X2 Mobile Insights: Hybrid Working in the Mobile Development Industry
We all remember how the drama began. The new year brought about rumors of an unknown, highly contagious virus in a distant Chinese province. Things evolved quickly, and – as it happens with any crisis – people’s attitude toward the sudden change was oscillating on a wide spectrum.
In the office, everyone seemed to have different outlooks, and things often took a 180-degree turn overnight. From sheer horror to a weirdly liberating sensation, we’ve seen and felt it all. However, a distant feeling that work life would never be the same again was palpable in the air almost from day one. Some of us even dared to hope that the so-called ‘new normal’ will bring on more improvements than decline.
But does anyone know how the story will continue to unfold?
We’re in no position to make far-reaching predictions, but we have a pretty good idea of how our company approaches the future way of working. It wasn’t a difficult decision, but we wanted to make sure we’re all on the same page, so we asked around the office – or better said, around the virtual space that’s the new home of X2 Mobile’s work collective.
Home office without a warm-up
Although we started working from home almost overnight, most of our colleagues found the first few weeks quite exciting – as it usually happens with new experiences. Loads of new possibilities, plenty of different plans – we thought it would be fun all the way.
“Other than the constant stress of watching the news, the first weeks of working from home were kind of fun. But with my uni classes being held on Zoom too, it quickly became exhausting – I often spent 12 hours a day staring at a screen, yet I missed having my colleagues around.”
Claudia – Assistant Manager
After a while, though, the worries started to take over, and we began to really miss the office. Something about the coffee breaks and the office banter just doesn’t transmit very well through Wi-Fi.
“It's a lot different when you communicate online. It's just not the same, and this can really affect the relationship with your colleagues. People need face-to-face interaction.
Mircea – Team Lead
“Let’s not forget that we had no clue how much the lockdowns were going to last. I remember speculating that working from home wouldn't last more than a month. Good thing we didn’t make bets! I was sure it’s only going to be temporary and I’ll get to see my colleagues and friends soon.“
Diana – Project Manager
For many of us, this whole experience confirmed two things very clearly: that too much of a good thing can indeed hurt you, and that predictability is key to making even such a simple change sustainable in the long run.
Because it’s more complicated to implement than either the fully-remote or the 100% on-site model, a McKinsey report from 2021 suggests that finding a successful hybrid operating model will likely take companies several years of trial and error.
So, what comes after the home office?
It was getting pretty clear even before the pandemic that the days of working exclusively on-site were numbered. However, the polar opposite doesn’t seem to be sustainable either, at least not for everyone, and not for entire companies. At this point, common sense dictates a hybrid scheme, although even that is not without its pitfalls.
Given that hybrid working environments are still in their infancy, not everyone means the same when saying ‘hybrid’ just yet.
“To me, a hybrid work week would ideally mean at most two days working from home, and two days at the office. Yes, I'm a big supporter of the four-day work week :)”
Claudia – Assistant Manager
“In a hybrid scenario I’d like to be able to choose each day whether to work from home or go to the office.”
Mircea – iOS team lead
“To me a hybrid system would work best if I only had to go to the office when it's mandatory, or to have at least two weeks of remote work every month.”
Andreea – iOS Developer
The productivity boost that no one expected – Home office benefits
It’s impossible to maintain the same level of efficiency and focus during the full 8-hour work day. Sometimes all you need is a brief disconnect to ramp back up.
“I'm more productive while working from home, and I’m also more efficient. It’s so much easier to whip up a fresh and healthy meal or get up and do some exercise. I also save a lot of time on the commute, time that I can dedicate to relaxing, hobbies, or spending time with my friends.”
Mircea – iOS team lead
Most companies recognize this and offer break rooms at the office, or even allow for a short power nap. But what if during those breaks you can take care of your personal chores? Employees seem to be more motivated to use their time more efficiently when working from home.
“Being able to attend to my chores while working from home was a real game changer for me. I also get to choose which parts of the day to allocate to work – I’m much more productive in the mornings or late in the evening so I usually take a two-hour break around noon to focus on my personal activities. This way my chores are also done by the time I finish work and I have the rest of the day entirely for myself.
Diana – Product Manager
All fun and games? – The challenges of working from home
The main pain point when it comes to working exclusively from home is, no doubt, the lack of social interaction with coworkers. The forced home office has starved people of impulses that are normally part of work interaction.
“I don't consider home office a viable long-term option for me. I like to interact with people, and I like to socialize.”
Mircea – iOS team lead
“It can be boring sometimes as the interaction with other people is missing.“
Andreea – iOS developer
Others don’t see communication as the main blocker. For them, taking the entire workflow online only means moving the conversations entirely to Slack or Zoom – people still divide and conquer the problems together, but communication needs to be clearer than before.
“If we hadn’t already worked together at the office and got to know each other so well, communication would have been a problem indeed. For us, though, only the channels changed to some degree.”
Diana – Project Manager
Hybrid work is the logical next step for X2 Mobile
Running errands on a weekday or just starting early to catch some afternoon daylight was never an issue at X2 Mobile – and since we already had this flexible approach long before the pandemic, the hybrid setting was the obvious choice.
“I don’t see us ever having our staff return to the office full-time. I simply don’t think we have a reason to.”
George, X2 Mobile CEO
It looks like there’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to defining a hybrid scheme, but that’s okay – isn’t it about flexibility, after all? As long as there’s clear communication and all parties involved are on the same page, there’s not much room for error.
See below some closing tips on how you can make a hybrid model work for you:
If you think you’d be a good fit for the X2 Mobile team and you’d like to make an informed decision about hybrid working, drop us a line at hello@x2mobile.net and let’s rock the mobile development boat together.