Hybrid work model, work from home, remote work, WFH, hybrid work – what do these terms have in common? In the past two years their search term relevance has skyrocketed, according to Google. With the world in a totally different place than it was before we all first heard the term coronavirus, one of many things vastly affected has been the way the world works – that is, the way the world’s workforce shows up to do their jobs. 

What Happened

Every single industry and type of job has been affected by the pandemic, across the world. For many months, frontline workers were the only ones actually going to their workplaces (our deepest gratitude to them). The rest of us? Massive change. Hospitality workers became unemployed pretty much overnight. Teachers suddenly had 30 Zoom heads staring at them, and major tech challenges to work through. Office workers were told to work from home, sometimes with preparation and sometimes without. In a few short weeks, the percentage of people working in a hybrid work model ballooned from 10 to nearly 70. 

What’s Happening Now 

Some dust has settled. Much has come from the past two years, including significant changes to the expectations and tolerances of the workforce. The past two years have pushed companies to reevaluate what is possible, sometimes forcing a shift that was previously resisted. 

Major players have announced plans to embrace a hybrid work model, like Apple and Meta, and a remote work model, like Amazon. Many have announced plans, walked them back, changed them, and kept hundreds of thousands of workers with baited breath while they set (or reset) a course. 

Hybrid From Day One 

When Lindsey and Adela founded Siren in 2012, the hybrid work model called to them. From day one, Siren was set up under a hybrid work model. With the first office opening in 2017, and coworking spaces utilized for the first five years of the company prior to that, the founders wanted the flexibility that comes from a hybrid work model. 

What This Means For Us

Siren’s team comes together to work in-person from our Royal Oak office twice weekly. The rest of the week, we’re hybrid – with clients, at home with our pets, and enjoying some of the area’s best coffee shops. 

Intention, communication, and tools keep us connected and running smoothly, despite the miles in between. Our hardware and software reflect our hybrid work model. 

With the absence of a daily commute and the freedom to wear all the athleisure pants you can imagine, our team satisfaction is at an all-time high. 

Closing

The pandemic brought with it terrible inequities and devastating loss of life. Those points are important, and have their own stories embedded in them. 

And yet, the pandemic also brought forth a change that we see as positive related to the workforce. We’re big proponents of change. Now more than ever, the workforce is demanding conditions that work with modern life. With spouses, pets, and children. With communities and hobbies. We truly believe, and always have, a hybrid work model is one answer to those demands.