Navigating the Architecture and Benchmarking Challenges of Hybrid Jobs

In today’s business landscape, hybrid roles have become increasingly common, especially in organizations where limited resources or scale require a single role to span multiple functions. These jobs often combine duties from two or more distinct functions (typically expressed as a person who “wears multiple hats”), which can create unique challenges in job architecture, leveling and compensation benchmarking.

One common example is in growing, global organizations, which often have an “office manager” role that combines an HR manager, finance manager and administrative support professional. Because the organization is at limited scale in that local office/country, there is usually no need for distinct headcount for each role, so they are combined into one position.

As another example, I was in a hybrid role as vice president of rewards and HR operations at a few different companies before founding my own firm. In each case, my role was evenly split between compensation/benefits and HR operations.

Using these two examples, this article explores key considerations for managing hybrid roles effectively within your job and compensation structure.

Defining a True Hybrid Job

The first step in managing a hybrid position is determining whether the role is genuinely hybrid or simply a standard job with a few additional responsibilities. Many roles incorporate tasks outside their primary scope, but these should not redefine the job. A practical rule of thumb is to assess the percentage of the job’s responsibilities that align with its primary function. If 70% or more of the duties fall within the scope of a single benchmark role, it is reasonable to classify the job as that core role. However, if responsibilities are more evenly divided between two distinct functions, it is likely a true hybrid position.

For example, some hybrid “office manager” roles are primarily one function but with certain additive responsibilities that blur the line. Within one recent client, this role was mostly a local finance manager, with most time spent in a variety of local finance duties, but also was the point person for HR matters. In this case, the role was determined to be a finance job. In contrast, the role within another client was indeed a mix of multiple functional roles for a region (finance, HR, facilities, administration) and was defined as a true hybrid job.

As VP of rewards and HR operations, my duties included overseeing compensation and benefits, as well as HR information systems, shared services, payroll and compliance. These were not merely peripheral tasks but fundamental aspects of the role, making it a true hybrid job. Misclassifying such roles can lead to confusion, misalignment in expectations and compensation disparities.

Creating a Unique Job Code

When confronted with a true hybrid job, it is often worth establishing a new, unique job code. Attempting to fit a hybrid job into an existing job code that does not accurately reflect its duties can undermine the role’s effectiveness and fail to capture its complexity. While it may seem administratively easier to force-fit the role, the marginal cost of creating an additional job code is likely negligible compared to the value it provides.

A unique job code can ensure clarity for both the organization and the employee. It generally provides a clear framework for responsibilities, performance expectations and career progression. Additionally, it can help organizations benchmark the role more accurately and support fair and competitive compensation practices.

Leveling the Role: Focus on the Greatest Complexity

Leveling a hybrid job involves evaluating its scope, complexity and potential impact. The guiding principle is to base the level of the role on the portion with the greatest complexity or scope. This approach acknowledges that while all roles involve a mix of skills and duties, the level should reflect the highest-level responsibilities and decisions the role encompasses.

In the hybrid office manager example, the highest-level responsibilities were found to be the accounting and compliance duties, which required local expertise and knowledge of specific local regulations. The HR duties were more coordinating in nature, and the administrative duties were mostly entry-level professional tasks.

In my personal experience as VP of rewards and HR operations, certain aspects of the job — such as managing payroll or compliance — were not inherently VP-level tasks. However, the overarching responsibilities, such as strategic decision-making in compensation/benefits and HR operations, justified the VP-level classification. Similarly, a hybrid role that combines high-level strategy in one area with more routine tasks in another should still be leveled based on the strategic responsibilities.

By focusing on the highest complexity, organizations can more accurately align the role’s level with its most impactful aspects. This approach also may support employee engagement and retention by recognizing the significance of contributions.

Compensation Benchmarking: Using the Higher-Value Benchmark

Compensation benchmarking for hybrid jobs can be challenging due to the varied nature of their responsibilities. The recommended approach is to use the higher-value benchmark among the job’s components. This strategy reflects the reality that the individual in the role could fully perform either function at a market-competitive level. For instance, in my VP of rewards and HR operations role, compensation and benefits benchmarks were typically higher than those for HR operations. Consequently, we used the compensation and benefits benchmark as the primary reference point.

For the office manager example, the highest-value role was the finance manager position, and as such, was used as the reference point.

Some organizations choose to add a premium to the primary benchmark to account for the additional complexity of a hybrid role. While this can be a reasonable approach, it is essential to ensure that any premium aligns with market realities. In many cases, the external market value of the role’s combined responsibilities is already reflected in the higher benchmark, likely making additional premiums unnecessary.

Supporting Career Development in Hybrid Roles

Hybrid jobs often present unique career development opportunities but can also create challenges for progression. Employees in hybrid roles may face uncertainty about their career path, especially if the role does not fit neatly into traditional job families. To support these individuals’ growth, organizations should:

Define clear expectations. Establish clear performance criteria and success metrics for hybrid roles.
Offer targeted development opportunities. Provide training and resources that address the diverse skill set required for the role. Include the hybrid-position employee in development planning for both functional areas represented by their role.
Enable mobility. Design career paths that allow employees to transition into specialized or broader roles based on their interests and strengths.

A Focused Approach to Widened Roles

Hybrid jobs are a natural response to the evolving needs of organizations operating with limited resources or scale. However, they generally require careful consideration to ensure they are structured, leveled and compensated effectively. By verifying that a role is truly hybrid, creating unique job codes when needed, leveling roles based on their greatest complexity and benchmarking compensation using the higher-value component, organizations can more successfully manage such jobs.

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