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State of Hybrid Work in IT

When tech giants can’t agree and best practices change by the minute, forge your own path to your next normal.

Hybrid work is here, but there is no consensus among industry leaders on how to do it right. IT faces the dual challenge of supporting its own employees while enabling the success of the broader organization. In the absence of a single best practice to adopt, how can IT departments make the right decisions when it comes to the new world of hybrid?

Our Advice

Critical Insight

  • Don’t make the mistake of emulating the tech giants, unless they are your direct competition. Instead, look to organizations that have walked your path in terms of scope, organizational goals, industry, and organizational structure. Remember, your competitors are not just those who compete for the same customers but also those who compete for your employees.
  • Hybrid and remote teams require more attention, connection, and leadership from managers. The shift from doing the day-to-day to effectively leading is critical for the success of nontraditional work models. As hybrid and remote work become engrained in society, organizations must ensure that the concept of the “working manager” is as obsolete as the rotary telephone.

Impact and Result

Read this concise report to learn:

  • What other IT organizations are doing in the new hybrid world.
  • How hybrid has impacted infrastructure, operations, and business relations.
  • How to succeed at building a highly effective hybrid team.
  • How Info-Tech can help you make hybrid an asset for your IT department.

State of Hybrid Work in IT Research & Tools

1. State of Hybrid Work in IT: A Trend Report – A walkthrough of the latest data on the impact of the hybrid work revolution in IT.

Read this report to learn how IT departments are using the latest trends in hybrid work for greater IT effectiveness. Understand what work models are best for IT, how IT can support a remote organization, and how hybrid work changes team dynamics.


State of Hybrid Work in IT: A Trend Report

When tech giants can’t agree and best practices change by the minute, forge your own path to your next normal.

Hybrid is here. Now how do we do this?

The pandemic has catapulted hybrid work to the forefront of strategic decisions an organization needs to make. According to our State of Hybrid Work in IT survey conducted in July of 2022, nearly all organizations across all industries are continuing some form of hybrid or remote work long-term (n=518). Flexible work location options are the single greatest concern for employees seeking a new job. IT departments are tasked with not only solving hybrid work questions for their own personnel but also supporting a hybrid-first organization, which means significant changes to technology and operations.

Faced with decisions that alter the very foundation of how an organization functions, IT leaders are looking for best practices and coming up empty. The world of work has changed quickly and unexpectedly. If you feel you are “winging it” in the new normal, you are not alone.

95% of organizations are continuing some form of hybrid or remote work.

n=518

47% of respondents look at hybrid work options when evaluating a new employer, vs. 46% who look at salary.

n=518

Hybrid work model decision tree

Your organization, your employees, your goals – your hybrid work

The days of a “typical” workplace have passed. When it comes to the new world of hybrid work, there is no best-of-breed example to follow.

Among the flood of contradictory decisions made by industry leaders, your IT organization must forge its own path, informed by the needs of your employees and your organizational goals.

All IT work models can support the broader organization. However, IT is more effective in a hybrid work mode.

Stay informed on where your industry is headed, but learn from, rather than follow, industry leaders.

All industries reported primarily using partial, balanced & full hybrid work models.

All industries reported some fully remote work, ranging from 2-10% of organizations surveyed.

Construction and healthcare & life sciences did not require any fully in-office work. Other industries, between 1-12% required fully in-office work.

The image contains a screenshot of the Enablement of Organizational Goals.

Move beyond following tech giants

The uncomfortable truth about hybrid work is that there are many viable models, and the “best of breed” depends on who you ask. In the post-pandemic workspace, for every work location model there is an industry leader that has made it functional. And yet this doesn’t mean that every model will be viable for your organization.

In the absence of a single best practice, rely on an individualized cost-benefit assessment rooted in objective feasibility criteria. Every work model – whether it continues your status quo or overhauls the working environment – introduces risk. Only in the context of your particular organization does that risk become quantifiable.

Don’t make the mistake of emulating the tech giants, unless they are your direct competition. Instead, look to organizations that have walked your path in terms of scope, organizational goals, industry, and organizational structure.

External

Internal

Political

Economic

Social

Technological

Legal

Environmental

Operations

Culture

Resources

Risk

Benefit

Employee Preferences

Comparative

Your competitors

Info-Tech Insight

Remember, your competitors are not just those who compete for the same customers but also those who compete for your employees.

IT must balance commitments to both the organization and its employees

IT has two roles: to effectively support the broader organization and to function effectively within the department. It therefore has two main stakeholder relationships: the organization it supports and the employees it houses. Hybrid work impacts both. Don't make the mistake of overweighting one relationship at the expense of the other. IT will only function effectively when it addresses both.

Track your progress with the right metrics

IT and the organization

  • Business satisfaction with IT
  • Perception of IT value

Diagnostic tool: Business Vision

IT and its employees

  • Employee engagement

Diagnostic tool:
Employee Engagement Surveys

This report contains:

  1. IT and the Organization
    1. IT Effectiveness
      in a Hybrid World
    2. The Impact of Hybrid on Infrastructure & Operations
  2. IT and Its Employees
    1. What Hybrid Means for the IT Workforce
    2. Leadership for Hybrid IT Teams

This report is based on organizations like yours

The image contains graphs that demonstrate demographics of organizations.

This report is based on organizations like yours

The image contains two graphs that demonstrate a breakdown of departments in an organization.

This report is based on organizations like yours

The image contains two graphs that demonstrate the workforce type and operating budget.


This report is based on organizations like yours

The image contains two graphs that demonstrate organization maturity and effectiveness score.

At a high level, hybrid work in IT is everywhere

INDUSTRY

  • Arts & Entertainment (including sports)
  • Retail & Wholesale
  • Utilities
  • Transportation & Warehousing
  • Not-for-Profit (incl. professional associations)
  • Education
  • Professional Services
  • Manufacturing
  • Media, Information, Telecom & Technology
  • Construction
  • Gaming & Hospitality
  • Government
  • Healthcare & Life Sciences
  • Financial Services (incl. banking & insurance)

ORGANIZATIONAL SIZE

Small

<100

Medium

101-5,000

Large

>5,000

Employees

POSITION LEVEL

  • Executive
  • Director
  • Supervisor/Manager
  • Student/Contractor/Team Member

100% of industries, organizational sizes, and position levels reported some form of hybrid or remote work.

Work model breakdown at the respondent level

5% 21% 30% 39% 5%

No Remote
Work

Partial Hybrid

Balanced Hybrid

Full Hybrid

Full Remote

Work

n=516

Industry lens: Work location model

The image contains a screenshot of a graph that demonstrates the work location model with the work model breakdown at the respondent level.

Percentage of IT roles currently in a hybrid or remote work arrangement

The image contains a screenshot of two graphs that demonstrate the percentage of IT roles currently in a hybrid or remote work arrangement.

Work location model by organization size

The image contains a screenshot of a graph that demonstrates work location model by organization size.

Hybrid work options

The image contains a screenshot of two pie graphs that demonstrate hybrid work options.

Expense reimbursement

28% 27% 22% 26% 13% 4%

None

Internet/home phone

Just internet

Home office setup

Home utilities

Other

NOTES

n=518

Home office setup: One-time lump-sum payment

Home utilities: Gas, electricity, lights, etc.

Other: Office supplies, portion of home rent/mortgage payments, etc.

When tech giants can’t agree and best practices change by the minute, forge your own path to your next normal.

About Info-Tech

Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.

We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

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Authors

Amanda Mathieson

Jane Kouptsova

Contributors

  • 518 survey respondents
  • Lisa Gibson, Chief of Staff, Microsoft Canada
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