Since working from home became mainstream, we’ve measured its impact, studied productivity levels, and predicted what the future of work would be like.

Managing hybrid and remote work means more than offering flexibility; it’s about keeping your team members engaged, connected, and aligned with your company’s values. HR leaders face questions like: How do I promote company culture in a fluid, remote work environment? How do I boost productivity while meeting employee expectations?

By exploring these distinctions, you’ll discover practical insights that can inform your workforce strategies and support your teams — whether they’re at home, in the office, or somewhere in between.

What is remote work?

Remote work allows employees to work from any location without reporting to a physical office. Whether it’s from home, a café, or even another city, remote workers can choose where they work best. The key is not where they work but how effectively they complete their tasks and meet their goals.

The most significant shift remote work has brought to employers’ and employees’ relationships is output. Instead of measuring the hours each employee spent in a chair, managers measure the tasks and KPIs set for that employee.

Remote work was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and made possible by technological advances and perspective shifts in human resources management. Companies rely heavily on written communication, documentation, team support procedures, and a result-driven approach.

As an HR leader, you might ask: How do I ensure productivity when my team isn’t all in one place? How do I create a thriving culture even when employees work from different locations?

Managing a distributed workforce requires thoughtful policies that support flexibility while driving accountability.

Work from home (WFH) vs remote work

Remote work is a permanent arrangement where employees work from diverse locations long-term. In contrast, working from home (WFH) usually implies a temporary or part-time situation. As an HR leader, you must design distinct policies for both.

For remote workers, you’ll focus on providing robust technology, long-term tools for collaboration, and performance metrics that account for the flexible schedule remote work offers. For those working from home occasionally, your policies should ensure seamless transitions between the office and home, maintaining productivity and team integration.

The stress of mandatory work-from-home during the pandemic doesn’t reflect what remote work looks like under normal circumstances. In typical times, remote work offers flexibility without the pressure of managing lockdowns and school closures.

You may be wondering: How do I design policies for employees who work remotely full-time compared to those who alternate between home and the office? HR’s role here is to ensure the needs of both groups are met, from technology and workflows to engagement strategies.

Can you work remotely but not work from home?

Yes, remote work doesn’t mean employees are confined to working from home. While some remote workers may choose to stay in their living room, they can work from other locations, like a nearby coffee shop, coworking space, or even while traveling.

Flexibility is key. Remote employees may visit the office for meetings or collaborate with their teams in coworking spaces when necessary. This flexible model allows employees to work where they feel most inspired, but it also means HR must build policies that accommodate different work styles, locations, and collaboration needs.

Coworking spaces

Many remote workers don’t want to work from home every day. Some lack the space for a dedicated home office setup, while others simply enjoy the variety of working in a new environment.

Coworking spaces provide a flexible solution where remote teams can meet face-to-face when needed without requiring a full-time office presence. Employees can enjoy office perks like quiet workspaces, reliable internet, and meeting rooms without a long-term commitment to a fixed office. 

These spaces can support remote workers who need access to quiet work areas or team meeting rooms without committing to full-time office use. Companies can meet employees' changing needs by providing flexible access to coworking spaces.

Even though coworking spaces are an excellent solution for remote and hybrid workers to get some much-needed face time together, it’s not without challenges for HR and workplace leaders.

Giving out monthly subscriptions can quickly rack up costs, especially in high-density cities, and companies have no way to track if employees are using this perk, how often they come in, and whether they’re meeting each other to collaborate or doing focused work. 

For HR professionals, coworking spaces' flexibility can be a crucial asset, as a well-thought-out plan can ensure employees have access to productive environments without incurring unnecessary expenses.

Remote work vs. digital nomads

Digital nomads represent a smaller segment of remote workers who take advantage of their location independence to travel while they work. They often move between countries, living a more transient lifestyle. Digital nomads make it a lifestyle to be on the move and rarely settle in the same place for extended periods, as the only thing they need for work is an internet connection.

The digital nomad lifestyle is gaining traction, and local communities worldwide are trying to attract digital nomads by offering housing, infrastructure, and special remote work visas.

While they’re not the majority, digital nomads present a unique challenge for HR departments. You may wonder: What policies do we need for employees who live and work from different locations worldwide? How do we support employees who value flexibility and travel without compromising productivity?

