The New Centrality of Work and Work (re)Organisation with the Emergence of Hybrid Work

The paper examines whether and to what extent the extensive use of 'emergency' remote working during COVID-19 and the subsequent consolidation of hybrid working models in the post-pandemic phase are contributing to changing workforce needs. Moreover, it explores how companies are responding to these changes.

The empirical material comes from extensive research carried out in northern Italy. In 2020, about 190 interviews were conducted with people who were working from home during the first emergency period. In 2021, the partial return to the office was studied through a survey of about 900 workers. Finally, in 2024 in-depth qualitative interviews with HR and managers in 15 large companies were conducted, focusing on the city of Milan. Here the focus is on strategies implemented by companies to deal with the challenges of 'non-emergency' hybrid work.

Research shows how hybrid work has contributed to a redefinition of employee preferences, challenging the centrality of work in people's lives. Workers, especially the younger generations, ask for more possibilities to manage the equilibrium between work and other spheres of life . Remote work plays a role in this change, both blurring the boundaries between time and space for work and private life, and allowing new strategies for work-life balance and well-being. In this scenario, companies need to rethink their organisational models. Ensuring a high degree of work flexibility while addressing the challenges of hybrid work, such as the impact on retention and recruitment, are strategies that many large companies are adopting in the current post-pandemic phase.

The research contributes to the investigation of the changes resulting from the implementation of hybrid work, including changes in the negotiation of the employment relationship and new strategies to ensure the spatial and temporal flexibility of work.