Work Design Dimensions in Hybrid Work: A Socio-Technical Perspective

Digitalization has transformed the workplace, driving organizations to integrate traditional office setups with remote work. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this shift, underscoring the importance of work design in developing flexible practices that enhance employee wellbeing and work productivity. However, the current literature has advanced the understanding of hybrid work design adopting a micro level of analysis, focusing primarily on the role of job characteristics. This study aims to address this gap by exploring at macro level the essential work design dimensions needed to implement effective and sustainable Hybrid Work Models (HWMs) through the lens of Socio-Technical Systems Theory. Adopting a qualitative inquiry, we compare two Italian companies that followed two different paths to implement a hybrid workplace, namely a top-down versus a bottom-up work design approach. The study reveals that the two paths, driven by different organizational purposes and strategy, influence the main components of the social and technical subsystems, namely structure, people, tasks, technology, and space. Notably, the social subsystem—fostering collaboration, autonomy, and engagement—emerges as a critical enabler of HWMs. Simultaneously, the technical subsystem, especially the integration of physical and virtual spaces, plays a vital role in supporting flexibility and connectivity. The study advances the debate on work design of hybrid work from an organizational level of analysis, demonstrating the plurality of design approaches that can be adopted as well as unravelling the relevant work design dimensions pertaining to the different solutions. The research also offers practical implications to HR and line managers approaching hybrid work, in order to focus on those work design’s dimensions relevant for enhancing the benefits derived by both onsite and remote ways of working and for creating workplace environments where employees are healthy, engaged, and productive.