UNIQA Polska

Working in a hybrid model has become a standard that companies implement with more or less effort. The word “effort” is desirable in this context, as not every organization is ready for that new reality. The starting point is to build an organizational culture based on trust and cooperation as a guarantee of maintaining – and perhaps enhancing – productivity.

There are many studies available on the market referring to the declared effectiveness of working from home, from the office and in the hybrid model. However, which of them is optimal for your organization does not result from market analyzes or declarations of the employees from different companies, but from the organizational culture that you have been creating in your organization.

Research based on the first experiences of employees seems to be very interesting. They indicate the advantages and disadvantages of working from home, giving an interesting insight for designing the optimal model in your organization. According to the Gallup study conducted in June 2022, employees among the advantages of working from home indicate improved work-life balance (71%), more efficient use of time (67%), freedom to choose when and where I work (62%). In the same study they see disadvantages like less access to work resources and equipment (35%), less connected to the organization's culture (32%), and decreased team collaboration (30%).

How to act if HYBRID wins

So how to create the best place to hybrid work? How to create the environment where productivity goes hand in hand with employees’ loyalty and productivity? Probably there is no one universal answer, but based on experience of UNIQA Poland we may conclude with some tips.

First, ask for people opinion about their preferences and needs. It is for them that we create a friendly and comfortable workplace. This is why their opinion is crucial to change the reality together. Today, if the hybrid becomes the working model, we have no doubts that the office is changing its purpose, becoming primarily a place of interaction between people. You must be ready to change it if needed supporting individual interactions.

“Today, if the hybrid becomes the working model, we have no doubts that the office is changing its purpose, becoming primarily a place of interaction between people.”

Secondly, conduct workshops during which you will work out the principles of individual and team work. Defining rules to improve work helps both employees and the employer to function at different dimensions of work organization. We implemented very simple rules that were chosen by voting of the eployees, for example we arrange a meeting that lasts 25 or 50 minutes instead of 30 and 60 minutes, and we also make sure that we are visible on the webcam. Of course, you may not be able to respond to all needs at once, but change is a process that takes time. That is why it it’s crucial to regularly ask about opinions and needs, as these also can evolve over time.

Thirdly, ensure proper empowerment for managers. At UNIQA Poland, we believe in “Licence to Act” concept. We perceive the role of managers as leaders, who support, motivate and inspire their people, but also take responsibility for the team and the results. It is a model based on trust, partnership and individualization of relationships. This is why the managers decide, with full respect to the equal treatment of our employees, how the work is organized in their units.

Last but not least, honest communication is the key. No one can predict the future and the direction of evolution of the working methods. Therefore, it is important to remain in open and honest communication – if the conditions in which we operate today change, e.g. we start to notice a decrease in work efficiency, we have the opportunity of making adjustments to the work model at every stage. What we are agreeing on today is a mutual contract and its terms must be understood and transparent.

Empower your people

Contradictory conclusions from research on the benefits and disadvantages of hybrid work mean that we do not know whether the change in the way we perform tasks – resulting from the experience of the pandemic – will stay with us permanently. We know, however, that it raises challenges – the already mentioned efficiency of tasks and building and maintaining employee loyalty to the employer. The right organizational culture seems to be the best answer.

We believe that by transparent communication, listening to our people, providing them right work tools and space to develop their unique skills, we are able to create a place where everyone feels good and works as one team. “One team” is became a kind of our motto. We do believe that the sense of community is fundamental to an effective model of hybrid work.