Pre-pandemic the term ‘hybrid’ would probably only have been associated with vehicles, botany and animals. Now, post-covid, ‘hybrid’ has become a by-word in connection with the world of work. It simply means that people possess the flexibility to work from either home or office. In Sri Lanka, many private and even public sector institutions have facilitated this culture in a bid to cut costs and increase bottom lines.
While many still debate the efficiency of working from home, a factor that has allowed to mitigate the adverse effects of employees not visiting the office, has been the advent of co-working spaces. In Sri Lanka, shared work spaces have increased in popularity as they alleviate the costs of overheads and also enable employees to still meet, network, and produce good work.
The hybrid system fosters a greater level of autonomy over one’s work where employees get as much work as they can done at home, and then walk into the office to complete or revise their tasks and meet deadlines. If, in fact, managers keep tabs on their employees’ productivity and output, there is no reason why the hybrid system should not result in benefits for all.
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, the country has seen an increased need for furnished office spaces that support quick and easy working at minimum cost. Even large offices have been closed in favor of shared, smaller work spaces that give different employees the opportunity to come in at various times to complete projects and assignments.
Furthermore, the country has also witnessed an increase in start-ups in recent years, and these have found the current economic climate to be their biggest challenge. As such, it seems criminal to spend on office spaces when those finances can be better utilized on hiring the right people and purchasing the necessary raw material and equipment for the company’s growth. In fact, since co-working spaces also supply clients with the basic amenities, costs are further reduced by alleviating the need to purchase computers, telephones, fax machines, projectors, and the like.
Given this scenario, it’s really a no-brainer that the hybrid work system is here to stay. It is certainly more efficient for most, and makes work targets achievable, along with boosting employee satisfaction as they get more done in less time. Now, who wouldn’t want that?
