Hybridityön tuottavuus ja hyvinvointi – katsaus tutkimuksiin

Productivity and well-being in hybrid work – a review of research

Hybrid work consists of two or more basic elements of work, their sub-elements and characteristics, which are flexibly assembled according to the organisation's purpose and the needs of the personnel. Typical hybrid ways of working include remote work, work from home, mobile and multi-location work, and virtual and digital algorithm-guided platform work. Research on hybrid work is built on a decades-long tradition of remote work.

Objectives of the study

Even before the 2020–22 pandemic, there was a debate about whether remote work is productive and productive and its effects on well-being. A study on "mandatory" teleworking, mostly from home, during the pandemic, produced more data and research results on these effects. After the pandemic, a debate also started on whether employees should return to the main workplace to ensure high-quality work performance and improve employee well-being through social relationships. This study aims to find out what empirical research says about the effects of different forms of hybrid work on performance, and productivity and well-being outcomes.

Methods

The research material used was empirical systematic review articles on traditional remote work and remote work done at home during the pandemic. Teleworking was used as an independent variable (e.g., intensity); the dependent variables were telework performance, productivity and well-being. The effects of background variables and moderating and mediating variables are not reported separately.

Main results

Preliminary results indicate that the quantity and quality of remote work are variously linked to performance, productivity, and well-being outcomes. Because data collection typically provides evaluative subjective data from employees and management and less so-called objective data, i.e. behavioural and financial performance information, the results are often shown as contradictory and ambiguous.

Conclusions

Studying the productivity and well-being effects of flexible hybrid ways of working is challenging due to their diversity. Yet empirical data has already accumulated. Using this information in planning, implementation, and continuous work development produces the desired effects for the organisation and employees.