Hybrid working… like the Hybrid car, a stop-gap not a permanent solution

It’s been an interesting time here in the Tonik office as we adapt to our new ways of working. As you may be aware, during the pandemic we moved the office from our beloved Bermondsey to London’s creative hub in Clerkenwell. This was a strategic decision enabling us to be closer to our suppliers.

Now we’re back in the office and championing the “hybrid approach” I thought it would be a good time to let you know how this is going for us.

It’s fair to say that the staggered nature of the pandemic has left an indelible mark on small creative businesses like ours. Creatives are, I would argue more adaptable and nimble than most (due to the prevalence of freelance culture in the sector) but with that adaptability comes a sensitivity (some would say fickleness) which can be challenging to manage.

Like most as a small business our attitude and approach to tackling the challenges of the Covid era fluctuated as time passed. Initially we embraced the “on screen” nature of Covid lockdown 1, convincing ourselves that first we could survive, and then we actually preferred the “new way of working” as being more efficient and enjoyable. Why would anyone want to go back to the old days?

As time has passed post Lockdown it has become apparent that we as humans need connectivity with others, we missed the interaction of the studio on a regular basis, the busier we were the less efficient working remotely became. We spoke less and the more junior members of the team missed the hour to hour mentoring from seniors.

So we have now u-turned back into a traditional studio (from the co-working hybrid) and in an effort to ‘treat people like adults’ enabled our design team to develop their own ‘hybrid’ working solution. The only new rule is that all are required to be in on a Wednesday. 

The true hybrid solution therefore or total flexible working solution therefore becomes much more difficult to manage than either the more traditional dictatorial ‘work from the office’ model or the new ‘work from home’ option for one simple reason. It relies on the decision-making and communication skills of different people all of whom have different priorities in their lives outside the business.

Additionally we have all tasted the positives of flexible working, less travel, more personal time etc. we enjoy this aspect of working from home but are struggling to juggle working priorities.

My conclusion therefore is that for the sake of the business… The new way of working will disappear as fast as it appeared. Business management will set the new rules, which will not be hybrid but will be one or the other.

We’d love to hear about your experiences adapting to these changing times.