Many of us have been working from home for close to two years now. Employees that cannot afford staying at home are doing quick runs to the workplace to sort things out before returning to work from home when the need doesn’t arise. Also, to reduce their risk of infection, other employees are delegated to fill in for them when a mandatory in-office presence is required. This is what a hybrid workplace looks like and companies are adopting this work model at a rapid pace.

What is a Hybrid workplace?

A hybrid workplace has been around but has come to the fore only recently. Unlike a traditional office setting, a hybrid workplace supports a more flexible mode of work among the workforce of an enterprise. It supports both remote working as well as in-office working in a way that employees can switch or choose their work mode to suit requirements. It’s a business model that works on a pre agreed arrangement where employees can pivot much quicker in case of emergencies.

How the pandemic has fuelled its adoption

Return to work has turned out to be a mere theory as the possibility of returning to the old way of working is now history. Since the long-term effects of the pandemic are still unknown, adopting a hybrid business model looks like the only right direction to move for businesses. Due to the pandemic, businesses are prioritising the needs of employees. And flexibility is one such need. Also, companies had no choice but to cut down on unnecessary travel which has fuelled the adoption of the hybrid workplace.

Are we moving towards a hybrid workplace?

Everything is achieved through virtual connect

Earlier, creative brainstorming was possible only through physical face-to-face meetings. However, with the level of sophistication available in collaboration tools, you can achieve a level of team connect that’s much more efficient. Employees are quickly developing the skill sets required to permanently communicate virtually. This points out that we are slowly but surely moving towards a hybrid workplace.

Companies cannot risk becoming irrelevant

The pace at which new technologies are emerging is increasingly rapid. In this scenario, there is a higher risk for organisations, especially start-ups, to be irrelevant if they stick to the old ways of working or nurture the status quo. This fear of being irrelevant is making companies adopt the hybrid work model more implying that the future work will be hybrid.

Prioritising both business and employee health

There has been a clear shift towards prioritising both business as well as employee health among organisations. They are unknowingly making the transition to a hybrid work setting because prioritising employee well being is fostering business health and vice versa. Businesses have also found that reskilling employees to get them adjusted to the hybrid work model has its many benefits in terms of productivity and efficiency. Companies are also investing in employee experience platforms which are providing great results. All of this indicates that a hybrid work model is emerging as a viable business model.

Klassroom Edutech, a Mumbai based ed-tech start-up recently raised $200,000 in a Pre-Series A round backed by ah! Ventures, alongside Start-up Angels Network, Growth Sense and Meteor Ventures.

Growth factors – Best practises to follow by Ed-Tech start-ups

Klassroom Edutech was founded in the year 2016 and since then their student base, revenue, and partner network has grown multi-fold.

Strategy

Klassroom runs on a very unique ‘Hybrid business model’ with cross selling opportunities between brick-and-mortar centre students and online tutoring. Students have the flexibility to adapt to both learning methodologies (physical or digital). The company is targeting the rurban (rural + urban) market and is facilitating coaching access to students from all walks of life.

Approach

The company takes great care in filtering eligible partners only. This approach is a two-way street since it ensures that students get access to the best local institute. Meanwhile, the local partners enjoy full occupancy and efficient utilisation of their capacity. They are closing gaps in the market by equally prioritising online and offline education.

USP (Unique Selling Proposition)

Klassroom’s unique selling proposition is to resolve student challenges (both rural and urban) through their hybrid platform. They are disrupting the unorganised rural EdTech market by bridging the gap between experienced teachers from top institutions to students from this sector.

Revival strategy in the pandemic

Klassroom’s main survival and revival strategy during the pandemic has been to shift their partner network of brick-and-mortar centres to a hybrid mode focused on online teaching.

They have already chalked out a plan for revival post the pandemic. They will be expanding their urban partner network of 160+ centres to more states and cities in India.

Differentiation

Klassroom’s products and services are differentiated in the EdTech industry by being affordable, accessible, accountable, and flexible. The market that they are targeting is highly unorganised, and untapped which they are capturing with the combination of affordability and value.

The Hybrid Work Model: Changed Work Dynamics in the time of COVID

The hybrid work model has quickly become the new norm as a result of the ongoing global situation. While remote work was a welcome break at the outset of the pandemic, it quickly became evident that working from home brought with it several challenges. This includes fatigue, lack of productivity, monotony and a myriad of technical issues.

The beauty, health and wellness industry are no different in this regard. There does lie a certain challenge in this area particularly with regards to a wholly remote set up as much of the sector is rooted in a traditional brick-and-mortar world because regardless of technological advancement people still like to touch and feel what they buy, especially in this industry. Enter the hybrid work model of online and offline business.