Designing the Hybrid Workplace for Success
Define the future of work and design the hybrid workplace with intention.
By Anjana Raj
Published July 2021
The last time we as a society decided what work looked like was in the 1800s during the Industrial Revolution. Since then, we’ve had massive technological advances, the emergence of dual-income households, and whole industry changes, yet there hasn’t been any change in the 5-day, 40 plus hour work week that was originally put forth by Henry Ford in the 1920s.
For 40% of the American working population, “work” happens behind a desk and a computer. During Covid, we endured both the trauma of a global pandemic and the significant lifestyle change of working from home or more aptly named “living at work”. Now, as adult vaccination rates rise, companies are starting to roll out “Re-Entry” plans.
In a survey of more than 350 leaders, 70% said they plan to have employees back in the office by the fall of this year — if not sooner — according to a report by staffing firm LaSalle Network. Employees, on the other hand, have something much different in mind. The majority, or 58%, of employees said they would look for a new position if they weren’t allowed to continue working remotely in their current position, according to a recent report by FlexJobs, which surveyed more than 2,100 people who worked remotely during the pandemic.
With a vast divide in the expectations between employees and employers, an initial misstep could have high retention and engagement costs and should be handled with care. The hiring market is the most competitive it’s been since pre-recession. Employees are showing little to no interest in returning to the old format with 40% of the workforce thinking of switching jobs. They’d rather their employees go slow and get it right rather than rush towards a goal that makes them feel alienated.
Watch the Series
Dive deeper designing a hybrid workplace with industry leaders.
Inequity is also a huge part of this conversation. Pre-pandemic systems of work weren’t equitable to begin with leaving employees with no desire to return to them. With the additional potential for new inequities in the hybrid work environment such as bias towards in-person interactions or lack of technology support, the opportunity in front of employees to get this right is critical. We need to be proactively thinking about and addressing the inequities their employees care about and will be less likely to tolerate.
At this moment, employers and employees have the opportunity to partner to revolutionize the future of work and design the new hybrid workplace with intention. This design needs to be approached by actively engaging and listening to individuals at every level of the company.
1. Acknowledge Past Trauma
Trauma-Informed leaders recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved within an ecosystem, and respond by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices. This kind of leadership is of the utmost importance in the current climate where the effects of COVID are still impacting many across the globe. Being at home trying to work during a pandemic showed that employees are willing to work productively with autonomy and trust, while meeting deadlines and delivery goals during a globally traumatic time in our collective and individual lives — let’s acknowledge that. Affirming what your employees have enabled your company to do during this time can go a long way, especially when it’s time for them to be engaged for re-entry discussions.
Have tougher conversations beyond whether people prefer to come into the office or not. Create the space for people to be vulnerable about what “living at work” enabled them to do, and at what cost.
Work 2.0 Conversation Toolkit
This toolkit is a set of team conversations that will spark dialogue and decisions about resetting our working lives.
2. Over-Communicate Trust
With more virtual conversations than in-person ones, there is an abundant need for over-communication and demonstration of trust. Unfortunately a lot can get lost in translation over video calls. What is left unsaid or between the lines is often misconstrued as negative. Let your people know you trust them, actually say the words. Show them that you trust them to know what’s best for them by letting them decide where and how they want to work. If something isn’t working, partner with them on a solution that might work better. Not only will that open a conversation on meeting needs at work, employers will get an idea of the diversity of how and when people are at their best. Place an importance on your employees meeting work commitments as opposed to focusing on where they are. It will make them feel supported and trusted and it’s an active step towards creating a more equitable workplace. Finally, make sure they know they can ask for help if they need it.
3. Redefine the Potential of In-Person
This is our opportunity to redefine what work in the physical sense looks like. Let’s ask ourselves what in-person time is supposed to accomplish; is it collaboration? If so, it will be important to spend time up front designing the framework for how we will use this precious state of in person time. The key for teams and companies will be to be intentional about time spent in the office while also investing in the right tools to make collaboration equitable in a hybrid work environment. We also need to revisit the time that employees are spending doing individual work while in the office. Teams need to ask themselves what work needs to be done collectively and what work does not? This redefining of our in person time will look different for every company, every team. Allowing for everyone in your team to contribute to creating this new social contract will continue to build trust and engagement. The final key will be to revisit it frequently and be open to discussing what is working and what is not!
4. Preach and Practice Perpetual Beta State
After your company has gathered information, talked and listened to its employees, create a communication plan for the roll out or update of guidelines; let your employees know that the company doesn’t have all of the answers, that we are collectively marching forward in a fashion that feels responsible and inclusive.
If that means something isn’t working, creating an avenue for everyone at the organization to provide open and honest feedback is critical. Think of this process as being in Beta stage. To be successful employers will need to make edits and changes as we progress forward, which will mean that we are constantly learning, and improving and pivoting. Decide on a social contract for today, acknowledging that it might look different tomorrow.
5. Course Correct by Outcomes
As we progress deeper into this hybrid mode of work, the uncertainty will make us uncomfortable, but it’s important to keep our sights on the outcomes. As the environment changes and conversations continue, let them be shaped with shared desired outcomes at the center that allow us to be open and to continually course correct.
Create guardrails for the next 6–12 months. Long term definition of work and innovation will look different for everyone. The important thing is to keep these conversations at the center of our guiding principles and let them inform & transform policies and processes. It’s our practiced resiliency and agility that will allow us to take the next iteration head-on when it comes.
explore more thoughtium perspectives topics
