The hybrid work model, which combines face -to -face and remote days, has been consolidating itself as the main trend in organizations. According to experts consulted by Infomoneythis model represents a equilibrium point between the 100% face -to -face and 100% home office journey, reconciling productivity, organizational culture and quality of life of employees.
Retention and attraction of talents
A is a decisive factor for attracting and retention of talents. This is what Henrique Holzhausen, Culture and Process Director of Libbs and Christiane Berlinck, Chro of the OLX group, which states that “flexibility generates engagement, belonging and is a differential when hiring, as many prefer flexibility to a larger salary.”
In addition, internal group data show that flexibility not only appeals to employees, but also brings concrete gains to the company in productivity, health and engagement. “With hybrid work, we have been able to reduce absenteeism, improve medical plan claim and increase employee retention,” said Berlink.
Already according to the HR manager at OLX Rio, Quelma Oliveira, “all employees of my team report that they remain in the company because of the individuality and rhythm of life of each one.”
The scenario currently seen is the result of companies ‘efforts to respect employees’ preference, which was already seen as a trend in 2024. Data data from a survey released at the end of last year by the personalized training company for Koru organizations and professionals about HR trends to 2025 showed that 60% of companies planned to maintain or expand the hybrid model, recognizing that flexibility is one of the main factors to attract and retain talent.
In addition, 70% of organizations indicated that they would invest in the development of competencies related to remote leadership and hybrid team management, highlighting the need to update managers to monitor changes in the labor market.
Continues after advertising
For Daniel Spolaor, Koru CEO and people management specialist, “hybrid companies gain the talent dispute, as the model is among the main factors for the choice and permanence in the current market.”
Read more:
Is it cheaper?
The cost cut was not the pronouncement reason for the adoption of the hybrid model, according to the sources. Holzhausen pointed out that, despite economies in physical spaces, Libbs there was an increase in investment in technology tools and benefits to support remote work.
Continues after advertising
In the case of the OLX group, the hybrid model brought expenses, such as the need for corporate trips and the reform of the offices, but at the other end, avoids the idle spaces typical of the 100% face -to -face.
In the case of Cross Networking, which adopted the 100% Home Office for some time, the expenses increased. This is because investments were made in the office infrastructure and the amount detached for benefits for employees, such as aid for payment of parking on face -to -face days, has grown.
According to experts, although the hybrid work model can generate additional costs, these expenses are investments that bring return in engagement, productivity and talent retention – avoiding the costs of opening numerous selection processes.
Continues after advertising
Face -to -face: the pros and cons go to the office every day
Face -to -face work is still valued for its ability to strengthen organizational culture and facilitate communication. Tatiana Oliva, CEO of Cross Networking, a company that specializes in partnerships between brands and people, points out that face -to -face optimizes meetings and training, which in the online environment can be longer and less effective. According to her, physical proximity allows you to solve questions quickly, with spontaneous interactions that the virtual environment does not provide: “Do you arrive at the table and say, ‘Let’s have coffee and solve such a thing?’. In online, this becomes a series of friction.”
Daniel Spolaor, CEO of Koru, stresses that face -to -face contact is fundamental for the development of socio -emotional skills and for building connections, as the brain interprets differently physical presence, releasing hormones that strengthen ties between people. He explains that everyday microinterations in the office improve communication and productivity, something difficult to replicate in the remote.
On the other hand, the face -to -face model can generate challenges, especially in large cities, due to time and stress of travel. Quelma Oliveira, HR manager at Olx Rio, reports that he spent about five hours a day on the way for work, which impacted her quality of life, and that, with the hybrid model, she got more time to take care of health and family, and feel more productive.
Continues after advertising
Read more:
The OLX group reformulated their offices in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo this year, turning them into locations for intentional-not required meetings. The recommendation is for employees to come to the office about twice a week, but this frequency is quite free and adapted to individual and team needs and preferences.
The Rio office was reopened in May after a retrofit completed in just 78 days. In São Paulo, the office was repositioned on Paulista Avenue based on a Datazap study. The analysis crossed the 626 employees and reduced by 44 minutes (round trip) the average daily displacement time.
Continues after advertising
Holzhausen recalls the areas that require indispensable physical presence, such as production and research in the case of a pharmacist, but still emphasizes Libbs’s internal effort so as not to make the face -to -face an unnecessary obligation.
Since March 2020, the company has been following a teleworking model, called anywhere office For administrative functions, such as HR, financial, legal, communication and marketing, with the possibility of the employee to go to partner coworkings across the country whenever they wish. The company’s management even gave up its former administrative headquarters in Barra Funda, west of São Paulo.
Currently, about 35.2% of the 3,900 LIBBS employees fall into the anywhere office. And an internal survey, conducted in October 2024, revealed that 99% of employees and 97% of managers believe that the anywhere office favored your productivity.
Home Office: The Pros and Cons from not going to the office
Home Office offers flexibility and better balance between personal and professional life, which has been valued especially by employees with multiple responsibilities. Christiane Berlinck points out that being able to work from home allows employees to reconcile family care to routine, being an important differential for retention, especially for women. She notes that this flexibility contributes to the health and well-being of professionals.
Holzhausen emphasizes that, when well structured, remote work can maintain or even increase productivity as long as there is confidence and autonomy. In Libbs, for example, “corporate elegance” was created, a set of rules for communication and meetings that improved remote experience and avoided overload, such as the ban on working hours and the mandatory send and reading of a memorandum before meetings, so that meetings are not only expository, more objective and last less.
However, the model also brings challenges, such as social isolation, communication difficulties and even concentration.
“Studies show that mental health problems are more recurrent and more intense in people who are at most remote work. There is a matter of mental health and development. It is a fact that we need face -to -face contact to be healthier (…) and there are companies that have come across the situation where productivity collapsed in the remote. viable, ”he explains.
Flexible face -to -face?
Cross Networking has adopted a model that combines the in -person flexibility: employees work in person all day twice a week and can arrive after lunch in other days.
In addition, the location of the newly renovated office was designed to facilitate the travel of the team: it is close to the Faria Lima subway.
According to CEO Tatiana Oliva, the presence of the team is essential to preserve the company’s culture and strengthen human connections, but with flexibility, valuing the responsibility and commitment of employees, with flexibility of schedules.
Managers must be updated
Koru’s survey pointed out that 65% of companies would invest in training to develop adaptive leadership and hybrid team management skills, reinforcing the urgency of updating managers to ensure the success of the hybrid model.
Again, the given conversation with the trends observed: João Adibe, president of CIMED, reaffirmed in a recent event the importance of adapting to cultural and technological changes. “Perhaps the habits we had 20 years ago are not the habits of the new generation,” he said.