Remote work vs. telecommuting/teleworking

Telecommuting, or teleworking, refers to a work arrangement where employees work remotely but still occasionally commute to a central office. The phrase was coined in the 1970s to explain a work style where employees don’t work from an office environment. While this work style has been around for decades, it was limited to specific roles. Recently, telecommuting has expanded into a phenomenon that quickly covers most knowledge workers worldwide.

As you think about your workforce, you might ask: How do I manage employees who split their time between home and the office? What policies help ensure productivity and collaboration in these hybrid scenarios?

What is hybrid work?

Hybrid work is a flexible work model that combines remote work and the connections that come with an office setting. Employees divide their time between working from home (or another location) and spending days in a company office. This model provides flexibility while maintaining face-to-face interaction, helping teams balance autonomy and collaboration.

For HR leaders, hybrid work presents a unique set of considerations: How do you ensure consistency in employee experience across different settings? How can you manage performance and engagement when your team is split between in-office and remote environments?

The rise of hybrid work post-pandemic

HR leaders are under intense pressure as companies transition to hybrid work models. They're expected to maintain employee engagement, ensure compliance with new work policies, and meet the demands of executives who expect nothing less than total productivity from remote and in-office teams. Hybrid models now offer companies a way to reduce office space while bringing employees together when it matters most—collaboration, training, or strategic planning.

With this shift, HR leaders have taken on the challenge of building policies that support both flexibility and in-person connection. The question is: How do you create a hybrid work model that works for your organization? Whether managing work schedules, ensuring fairness across remote and in-office employees, or preserving company culture, hybrid work demands a thoughtful approach.

Remote work vs. hybrid work

Hybrid work balances in-office collaboration with remote autonomy, while remote work requires new approaches to maintain team connections and engagement. The biggest challenge for HR leaders is navigating the complexities of managing both. Employees in a hybrid model have different needs, requiring tailored policies for each scenario.

Hybrid work isn’t just about offering flexibility—it’s about creating a cohesive experience for all employees, regardless of where they work. HR leaders must balance the logistical challenges, from optimizing office layouts for hybrid teams to developing performance metrics that apply to remote and in-office employees.

The pros and cons of remote work and work-from-home models for companies

As with any other advance in the workplace, working remotely has its own set of benefits and challenges. Let’s break them down!

Benefits of remote work for companies

1. Reduced real estate costs: By reducing the need for large office spaces, companies can save up to 30% on real estate costs annually. For instance, a 500-employee tech firm that adopts a hybrid model could save $500,000 per year by reducing the number of desks needed and shifting to coworking spaces. HR leaders can facilitate this shift by providing remote workers with the resources and tools to work efficiently outside the office, whether at home or in coworking spaces.
2. Access to a broader talent pool: Remote work and work-from-home options remove geographical limitations, allowing companies to hire talent worldwide. This opens up opportunities for HR professionals to hire top-tier candidates who might not be available locally, strengthening the company’s overall talent strategy.
3. Increased productivity and engagement: Many employees report being more productive when working from home or remotely, particularly when they can tailor their environment to their preferences. HR can support this by offering flexible work policies, clear performance expectations, and access to tools that keep employees connected and engaged.
4. Enhanced employee retention: Offering remote work or work-from-home options can boost employee satisfaction, which helps with retention. HR can create retention strategies that maintain flexibility while fostering solid connections between employees and their teams.
5. Diversity and inclusion: Remote work allows companies to expand their talent search globally, enabling them to hire from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds, skill sets, and locations. HR leaders using platforms like Gable can track employee demographics and ensure diversity initiatives are met through inclusive, flexible hiring practices.
   HR leaders can drive diversity initiatives by creating inclusive policies that support remote and in-office employees equally, ensuring everyone feels part of the company culture.

Challenges of remote work for employers

1. Complex policy management: Remote work often poses administrative challenges for HR and People teams. Failing to address the complexities of managing hybrid teams can lead to costly mistakes.
   HR leaders must implement flexible policies to address compliance, cybersecurity, and benefits, ensuring that all employees are treated fairly, regardless of location, and that the company stays compliant across regions.
2. Potential for unequal employee experience: One of the biggest challenges for HR is ensuring that remote and work-from-home employees have the same opportunities as their in-office counterparts. Remote employees may feel disconnected from the workplace culture or miss out on professional development opportunities.
   HR teams must implement strategies that foster inclusivity, ensuring access to training, career development, and company events for all employees, regardless of their work location.
3. Office layout adjustments: As companies embrace hybrid models, office spaces must adapt. Some employees may need workstations only a few days a week, while others come in more regularly. HR’s role includes planning office spaces that suit these varying needs and ensuring that remote and in-office employees can collaborate effectively.
4. Lack of visibility and coordination: With employees spread across various locations, it becomes difficult to track when, where, and how often employees come together in person. HR must navigate this challenge by implementing tools that give managers and teams visibility into workspace usage and employee schedules, ensuring efficient coordination.
5. Challenges in communication and collaboration: Maintaining communication and connection can be complex for remote teams, primarily when spread across multiple time zones. In addition, remote work often involves asynchronous communication, especially when employees are in different time zones or follow varying schedules. HR leaders must establish clear communication guidelines and leverage collaboration tools that align remote and in-office employees.

