Abstract
Technological advancements and, more recently, the COVID‐19 pandemic have accelerated the transition toward hybridworkplaces. Even though the design of appropriate HRM practices is recognized as an important factor in ensuring an effectivetransition toward hybrid work environments, existing research has offered limited insights into how companies might strate-gically integrate hybrid work in a coherent HRM system of HRM to attain a competitive advantage. Indeed, extant empiricalstudies mainly focus on the individual level of analysis, while the discussion on hybrid work practices at the organizational levelremains conceptual. This paper aims to advance this debate by relying on the theoretical perspective of strategic humanresource management (SHRM). Most extant models in the field of SHRM either focus on the vertical linkages of HRM practiceswith corporate strategy or on the horizontal alignment of the HRM system, missing the opportunity to adopt a comprehensiveapproach to SHRM to explain the current transition to hybrid workplaces. In addressing these gaps, the study uses a longi-tudinal case study of an Italian company over 4 years of implementation of a hybrid work environment and explores HR'sinterventions through the lenses of the Harvard model and the ability‐motivation‐opportunity (AMO) framework. Specifically,the study examines how vertical and horizontal alignment of strategic hybrid work HR practices are achieved and influenceemployee, organizational, and societal outcomes, providing valuable insights for companies approaching this new way ofworking and for HR managers and professionals.