The cultural shift toward digitalization started long before COVID-19, but the demand to learn, work and socialize online during the pandemic means that some aspects of society will never again be fully analog. Now, as many employers strategize the look and feel of in-person operations in anticipation of the pandemic's eventual end, one in three employees is considered a "hybrid worker," according to the business consultants at Quantum Workplace, and 73% of workers want flexible work options to continue beyond the pandemic, according to the 2021 Work Trend Index from Microsoft. "Over the past year, no area has undergone more rapid transformation than the way we work," Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said earlier in 2021. "Employee expectations are changing, and we will need to define productivity much more broadly." There are challenges to cracking the code to a high-functioning hybrid workplace. Consider that while most workers want to retain work flexibility, 65% also crave more in-person time, according to Microsoft. What's more, remote work has eliminated geographic barriers to employment. It follows that 40% of the global workforce is considering a job change. Microsoft's 2021 Work Trend Index described the following dominant work-life trends and provided insights about how to address them:

1. Flexible work is here to stay.
2. Leaders are out of touch with employees.
3. High productivity is masking an exhausted workforce.
4. Gen Z is at risk and will need to be re-energized.
5. Shrinking networks are endangering innovation.
6. Authenticity will spur productivity and wellbeing.
7. Talent is everywhere in a hybrid world.

The slideshow above illustrates six characteristics of companies that are well-positioned for the long-term shift toward a hybrid workforce. See also:

• Personal cyber risks: Working smart in a hybrid environment
• Making it work: Creating company culture in a virtual world
• The remote agency: Building successful work-from-home operations