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Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the association between hybrid work models and team collaboration and team engagement by measuring collaboration and engagement across hybrid and non-hybrid work models. Data from 100 respondents were obtained from working professionals through convenient sampling. The study also aims to uncover any differences in team collaboration and team engagement with respect to gender. The findings demonstrate that there exists a significant difference (t value=0.705) in team collaboration and team engagement (t value=1.532) between Hybrid and Non-Hybrid work models, proving that team collaboration and team engagement is higher in hybrid work model. The research also points out that there is no significant association between gender and team collaboration. These findings suggest that a hybrid work model creates scope for better team collaboration and engagement as opposed to non-hybrid work models. Further, the study also explores cognate areas like communication mediums and corresponding efficiency in terms of team collaboration, uncovers reasons as to what influences employees to choose remote or in-office work modes, and finds how individual freedom of choice in deciding work mode has an influence on team collaboration and team engagement.
Key words: Hybrid Work, Team Collaboration, Team Engagement, demographic details.
Introduction
A hybrid work model involves the combination of a physical work arrangement with a remote work system (Griffis, 2021). Some employees work on-site at the company or organization, while others operate remotely enabled by digital collaboration tools and the internet. This approach might also involve the same group of workers physically showing up for work at the company's location on some days, and then switching to work remotely on other days. Office-centric hybrid companies require their employees to come into the office most of the time, but they build in one or two days each week when employees are allowed to work from another location. Companies typically select office-centric hybrid models because they believe that when employees are co-located, they are able to more effectively develop connections and coordinate with their team members, and feel a stronger sense of belonging (Hinds, 2021). However, research shows that remote work has impacted team collaboration negatively. Workplace collaboration is when a team works together effectively to achieve a common goal. Some may think that collaboration works...