Understanding and Addressing the Challenges of Hybrid Work: Key Challenges and Opportunities for Organizations

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we work, as hybrid work has become the new norm. This transition has raised questions about how organizations can effectively support hybrid work models in order to ensure employee well-being, productivity, and sustainable work practices. Understanding and addressing these challenges is becoming crucial for designing inclusive, adaptable, and responsive work environments.

Hybrid work can help employees balance their professional and private lives and focus on tasks that require concentration and quiet, while at the same time highlighting the need for social interaction. Managers and HR professionals therefore need to develop strategies to support employees, encourage collaboration, and maintain organizational culture.

The author of the article, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Andrej Kohont from the Centre for Organizational and Human Resources Research at the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Social Sciences, conducted structured interviews with 75 employees and managers in Slovenia working in hybrid environments. The study was based on the Job Demands-Resources model and focused on the scope and effects of hybrid work, work quality—particularly maintaining work-life balance and employee well-being—organizational support mechanisms for hybrid work, and key organizational challenges associated with hybrid work.

Key findings of the study:

• Hybrid work is well formally regulated and supported within organizations, which enables clear expectations and structure.
• The initiative for hybrid work most often comes from employees, indicating their desire for greater flexibility and autonomy.
• Successful implementation of hybrid work is based on a high level of trust between employees and employers.
• Managers play a key role in coordinating hybrid work, fostering collaboration, and maintaining team cohesion.
• Despite the advantages of hybrid work, there remains a need for regular in-person collaboration, which strengthens team dynamics and organizational culture and helps overcome feelings of isolation.

Based on these findings, organizations can develop strategies that support employee well-being and preferences, encourage new forms of collaboration, and contribute to a more sustainable and inclusive work culture. With its focus on creating a supportive, flexible, and inclusive work environment, the study directly contributes to Sustainable Development Goal 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, by promoting work practices grounded in human dignity, flexibility, and economic resilience.

More about the study: Organisational Support of Sustainable Hybrid Work: Between Homely Workspace and the Need for Live Cooperation.