tl;dr : There’s no difference in performance between in-work versus home/hybrid models
For my academically-inclined peeps, an interesting randomised study into office-versus-hybrid performance.
The quick version is that, when we create purposeful interventions, there’s no difference in performance between in-office, at-home or a combination of the two, based on performance reviews.
There are two challenges to consider though:
- Do we make purposeful changes for remote, hybrid and at-home working, or are we lifting-and-shifting what we do in-office?
- There are implications for promotion and secondment opportunties (not covered in this study) for individuals whom are full-remote or hybrid versus office-based
It all comes down to creating a purposeful culture.
What are you trying to achieve and how do you create an environment that nurtures those supporting behaviours?
From Minervra Psychology:
Does Working from Home Damage Productivity?
Believing it does is fueling many return-to-office mandates.Wouldn’t it be good if someone had run a randomized controlled trial to check this out…?
Well, they have.
A recent 6 month RCT explored the effects of hybrid working on 1,612 employees in a Chinese travel tech company*. Employees were randomly allocated so they either worked from home on two days and come into the office on three days (hybrid), or were onsite for all five days.
The results suggest:
- The hybrid group were as productive as their office-only colleagues (as measured by performance reviews)
- The number of workers who were promoted in each group was not significantly different in the two years following the study
- The hybrid group reported greater job satisfaction, work–life balance, and higher life satisfaction (especially women and those with long commutes)
- The hybrid group resigned at a significantly lower rate (33% lower) than the fully onsite group**
Takeaway: Hybrid working from home (3-2 model) appears to improve retention without damaging performance.
Of course, this may not apply to all jobs and may not suit all people. And there may be cultural and other effects at play. However, the debate about hybrid working is mired in opinion and power politics, and very little fact. Here are some facts.
