With the Great Resignation continuing, hybrid work culture has emerged as a significant employee benefit to attract potential candidates. However, it also results in numerous hybrid work challenges for HR. According to one survey, about 80% of Americans prefer a hybrid work culture over a full-time job, making it further difficult for HR employees to manage a workforce.

Let’s see how hybrid work challenges for HR can impact their role:

Reduces Employee Visibility

Many HR professionals’ responsibilities include observing the employees and identifying their strengths and weaknesses. It is no secret that this task is only possible when employees are in the office. For employees working from home or in hybrid work culture, the face-to-face time they receive with HR, administration, and bosses is dramatically reduced. Even daily video-call check-ins and staying online on work groups all day don’t make up for personal interaction. Hence, hybrid work culture significantly reduces employee visibility.

 

Reduced employee visibility makes it difficult for HR professionals to identify the employees most deserving of receiving training and promotions. As a result, they may not be able to recommend the right people to their employers from within the team for newer challenges and projects.

Difficulty Building Employee Relations

Hybrid work culture negatively impacts the relationship between HR professionals and other employees. Employees working from home or not present at work try their best to stay in touch with their teammates and bosses. Hence, staying in touch with HR professionals may not prioritise them. Hence, they may face difficulty communicating their needs to HR professionals when needed. HR persons may also find it difficult to maintain a positive and motivating environment for these employees when they are not present at work.

 

Moreover, due to reduced visibility, employees may feel that their hard work and effort often go unnoticed or unappreciated. This can result in lower increments than they deserve, making them wary of HR professionals.

Impacts on Inclusion and Diversity

More often than not, the employees needing the flexibility of working from home or hybrid work culture are those who do not have the privilege of easily leaving home and coming in to work. They may include single parents, those with greater domestic responsibilities, who live farther away, who cannot commute for too long, those with physical challenges, or those who need to save time and money. Often, these individuals may be a minority and in greater need of social support.

 

However, the hybrid work challenges for HR may make organizations not offer this benefit in the long term. Even if companies offer flexibility, reduced employee visibility results in lowered promotions and career opportunities for individuals. Hence, it can impact diversity and inclusion in the workplace in the long run.

 

However, hybrid challenges for HR can be overcome through a systematic approach to employee performance and identifying their strengths. HR professionals must develop techniques to cope with the need for popular employee benefits and utilize them to find the company’s best resources.