Hybrid careers are the next workforce transformation (and that doesn’t mean remote work)

It took a once-in-a-generation health crisis, but the American talent market is finally undergoing a much-needed reimagining. Trends that had skirted the periphery of the white-collar workforce—decentralized teams, fluid and adaptable schedules, flexible career paths—are now being woven into the fabric of the modern workplace. As remote and hybrid policies become standardized, employees have never been more empowered to craft a highly personalized work experience that uniquely suits their needs. 

The result is a new power dynamic—one that favors employees rather than employers and has driven a mass exodus across industries as people increasingly abandon jobs that don’t meet their needs and expectations. With unemployment at its lowest point since February 2020, employers have a responsibility to be more strategic and creative in attracting and retaining employees. 

While doubling down on workplace flexibility might seem like the simple fix, it is a bandage solution. That’s because employees upending their careers to pursue new opportunities aren’t just rejecting commutes and fluorescent lighting; they’re rejecting rigid and linear career systems that foster monotony and professional stagnation. 

The flexibility we desire in our workday is really an extension of the flexibility we desire in the very work we perform. Employees’ dissatisfaction with the work they are doing is a key contributor to resignations, and 63% of workers who quit a job in 2021 cite a lack of opportunities for advancement as a factor for their decision. 

If employers effectively embrace hybrid career models and make interesting new opportunities available, they could help employees satisfy these needs within their current organization, without needing to resign. Capturing the hearts and minds of top-tier talent, requires rethinking how jobs themselves are structured.

The result is the birth of the “hybrid job,” and a new era in career opportunity for both employees and employers. These positions don’t fit neatly into traditional org charts. Rather than emphasizing a set list of responsibilities and hierarchies, hybrid positions are rooted in a particular set of skills that evolve and develop over time. Mapped to an individual’s interests, passions, and expertise, hybrid jobs enable employees to move fluidly across an organization to where they are needed most. For example, under a hybrid structure, a team would be intelligently created with experts in product development and customer success, only to disperse once the project is completed. Static experiences would be replaced by new, engaging challenges to solve. 

Making hybrid careers sustainable

Many organizational leaders may find that they have already begun to pursue a hybrid job strategy, if only out of necessity. As the Great Resignation continues to claim team members, additional pressure builds on those who remain to step into unfamiliar shoes. This is especially true as businesses adopt new forms of technology which require constant cross and upskilling to ensure productivity is maintained with minimal disruption. 

While this pattern might appear as a short-term problem, it is in fact a long-term opportunity to increase innovation and bridge different types of roles within the organization. 

Consider an individual who stepped up to learn a new programming language to help support the talent deficit. In doing so, they find that they prefer the new skills to their set career path. If management creates a job framework around that specific skill, rather than a traditional role, the employee can pursue a more meaningful and engaging work experience, and bring new approaches to the role, without leaving altogether. It simply requires codifying core expectations within the organization. 

Importantly, hybrid jobs are not limited to strictly technical skills, which will be the key to attracting all types of potential hires. (They may, however, make up the large majority in the years to come.) 

In areas such as product development or marketing, it comes down to asking the questions: What is it about this job that excites you? How do we lean into those skills? The end-result may be a mix of those who only want to serve in one specific function versus those who want to marry those skills with team leadership. Effectively deployed, it is a puzzle that empowers employees to decide their future for themselves, rather than follow a strict promotion pathway from point A to point B. 

Hybrid jobs embrace the idea that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to careers. As employees navigate the complex ecosystem that is the workplace, they may find that their skills and interests change. What brought them joy two years ago may now be a source of frustration. To create a sustainable workplace that brings out the best in existing employees, fosters excellence, innovation, and creativity, and attracts the next generation of talent, be open to job structures that upend decades of tradition. The future of work is here. 

Betty Thompson is chief people officer at Booz Allen Hamilton.