Trip.com Group Launches “Hybrid” Working Test – A Mix of Remote and In-Office Work
Chinese online travel agency Trip.com Group on Monday launched its own “hybrid” working test, consisting of a mix of remote and in-office work, and will involve two control groups and several hundred employees. The test is meant to find out whether or not this form of working model can be used as one of the company’s long-term office solutions in the future.
As early as 2010, Trip.com Group started to experiment with home working for its customer service staff. The results showed that, for the half of employees who stayed at home, their productivity went up by over 20%.
The test this year includes staff from departments such as technology, products, business, marketing and administration. The test will last six months, running from August 9, 2021 to January 30, 2022. The employees of the mixed office experimental group will work from home every Wednesday and Friday.
After the completion of this experiment, Trip.com will analyze the impact of working from home on employee performance, team project progress, and the retention of staff overall. If the plan proves feasible, it is expected to be implemented to a wider selection of employees.
Liang Jianzhang, co-founder and chairman of Trip.com Group and the initiator of the trial, said, “Hybrid working is a global trend and enterprises should be more open and active to try to improve the satisfaction and happiness of employees.”
In the survey of all employees before the experiment, the response rate was about 45%. After, about 76% of the company’s employees volunteered to try out the hybrid home working model, while 70% of employees thought that working at home was more flexible and efficient. In addition, 50% of employees indicated that they had clear work goals, and the output of working from home could be better measured.
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Trip.com Group is also trying to improve employee satisfaction. In 2019, it introduced the off-peak commuting system, which provided convenience for parents in the workplace to pick up and drop off their children.
