Combining remote and office work requires courage to experiment and learn

Nitor recently participated in a research project by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health that mapped the challenges, opportunities, and effective practices of hybrid work. The study, which targeted companies and public organisations, resulted in the "Hybrid Work Model as a Success Factor" guide (Hybridityömalli menestystekijänä), which shows that functional hybrid work is not a matter of chance. I agree. It requires skilled leadership and courage for continuous development.

Especially in knowledge work, the possibility to work remotely brings flexibility to daily life. Uninterrupted work time can often be easier to achieve at home than in the office. Conversely, research suggests that communication, teamwork, and personal mental resilience may suffer in this setting.

Face-to-face encounters are a valuable feature of office presence that remains unattainable in remote work. Measuring productivity is challenging in knowledge work, where value often emerges from interaction and teamwork, not just individual performance.

Companies must critically examine their operating environment to find a functional and productive way of working. They must consider how employees create value, what kind of support they need, and which structures best serve them and their customers.

It's important to understand that managing hybrid work is not just about rules. Employees must be clearly told why decisions guiding work methods have been made and how they support the company's values and goals.

It's ultimately about managing a broader transformation of work. Even the efficiency talk built around AI tools won't make work more efficient than before if employees don't know what is practically expected of them, and why.

Technological development is changing the world at a rapid pace. A sustainable hybrid work model adapts to change. Its prerequisites arise from continuous small experiments and learning, as well as the courage to adapt practices based on them.

I find complete transitions to either remote or office work challenging solutions – they hardly suit all of a company's teams and job descriptions equally. Competitiveness, well-being, and a sense of work meaningfulness are not created by offering only flexibility or strict office presence.

Every company should find its own way of hybrid work, not by following others but by identifying methods that work in its own context. It requires time, experiments, and openness to change, but the investment pays for itself.

Sami Lappeteläinen, HR Director, Nitor

Opinion piece in Kauppalehti, published 21.5.2025 (in Finnish)