Social implications of hybrid forms of work
- Project team:
Lia Meißner, Robert Peters, Nikolas Hubel
- Thematic area:
- Topic initiative:
Committee on Education, Research and Technology Assessment
- Analytical approach:
- Startdate:
2023
- Enddate:
2024
The study was approved by the Committee for Education, Research and Technology Assessment on 4 December 2024 and published as TA-Kompakt Nr. 2 on 30 January 2025.
In a nutshell
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a sharp increase in hybrid forms of work in Germany. Although the studies available to date provide sound insights into the background, forms and first emerging consequences of hybrid forms of work, there are still gaps in explanation and knowledge from a technology assessment perspective.
How has the prevalence and use of hybrid forms of work changed in Germany since the COVID-19 pandemic, and what further developments can be expected?
- In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of hybrid forms of work remains relevant in Germany, although less so than at the peak of the pandemic, although there are sectoral differences.
- Hybrid forms of work are likely to become more established in the future. Experts expect them to spread across different sectors, with technologies such as digital collaboration platforms and new management styles and corporate cultures seen as crucial to the success of these working models.
How do employees and employers view hybrid work? To what extent is the attractiveness of this form of work changing and what influences it?
- The majority of employees have a positive attitude towards hybrid working. Among other things, they value the improved work-life balance, the reduction in commuting time and the greater degree of time autonomy.
- Employers have been able to overcome initial scepticism about working from home through positive experiences. In some areas, however, there is still a strong emphasis on being present at the workplace.
- The design and acceptance of hybrid forms of work varies greatly between sectors.
- The future diffusion of hybrid work will largely depend on how the framework conditions for hybrid work are accepted and shaped by employees and employers.
What are the known and foreseeable effects of hybrid work on health, on the economy and on society?
- Hybrid working can have both negative effects on physical and mental health, such as ergonomic problems and increased pressure to produce, and positive effects, such as improved work-life balance through flexible working hours and reduced commuting time.
- The increasing prevalence of hybrid working models is changing the organisation and culture of work by making communication more difficult and increasing the need for targeted knowledge and skills sharing and the use of digital collaboration tools.
- Hybrid forms of work can affect the cost structure of companies, leading to long-term savings in office space, while requiring short-term investments in, for example, digital technologies.
- Socially, hybrid forms of work carry the risk of increasing social inequalities and polarisation. At the same time, positive environmental effects can be generated by reducing or redirecting the commuting of skilled workers.
What factors are relevant for the positive development of hybrid work, to the benefit of both employers and employees?
- A successful design of the hybrid world of work requires operational adjustments in work organisation and human resource management. Close cooperation between employers and employees in these change processes is useful.
- The role of the state is seen primarily in the provision of basic social infrastructure, while further legal regulation and financial support are seen as less important.
- Technological innovation plays a central role, especially for industries that have benefited less from hybrid work. For example, AI-enabled applications could help to ensure that previously site-based activities become increasingly hybrid.
- To promote the positive design of hybrid work, measures are needed to create social meeting places and continuous training formats for the effective use of new technologies and social practices.
What questions should be scientifically investigated in order to be able to conduct a discourse on the design of hybrid work that is as well-founded as possible?
- There is a lack of scientific knowledge about the extent to which hybrid forms of work can be significantly expanded in sectors with a high proportion of interaction work and in commercial and technical occupations, and whether there are fundamental limits to the establishment of hybrid work in the long term.
- Whether technological innovations such as robotics and mixed reality technologies can make relevant contributions to the design of hybrid work in the long term remains open and requires further research.
- Further studies should clarify how informal digital exchange can be improved and whether digital exchange can achieve comparable psychological effects to face-to-face encounters.
- There is a need to examine the factors that influence the acceptance of hybrid work by employers, as well as the gendered effects of hybrid work on the division of care work, mental health and career opportunities.
Methodical approach
The study is based on a comprehensive literature review and 14 supplementary interviews with experts and stakeholders from academia and industry associations on the above (guiding) questions. Based on the interim results, a two-stage Delphi survey was also conducted with a panel of experts from academia, business and trade unions to assess future developments and impacts of hybrid forms of work before the report was written.
Download
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TA-Kompakt Nr. 2 (in German only) Gesellschaftliche Auswirkungen hybrider Arbeitsformen (PDF)
The study provides an up-to-date overview of the scientific evidence available to date on the prevalence and effects of hybrid work, assesses knowledge gaps and existing differences in the scientific discourse, and derives policy options from this. It provides a concise account of the current state of the scientific, social and political debate and an assessment of possible future developments. Both the short-term (up to 2025) and the medium-term (up to 2030) development of hybrid forms of work and their consequences are considered. |
Publication on the topic
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Themenkurzprofil Nr. 41 Perspektiven eines hybriden Arbeitens im Homeoffice und im Büro (PDF) |