Hybrid Work Explained
Hybrid work is a compromise between remote and office-based work. And there are several variations. Some versions require employees to regularly report to the office. Others versions allocate a quota of days every year. Employees can choose when to work remotely.
The role of the office also varies. Some versions allocate cubicles to which employees report. Other versions only use offices for collaboration.
The Great Experiment
Companies and employees around the world are experimenting with hybrid work. According to Microsoft, up to 38% of employees are now working in this set up. This may be due to the myriad benefits of this arrangement. First, employees spend less time commuting. This results in less stress and more productivity. Second, employees get to spend more time at home.
Grace Poe Pushes Hybrid Work in the Senate
Senator Grace Poe recently pushed to encourage this new mode of work. She delivered a privilege speech entitled "Thinking Outside the Cubicle". Poe likened it to a "an old friend knocking on our doors again". The Senator cited Jack Nilles' 1976 book, "The Telecommunications-Transportation Tradeoff".
Poe cited several studies on the benefits of remote work. According to her, employees spent 188 hours stuck in rush hour traffic. They also spent 56,000 pesos for transportation. In contrast, employees who worked from home saved 340,000 pesos. They also saved twenty hours of time every week. Finally, Senator Poe noted that around 53% of jobs in the country could be partially done remotely.
Push Back Against Backward Regulations
Poe noted that we should push back on agencies who refuse to think "outside the cubicle". She noted that excessive meddling by bureaucrats can choke out innovation.
The Senator cited the case of the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB). This agency recently ordered all PEZA-accredited firms to terminate all work from home by September. Poe said that international companies, like Paypal, would leave the country if the order was pushed through.
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