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Key points
- Hybrid work has given us a lot of freedom, but it has also eliminated healthy boundaries.
- Being a great hybrid worker will require updating our pandemic approach to a long-term solution.
- We lost the natural breaks that come with a physical commute and in-person meetings, so we have to create new ones.
Although remote work skyrocketed due to the pandemic, partially and fully remote work arrangements remain way above 2019 levels. According to one report, 30 percent of all work in the United States is still being performed remotely. In particular, a hybrid work arrangement seems to be the most likely way forward. The advantages of hybrid work are plentiful: one Gallup study found that hybrid workers believe they have improved their work–life balance, are more efficient, and have increased productivity—all good news. However, there are also reports that hybrid workers experience more burnout and stress. So, which is it? Is working remotely good for you or a recipe for disaster? Can you be a rock star hybrid worker without burning out?
A great hybrid worker will understand the advantages—and not let them become burdens.
Bring back boundaries. Back in the old days of 2019 and before, most of us went into a physical space managed by our employer. Because we had to travel to and from work, there was a natural end to the workday. Equally important—all of our colleagues also left, as well as the executives who led our company. This signaled the end of the day for everyone. Although we had the technological capability to keep working after we arrived home, the commute itself disrupted the flow of work. We had a forced, geographically based boundary that made us stop working. Many of us might have checked work email from home at night or occasionally joined a late evening work call after dinner, but leaving the physical space of work greatly reduced our work-related activity.
Our current hybrid work style is not a permanent fix. Fast forward to 2020 and our abrupt shift to large-scale remote working. Because it was in reaction to the pandemic, there was no time to consider the relatively minor impact of working from home without any employer-based rules. We just didn’t have time to create new rules about when to meet, when to stop working, and what was the end of the workday. Without a geographical barrier between work and home, we could cook dinner at “the office.” We could wake up and work while still in our pajamas. And we did. But, three years later, it’s unhealthy and counterproductive to work that way. And as we have begun to prioritize work again, it’s particularly difficult to learn how to thrive as a hybrid worker. The old way to be a star performer might have been to stay a bit later or be the first one in the office. But the natural limitations of an office-based environment meant even the most diligent employee had to go home. Now we’ve lost all traditional boundaries.
The increase in control people feel over their work lives is fantastic. That’s not a small thing, especially in the United States, where employees average fewer paid holidays and fewer benefits than many similar economies (like the United Kingdom, where I live). But that control comes at a cost. There is no employer turning the lights off and forcing their team out the door. With hybrid work, it’s harder to sense when everyone has “left the office.” The seamless transition from office to home means there is no commute, no boundary. The time your brain rested and transitioned over the course of a commute made you mentally detach from prioritizing work. That forced geographical relocation created a boundary.
Meeting madness is the new normal. We didn’t lose boundaries just due to the commute. I have had multiple clients mention that their days are now back-to-back with meetings. And I mean literally jumping from one Zoom call to the next. Without the physical reality of moving from one conference room to another, or leaving your office to go to a colleague’s, the mini breaks of the day that allow our brains to reset are less available. Our brains often need to mentally wrap up what we just heard before we can begin to synthesize something else. And the 5 to 15 minutes that we might get up and walk to a new physical space helped us move literally and figuratively onto the next task. And true confession: I am guilty as well, allowing meetings onto my calendar that leave literally zero time to even make another cup of coffee before I plunge into another agenda. I personally know how hard it is to avoid this.
We can embrace the benefits of coming into the office. We focus more on the benefits (and burdens) of the remote aspect of hybrid work, but being a great hybrid worker requires appreciation of in-person time. Don’t just accept that being in the office part of the time is expected; embrace it. If you want to really thrive in a hybrid arrangement, learn to maximize the upside of being able to see your colleagues. Less-experienced workers should use this time as an opportunity for feedback—as career development is harder in remote settings.
Setting boundaries will help you become a great hybrid worker.
Don’t allow technology to define your workday. Zoom is tireless; it does not fatigue. You must reset boundaries, blocking off your calendar so you are unavailable for calls before and after certain hours. You must create a lunch block, and at least five (preferably 10) minutes between meetings (OK—almost every meeting). Bonus points: Encourage others to do the same. I recently received an email that ended with a new note beneath her signature line. “My work hours are X to Y. I am happy to reply the next workday if you send me an email outside those hours. I also understand you may be receiving my email outside of your work hours and I do not expect a reply until your normal hours resume.” Maybe we can all set boundaries together.
