Cincinnati Business Courier: Hybrid work likely to stick around

UC professor notes positives and negatives to online and in-person work

Many large employers in downtown Cincinnati’s Central Business District have embraced a hybrid work format as the impact of COVID-19 wanes.

Elaine Hollensbe, PhD, department head and professor of management at the University of Cincinnati Carl H. Lindner College of Business, told the Cincinnati Business Courier that some version of hybrid work is likely here to stay. 

Elaine Hollensbe professional headshot

Elaine Hollensbe, PhD, department head and professor of management at the University of Cincinnati Carl H. Lindner College of Business.

“I think there's been a tendency to go right down the middle with a hybrid way of resuming work, recognizing the advantages of each form of work (in-person and online) and the tradeoffs,” Hollensbe said.  

Though a schedule that balances flexibility and freedom for employees can be beneficial, Hollensbe explained that a fully online arrangement can serve as an impediment to building culture and community.

“You don't have these kinds of serendipitous, water-cooler conversations (online), where people come up with new ideas, bond and team build,” she said. “So, doing a little bit of both gives them the advantages of both.”

See more from the Cincinnati Business Courier (subscription required).

Impact Lives Here

The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.

Related Stories

1

6 ways starting a GLP-1 medication could affect your emotions

May 20, 2026

When patients first start taking a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medication, they probably expect to feel full. But they might not anticipate how it can influence their emotions. The medications act on the stomach and the brain, said Malti Vij, MD, a University of Cincinnati adjunct associate professor in the College of Medicine's Department of Internal Medicine and a diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.

3

Pocket-sized population threat

May 18, 2026

The Financial Times took a deep dive into why populations around the world continue to be on the decline. The publication cited new University of Cincinnati research as part of the investigation that looks at the fall of fertility in the digital era.