site.btaStaff Management Expert for BTA: Hybrid Workplaces Are the Future

In an interview for BTA, Nikolay Nikolov of the Management Board of the Bulgarian Association for People Management said that the share of companies in Bulgaria offering hybrid work is increasing, particularly in the high-tech sector as well as in state and public administration. On average, employees have to go to the office two or three days a week, and the rest of the days they work remotely. In the future, in-person work will remain in transport, manufacturing, healthcare, delivery chains, and the police, among others, he said. 

Nikolov has over 20 years of experience in the field of human resources. BTA approached him for a comment in connection to the worsening situation with COVID-19 in the country.

He commented that the young generation is much more inclined to work remotely. This is the preferred form of work for employees with higher education, part of those with families, as well as women because of the opportunity to combine work and home tasks.

In-person work is preferred by the other part of employees with families who lack good working conditions at home, as well as older staff who are used to working in the office.

The transition to a remote work model is useful for companies which lack personnel in the corresponding settlement. The rise of the inflation rate and the high energy costs might also make some employers switch to remote work. The increase in the number of new COVID-19 cases is not expected to have this effect because unlike in the previous COVID waves, the current national anti-epidemic plan does not envisage closure of businesses, the expert explained.

Some 20% of companies are researching the option to transition to a four-day working week, with the opportunity of hybrid working hours on certain days. This model applies mostly to the IT industries, art activities, consultants, accounting, financial and administrative activities, pharmaceutical companies in the commercial part of their work, educational institutions, and startups, Nikolov told BTA.