What Is A Hybrid Job?
There are a lot of business terms that seem to come from out of nowhere and it can be hard to keep up with them all.
One recent addition to the lexicon of work is the “hybrid job” and, in fact, it has two meanings – one in the context of remote work (and working from home) and another in the context of the skills required to do the work.
We’ve been out to investigate and this is what we’ve been told by HR professionals about the two.
What Is A Hybrid Job From A Remote Work Perspective
Remote workers are going to be most interested in the concept of a hybrid job as the fusion between working in an office and working from a location of your choice.
This job is, we think, the “new normal” of remote work, where employees will be expected to attend the office on a semi-regular basis (bi-weekly, weekly, monthly, etc.) to get some face-to-face time with managers and their team.
The rest of the time, they’ll be free to work from home or from wherever they want.
This should balance the concerns of employers regarding trust and productivity with the needs of employees who are increasingly seeking more freedom in their working lives.
If we use the term “hybrid job” on this site, mostly, it’s going to be this sense of the term that we’re referring to.
What Is A Hybrid Job From A Skills Perspective
However, if you see the term “hybrid job” in a job description, it might not have anything to do with where you will work.
In HR terms, a “hybrid job” is one which requires skills from two (or more) previously separate disciplines.
For example, they might be seeking a candidate with excellent technical skills as well as people management and communication skills.
Traditionally, computer programmers have not excelled in the latter disciplines, but the demands of the modern workplace mean that there are excellent opportunities now for people who can do both.
It’s one of the many reasons that having a degree is often no longer enough to secure an entry-level position – employers want to know that you’re competent in more than one discipline before they make an offer.
We’d expect to see demand for this kind of hybrid job continue accelerating and if you’re thinking about rejoining the workforce after a break or are seeking your first job: it’s worth trying to figure out what your skills are and how you might show them off to a prospective employer.
The good news is that this exercise will serve you well throughout your career, the demand for multi-disciplinary hybrid job skills can only expand from here on out.
Hybrid jobs better balance the needs of employers and employees than traditional office jobs or fully remote working positions.
They’re the “new normal” of work and we expect to see millions of people transition to this style of working arrangement over the coming years if they’re not already making the change now.
If you’re not sure whether your new job will be a hybrid job, it’s best to bottom this out before you accept the job (we’ve got a list of other useful questions to ask prior to accepting a remote job here too).
