Is Hybrid Work the Best of Both Worlds? Evidence from a Field Experiment

99 Pages Posted: 28 Mar 2022 Last revised: 4 Nov 2022

See all articles by Prithwiraj Choudhury

Prithwiraj Choudhury

Harvard University - Business School (HBS)

Tarun Khanna

Harvard University - Business School (HBS)

Christos Makridis

Stanford University; Columbia University - Columbia Business School

Kyle Schirmann

Harvard Business School

Date Written: March 24, 2022

Abstract

This paper reports causal evidence on how the extent of hybrid work---the number of days worked from home relative to days worked from the office---affects outcomes relevant for workers and firms. Collaborating with an organization in Bangladesh, we randomized the number of days that individual employees worked from the office for nine weeks. We find that an intermediate number of days in the office resulted in greater self-reported work-life balance and lower isolation from colleagues. Furthermore, hybrid work also led to a greater volume of emails, more unique email recipients, and more unique information conveyed in the emails. Hybrid work was also linked with better performance ratings from managers.

Keywords: Hybrid Work, Remote Work, Work-from-Home, Field Experiment

JEL Classification: J23, J24, O10, O33

Suggested Citation

Choudhury, Prithwiraj and Khanna, Tarun and Makridis, Christos and Schirmann, Kyle, Is Hybrid Work the Best of Both Worlds? Evidence from a Field Experiment (March 24, 2022). Harvard Business School Technology & Operations Mgt. Unit Working Paper No. 22-063, Harvard Business School Strategy Unit Working Paper No. 22-063, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4068741 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4068741

Prithwiraj Choudhury (Contact Author)

Harvard University - Business School (HBS) ( email )

Soldiers Field Road
Morgan 270C
Boston, MA 02163
United States

Tarun Khanna

Harvard University - Business School (HBS) ( email )

Soldiers Field Road
Morgan 270C
Boston, MA 02163
United States

Christos Makridis

Stanford University ( email )

Stanford, CA 94305
United States

Columbia University - Columbia Business School ( email )

3022 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
United States

Kyle Schirmann

Harvard Business School ( email )

Boston, MA 02163
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.hbs.edu/kschirmann

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