Working conditions and sustainable work
Hybrid work in Europe: Concept and practice
Published:
25 May 2023
Research report
Abstract
The term ‘hybrid work’ was popularised with the upsurge of telework during the COVID-19 pandemic, when companies and employees started to discuss ways of organising work after the crisis. The term has been increasingly used to refer to situations in which (teleworkable) work is carried out from two sites: at the usual place of work (normally the employer’s premises) and from home (as experienced during the pandemic) or other locations. However, the concept of hybrid work is still fuzzy and various meanings are attributed to it. This report aims to bring clarity to this concept by exploring the available information from two main sources: recent literature and contributions provided by the Network of Eurofound Correspondents from across the European Union. It summarises the main debates around hybrid work in the Member States and shows how hybrid work has been implemented in practice across Europe. The main hindrances, challenges, benefits and opportunities of hybrid work are also discussed.
Key findings
The lively debate around hybrid work has been primarily concerned with the regulation/legislation around hybrid work, notably the optimal number of telework days per week and types of company-wide policies required to ensure that the benefits of both telework and office work are achieved, indicating that existing regulations and legislation – including those on telework – are not adequate.
Hybrid working is expected to continue to grow. It will be critical for policymakers and social partners to reach agreement on the conditions under which hybrid work should ideally be performed, including on aspects relating to health and safety, work–life balance, working time, provision of work equipment, reimbursement of costs (equipment, energy), commuting, and the leadership and management skills required to put it into practice.
Examples of the practical implementation of hybrid work models confirm that there are multiple ways to address the interaction of the physical, temporal, social and virtual elements of this type of work. The feasibility and success of different arrangements depend on legislation, organisational and team-level objectives, task descriptions, and individual needs and preferences.
The report contains the following lists of tables and figures.
List of tables
- Table 1: Examples of hybrid work definitions from company and business journals and other reports
- Table 2: Examples of typical hybrid work definitions drawn from the country reports and number of basic elements, sub-elements and features mentioned
- Table 3: Examples of similar concepts drawn from the country reports and the number of basic elements, sub-elements and features mentioned
- Table 4: Examples of definitions of concepts related to hybrid work drawn from the country reports
- Table 5: Debate actors and topics in the correspondents’ reports
- Table 6: Critical factors in implementing hybrid work: summary of themes and elements
- Table 7: Expected hindrances, challenges, benefits and opportunities of hybrid work at the individual, team, organisational and societal levels
List of figures
- Figure 1: Effects of location on work-related challenges
- Figure 2: Work arrangements in terms of place and time
- Figure 3: A mobile multilocational worker’s working day
- Figure 4: The basic elements, sub-elements and features of hybrid work
- Number of pages
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48
- Reference nº
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EF22011
- ISBN
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978-92-897-2326-8
- Catalogue nº
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TJ-03-23-158-EN-N
- DOI
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10.2806/26474
- Permalink
Cite this publication
Eurofound (2023), Hybrid work in Europe: Concept and practice, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg.