As a tech company that has operated since the creation of the Internet, SpireTech strives to be forward-thinking. It is a big contributor to why we continue to be successful in an industry known for its quick changes. We hope to constantly improve our skills, optimize our operations, and incorporate new technologies that will improve our productivity.
SpireTech is now officially hybrid. We have been working largely remote and hybrid since 2020, and now, it is official.
You may have missed our announcement of address change. Though we are sad to say goodbye to the old office, we are excited to welcome in a new phase of our company.
We have mentioned this before, but most of our employees are local to Portland, Oregon, metro area. We have one employee in Washington, another in Arizona, and another in Chicago, but most of us are in Portland and surrounding cities. This is to say, our decision to move office spaces and adopt a hybrid model is not to avoid locality.
Though a hybrid system is imperfect, the benefits of a hybrid work model far outweigh the drawbacks for our company that deals with managed IT services.
On the commute alone, our employees save hours a week in time not spent getting to work. One employee reduced a 12-mile commute that took 60 to 90 minutes each way, to a commute of twelve feet. Another cited the peace of mind granted to someone when they don’t begin their day stressed and driving.
Allowing employees to work from home some or all days of the work week also allows accessibility to wider groups of people. Maybe a caregiver needs to stay home with her children part of the day. Maybe someone legally needs to stay at home. People deserve the opportunity to work.
However, being home more means increased costs to the employee, whether in heating, electricity, or others. Maybe not all of your employees have a dedicated workspace, or the privilege of a quiet place.
Something that becomes more precious in a hybrid model is face-to-face collaboration. Work between colleagues must then be scheduled or virtual. We at SpireTech appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with each other and keep a hybrid model instead of a remote model so that we could still meet and receive clients and provide our employees with another space to work. Hybridity solves these problems for us.
Hybrid and remote offices are yet another thing that will change with time. We are early adopters and are happy to give input if you are curious about virtual workspaces for your company. For us, it’s worth it.
20+ Reasons your favorite local IT company loves the hybrid model
- Better health and safety
- Reduced expenses
- Increased productivity
- Comfortable workspaces and fewer distractions
- Cost-efficient
- Employees are happier overall
- Seeing more of their children
- More opportunities for learning, creativity
- Increased efficiency
- Less commute time
- Separate spheres for separate work (meetings in a meeting place, solo work at home)
- Lower risk of burnout
- Greater chance of hiring the right people
- Results act as performance indicators, not physical presence
- Enable a good tech shift, better futureproofing
- Increased trust, better relationships between employees and employers
- We don’t start the workday with a commute, our brains are fresher
- System in place to keep working if there is an emergency or disaster
- Maximized productivity
- Reduced carbon footprint
- Able to interview the best talent, no longer limited to just your company’s home city.
Potential drawbacks with hybrid work
- Increased costs for the employee’s home
- Missed human connections day-to-day
- Dedicated workspace is necessary for productive work
- Reduced separation between home and work
- Collaboration decreases
- Commute is a transition between work and home spheres