This article was translated from our Spanish edition using AI technologies. Errors may exist due to this process. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

The majority of professionals in leadership positions in Mexico (75%) have felt pressure to adapt workplace policies and offer teams greater flexibility since the beginning of COVID-19. According to a new LinkedIn survey, this pressure came mainly from employees (59%), who began to demand more options about where and when to work. Among other factors, the government (51%), managers (45%) and the media (44%) also appear. Nonetheless, 90% of leaders in Mexico feel capable of leading a hybrid workforce and are optimistically taking up the challenge.

“While the pressure on leaders right now is considerable, this time in the world of work is also loaded with a lot of optimism and opportunity. Flexible work opens up many possibilities for workers and leaders, it is even an engine of diversity ”, shares Ramiro Luz, Director of LinkedIn Talent Solutions for Mexico and Latin America.

Pros of flexible working

88% of leaders in Mexico believe that a shift to a more flexible work model can bring with it greater diversity in their workforce. The main reasons leaders think there may be improvement are that virtual interviews allow leaders to talk to those who traditionally go to great lengths to get to an office (53%), virtual interviews allow more time to find a more diverse mix of candidates (53%) and attract a wide range of people (44%), thanks to this modality it is possible to interview geographically dispersed candidates (44%).

For flexible working to be a success, more than half of leaders consider skills such as creativity (61%), communication (59%) and technology skills (54%) of employees to be key. Beyond what they expect of their employees, these leaders have identified the main competencies that they must develop themselves to lead in the new world of work, being empathy (52%), adaptability (52%) and integrity (40%) aptitudes central to recognizing that everyone has different working styles, reacting quickly to change, and reassuring employees when they are told that it is okay to work from home.

Cons of flexible work

On the other hand, 40% of respondents in Mexico affirm that one of the concerns of leaders regarding flexibility at work is that it generates a feeling of isolation for those who decide to work remotely.

Similarly, 71% of employees share the concern that working at home will negatively impact their professional growth, 55% fear not being able to connect with their colleagues. Likewise, 34% answered that one of the potential problems with remote work is that those face-to-face employees will feel favored by promotions, raises and other opportunities compared to those who work from home.

“Although there are various pros and cons about the implementation of hybrid work, the data from this survey shows us that this modality is presented as the best middle ground between the interests of employees and company leaders,” said Ramiro Luz, director of talent solutions at LinkedIn Mexico and Latin America. “Hybrid work is the answer so that employees have the flexibility they need in balancing their personal and professional lives, fosters promotion processes within companies, helps the development of more diverse workforces and allows employees feel more secure in the current global situation by having the freedom to choose whether they work from home or office ”, he concluded.

How durable could the hybrid model be in Mexico?

The study also found that more than half (58%) of the leaders surveyed say they have made changes to their employment policy since the onset of the pandemic, and more than a third (37%) plan new changes soon. This search for a more flexible work model is reflected in the short-term priorities of companies. 94% say that digitally transforming their business to support new ways of working and establishing new formats are important areas to focus on in the next 6 months.

Overall, managers in Mexico (43%) believe that these workplace changes will only be necessary in the short term, the next two years at the most. 37% say they intend to offer a new long-term flexible work policy, while another 14% say they will offer medium-term flexible work.

New resources that Linkedin makes available to support leaders, employers and employees in the future of work

Filters indicating remote / hybrid / in-person work: To help job seekers find opportunities that match their preferences, filters indicating remote, hybrid and in-person positions are being introduced into the LinkedIn job search field, and in profile images, the LinkedIn #OpenToWork framework. Recruiters will also be able to filter with remote, hybrid and local tags when searching for candidates in the Recruiter tool and add these preferences when posting jobs on LinkedIn. Thanks to this feature, users receive an average of 40% more InMails from recruiters and 20% more likely to receive messages from community members.

Free LinkedIn Learning courses to help leaders: Until November 30, the platform offers a series of free courses with leadership training in mind. These include: leadership body language , emotionally intelligent leadership , strategic thinking , how to communicate with confidence , and managing high-potential professionals.

In addition, Service Marketplace, the new marketplace experience for freelancers in the global profile, will be launched.