The Practice of an Hybrid Work Style and Working from Home in Hong Kong

In this post-pandemic era, commuting to work is harder because of ever-changing restrictions and precautions. COVID-19 now shapes how we live each day. Companies around the world have adopted working from home to help slow the spread of the virus.

The world has been affected for longer than anyone expected. People have slowly settled into this lifestyle. Many now feel more comfortable, and more efficient, doing business from a home office. In Hong Kong, employees have been asked to work from home safely and keep their discipline at home.

Working from home has proven to be more relaxing, and it does not hurt an employee's output. More companies plan to keep the practice after the pandemic. But this lifestyle needs balance. It needs clear rules in place before you begin.

Remote work was not common in the past, especially in Hong Kong. It was reserved for rare medical or personal cases.

Employers doubted it. With no manager watching, they could not tell how productive a home worker really was. Then technology kept improving, and the pandemic made working from home a government requirement. Companies saw they might no longer need a brick and mortar office. Giving employees the choice of where to work became a real possibility.

Hong Kong took a different approach to the epidemic from its peers. The city and its government brought in strict measures. These included public gathering bans, school closures and work-from-home arrangements for civil servants. The government also asked the private sector to make similar arrangements. This happened despite low case numbers, because Hong Kong prefers prevention over cure.

A recent study by Lingnan University of Hong Kong found that over 80% of Hong Kong workers prefer to work from home at least 1 day a week, and preferably more, out of their 5 working days once the pandemic is over1. With the pandemic still uncertain, remote work away from the office is starting to look like the new norm.

Ten years ago, most employers would have rejected the idea of working from home. That came from a lack of understanding, a lack of statistics and a prejudice against the practice. To see how it affects individual performance, the World Bank ran an international survey2. The results showed that remote workers were about the same, and sometimes more efficient and productive, than in a traditional office. The stats broke down like this:

• Employees at home worked 1.5 days (15 hours) more than an average office employee per month. That works out to around 18 days more per year
• Employees working at home take more breaks, but they perform better and work extra hours to compensate
• Office employees tend to be unproductive for an average of 36 minutes a day, lunch breaks excluded. Employees working from home are unproductive for only 26 minutes
• 23% of office-based employees said they were distracted by their bosses, supervisors or colleagues. Only 5% of employees said the same thing when working at home

The biggest benefit of a hybrid work-from-home setup is the flexibility it gives your staff. That leads to higher productivity, better performance and happier people. Let employees set their own timetables and choose how they do their work. But make clear that accountability matters.

These statistics may be biased in favour of working from home, since they came from employees rather than employers. They do not show the full picture of a company's performance. Working from home is not ideal for every employee or business. But there is a middle way: hybrid working with hot desks or flexible coworking memberships, or downsizing to a flexible serviced office with team rotations. That can suit both SMEs and MNCs.

Employees have had a taste of working from their beds and sofas. Workplace culture will never be the same after the pandemic. But it is not all doom and gloom. Major banks and international conglomerates have realised they can cut massive costs: office rent, cleaning contractors, management fees and maintenance. Many have opted for serviced offices with smaller, more flexible contract terms. A few have even decided to have no office at all!

Want to know more about serviced offices and what the hype is about? Let us guide you. Have a look at the coworking spaces and serviced offices available in Hong Kong.