in the center of Buenos Aires and the means of transport reflect a greater occupation. But attendance at companies did not return to pre-pandemic levels. The crack is installed in the heart of organizations and is resolved in a debate on the scope of the hybrid era in the corporate world. How do they manage the return -or not- to the workplace required by hierarchical positions? There is no definitive answer yet. “What is most observed is the ‘hybrid work’, which consists of combining a number of days remotely with face-to-face. This concept is not uniform and has multiple variants; but without a doubt it is the form that is being installed the most”, he points out. Sebastian Steizel, teacher of the Business School of the University of San Andrés.
Bernard Hidalgopresident of Hidalgo Group, reinforces this trend: “in the world, it is increasingly common to work in a hybrid way. The context of the labor market is decisive. In places where there is full employment, the choice of collaborator is more active. In Argentina, there is full employment for certain profiles and, in these cases, the employee’s negotiation is strengthened”. For its part, Gabriel PereiraCEO of the consultancy beta mode, does not doubt that “hybrid work has been installed”, but clarifies that it is “despite the fact that many CEOs intend to return to face-to-face work by force as if the pandemic had not existed”. “It is not about going back to the office like before, but about discovering and building together this new world that emerged from the pandemic,” he says.
Disparity. A study by Ernst & Young“EY 2022 Work reimagined survey”, indicates a great disparity of views: while 64% of employees think they increased their productivity, only 41% of leaders think the same. For Pereyra, “it is difficult to generalize, since it is something that depends a lot not only on the skills of the collaborator, but also on their housing conditions and family environment in which they work.” Steizel considers that, in general terms, “studies could be said to show that people who carry out the home-office modality feel more productive and more satisfied with their jobs”. The University of San Andrés carried out research with Microsoft during 2020 and 2021. In 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, close to 60% of people reported that they considered themselves more productive at work. “However, the biggest complaints from people were due to the excessive number of hours worked and the disconnection with their organizations and colleagues,” says Steizel.
For Erica ZamoraVice President of People of Quilmes Brewery and Malt Shop for Argentina and Uruguay, “we are convinced that new ways of working that we are unaware of or that we are not used to will surely come, but we are certain that we are a 131-year-old company, with a great capacity for adaptation where people are always in the center of decisions and in constant communication with it we can continue to evolve”. If there is consensus in the surveys, it is about the incidence of travel time to the workplace, which directly affects the willingness to return to face-to-face attendance. A survey carried out by the consulting firm Leesman indicates that 35% of those who live 15 minutes from the office have no problem attending five days a week, while those who are an hour away from their work, that desire drops to only 4%.
what’s coming. “The trend in the world could be an evolutionary hybrid mode. Likewise, virtuality will be maintained in those companies whose functions allow it”, he points out Nicholas Stajnsznajder, Consulting CEO COSYS. It is that the pandemic accelerated a process that had already begun. “Accompanied by better technology, effective leaders and good internal organization, it will deepen. The home office, in its different modalities, is here to stay”, highlights Julius BressoCEO of B.RESSO C&M and professor of Austral University. And expand; “improves productivity, not only of the company, since the employee saves a lot of time due to the transfer and can achieve a higher and better quality of life”.
Another fact: “the new generations have already taken it as an acquired right, while other professionals prefer face-to-face”, he points out Cecilia YellowDirector of Human Resources of McCann Buenos Aires. Between companies and collaborators, seven out of ten employees prefer to keep work at home instead of going to the office and companies agree with that. But she sets her sights on something key: “the fundamental thing is to know how to mark the limit of the professional and the personal during working hours”. The debate on the new hybrid era is just beginning.
Marcelo Alfano
by Marcelo Alfano
