Conflicting Interests in the Hybrid Workplace: Five Perspectives to Consider

Abstract

One clear legacy from the COVID-19 pandemic is the widespread adoption of remote work and flexible work arrangements, especially in tech companies. However, the practicability of remote working has raised a significant debate. The preferences for remote work vary greatly even among the employees of the same company. Individual wishes for remote vs office work can be often found anywhere on the spectrum from fully remote work to fully onsite with the hybrid working options of a varying degree in the middle. The most obvious common denominator in this situation is full flexibility, i.e., letting people decide when they want to work where. However, such one-fits-all strategy does not really fit anybody. Instead, it gives rise to several inherent conflicts of interest. In this position paper, we summarize opinions and experiences about remote work in five fictional personas as collective images based on extensive research: quantitative data, research interviews, and informal discussions with both employees and managers in tech companies, including Spotify, Ericsson, Telenor, Tieto, SONY, and many others. We conclude that increased flexibility at work leads to the conflict of individual interests of increased personal flexibility, team interest of efficient teamwork and corporate interests of preserving efficiency, company culture, and retaining the talents.