Guest editorial: “Old habits, new normal, same patterns?” On health in hybrid workspaces

• Date: 02 October 2024
• Pages: 269-277
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJWHM-08-2024-234
• Published date: 02 October 2024
• Subject Matter: Health & social care,Healthcare management,HR & organizational behaviour,Human resource policy,Employee welfare
• Author: Marko Orel

Guest editorial: “Old habits,

new normal, same patterns?”

On health in hybrid workspaces

First – why do we need to talk about “healthy work (place) hybridity?”

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the world’s knowledge workforce has entered a new era – one

that is marked by the “new normal” of hybrid labor and the disruption of old work patterns.

The effects on (knowledge) workers’ satisfaction, workplace efficiency and society as a whole

of this paradigm shift in thinking about and doing work are far-reaching (Kniffin et al., 2021).

It is rather critical to carefully weigh the benefits and drawbacks of hybrid work

arrangements, with a focus on how they could influence workers’ health, during this period of

change. You see, there’s more than just a change in logistics associated with the shift to

hybrid work environments. It represents a radical reappraisal of the interplay between labor,

health and the fine line that separates one’s private and public lives. There are several

important concerns that this emerging paradigm raises: we should ensure that the transition

to hybrid work models improves employee well-being without sacrificing it. But here’s the

question – how can we do this? What are the distinct sources of stress linked to hybrid work,

and how may they be reduced? And how can we reframe notions such as work-life balance,

team cohesiveness and organizational culture within this new framework?

These questions are not merely academic; they have real-world implications for millions

of knowledge workers worldwide. Recent studies have shown that while hybrid work can

offer increased flexibility and autonomy, it can also lead to increased stress, burnout and

feelings of isolation (e.g. Vaziri et al., 2020;S

¸ent€

urk et al., 2021;Konovalova et al., 2022;

Drayton, 2024;H€

ocker et al., 2024). The blurring of boundaries between work and home life

can make it difficult for employees to “switch off,” potentially leading to longer working

hours and decreased well-being (Schlachter et al., 2018;M€

ohring et al., 2021).

With that being said, one can note that the implications of hybrid work extend far beyond

individual employees and organizations. They do touch upon broader societal issues such as

urban planning, environmental sustainability and social equity. So, yes, as remote work

becomes more prevalent, we may see shifts in population distribution, changes in commuting

patterns and evolving expectations around work flexibility and autonomy (Batty, 2020;

Chatterjee et al., 2022). But discussing the latter, a couple of additional questions arise – how

will these macro-level changes impact public health and well-being on a broader scale? For

instance, reduced commuting could lead to decreased air pollution and increased physical

activity, potentially yielding positive health outcomes at a population level (de Vos et al.,

2018). Moreover, the hybrid work model presents rather idiosyncratic challenges – but also

opportunities – for workplace health management. There may be a need to rethink long-

standing methods of occupational health and safety in order to accommodate the

increasingly varied settings in which people do their jobs.

Mental health considerations take on new dimensions as employees navigate the potential

isolation of remote work and the complexities of balancing home and work life in the same

physical space (Eddleston and Mulki, 2017;Carnevale and Hatak, 2020;Hu et al., 2023). But

how can organizations effectively support employee well-being across these varied work

contexts?

In parallel, the role of leadership and management in facilitating healthy hybrid

work practices cannot be overstated. As the boundaries between work and personal

International

Journal of

Workplace Health

Management

269

InternationalJournal of Workplace

Health Management

Vol. 17 No. 4, 2024

pp. 269-277

© Emerald Publishing Limited

1753-8351

DOI 10.1108/IJWHM-08-2024-234