The pros and cons of remote work and work-from-home models for employees

Remote and hybrid work models offer employees valuable benefits but also present unique challenges that HR leaders must address to ensure engagement and satisfaction.

Benefits of remote work for employees

1. Location and schedule flexibility: Employees gain control over when and where they work, boosting both morale and productivity. HR leaders can enable this flexibility by creating policies that balance autonomy with accountability.
2. Ability to juggle caregiving and work: Remote work allows employees to better manage personal responsibilities, such as caregiving, without compromising their job performance. HR’s role is to ensure these benefits are accessible while maintaining performance standards.
3. Cutting down commute time: Reducing or eliminating the daily commute leads to less stress and more work-life balance, which can improve employee retention. This flexibility also serves as a compelling point for recruitment.
4. More autonomy over how and when you work: Employees appreciate having more control over their work environment and schedule but can sometimes lack self-motivation. HR must find the right balance between granting autonomy and maintaining clear expectations for performance.

Challenges of remote work for workers

1. Risk of burnout and overworking: Employees risk overworking without clear boundaries between work and personal life. HR leaders must create policies that promote work-life balance and prevent burnout.
2. Lack of faceTime with peers, leaders, and managers: Remote employees miss out on regular in-person interactions, which can impact engagement. HR should implement strategies to foster connection through virtual or in-person team-building activities.
3. Loneliness and isolation: Employees working remotely may experience feelings of loneliness or disconnection from their team. HR can mitigate this by promoting a strong company culture and encouraging regular interactions to keep employees engaged.

How your company can overcome these challenges

Once companies recognize the challenges of managing remote and hybrid teams, they need practical strategies to address them. Here are some actionable steps HR leaders can take to create an efficient and engaging work environment:

1. Establish a culture of written communication and documentation-driven project management. In remote and hybrid environments, clear written communication is crucial. HR leaders should foster a culture where key decisions, updates, and project details are documented and easily accessible to everyone. This ensures all employees, whether in the office or remotely, stay aligned and informed. Implementing processes for documentation and communication, along with employee training on these protocols, can help reduce misunderstandings and foster accountability.
2. Leverage flex spaces and coworking spaces for team collaboration. While remote employees may not gather in a traditional office daily, offering access to coworking or flex spaces allows in-person collaboration. These spaces allow teams to come together as needed, fostering face-to-face interactions without the commitment of full-time office space. HR leaders can introduce this as a flexible option for employees, allowing them to meet in professional, productive environments. 
3. Provide visibility into who’s coming into the office or coworking spaces. One of the biggest challenges for hybrid teams is coordinating when and where employees will be in person. HR leaders can boost team coordination and collaboration by implementing tools that provide visibility into who’s working in the office or at coworking spaces. This visibility is crucial for scheduling in-person collaborations, managing team meetings, and ensuring available resources. It improves collaboration and efficiently ensures hybrid teams use office spaces and coworking resources.
4. Design workplace policies based on employee needs and feedback. To design effective hybrid and remote work policies, HR leaders must consistently gather feedback from employees about their preferences and needs. In a large company, for example, HR may need to understand how often teams use flex spaces, whether employees prefer working remotely or on-site, and how these preferences impact productivity.

Empower your remote teams with flexibility and collaboration

The shift to remote and hybrid work offers incredible opportunities but requires thoughtful strategies to maintain productivity and engagement. By providing your employees with flexible work environments—whether at home, in the office, or a coworking space—you create a dynamic workforce ready to thrive.

Give your remote employees a break from working from home. With Gable On-Demand, you can grant access to over 10,000 coworking spaces worldwide. Teams can collaborate in person with a single click while you control budgets, permissions, and limits.

Empower your team to work where they feel most productive. Book a demo to learn how Gable can help you streamline workspace management and keep your employees connected, engaged, and productive, no matter where they are.