How to make a hybrid workplace work

August 25, 2021 3:25 PM

Since the beginning of the pandemic, many have speculated that the disruptions that came alongside Covid-19 would spell long-lasting changes for the way we work. More than a year later, it’s safe to say the era of hybridity is here. The debate between in-office and remote work was largely a theoretical one before the pandemic, but now we’ve had ample time to test the viability of virtual work on a grand scale. With the genie out of the bottle, there’s no going back. The question for firms now is not whether to go hybrid, but how to make it work.

A recent study from McKinsey lays bare just how important remote options are for employees in 2021. Of the workers surveyed, 63% said they’d prefer to work in a hybrid or entirely remote environment — up a full 25% since before the pandemic. More than half said they’d prefer to be at home for at least three days per week. Even more alarming, approximately 30% of respondents said they’d be likely to switch jobs if they were forced to return to full-time on-site work. Needless to say, offering hybridity is essential in recruiting and keeping the best talent.

Not all hybrid policies are created equal, however. If you want to devise one that provides operational solidity and team member satisfaction, you have to be mindful of both your strategy and the reasoning behind it. A slapdash approach to remote strategy will only lead to confusion and consternation. To be intentional in your program development, follow the line of thinking I’ve outlined below.

Start with what matters

No help from the taxman.

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At the start of 2020, it would’ve seemed strange to ask the question, “How often does everyone need to be at the office?” But here we are, and the answer is most likely less often than you previously realized. According to some reports, certain employees report

higher productivity

and engagement in a work-from-home world.

But if the goal is to go hybrid, start by listening to what individuals need. What types of interactions do they miss most? What are the 3-4 top in-person events they’d be most likely to come to the office for? You might find that some people value in-person collaboration and brainstorms, while others really miss the networking opportunities, happy hours, and celebrations. Listen closely to determine the right policy for your teams and lead with intention as you start incorporating the interactions that matter most to them.

Find gaps and analyze roles

Ģirts Raģelis/Girts - stock.adobe.com

A successful move to hybridity will leverage everything that your teams are doing well remotely, as well as addressing opportunity areas. Even if your team is more productive working from home, look closely at existing processes and operations, and pinpoint areas that could be improved either by fewer remote meetings or more in-person interaction. There are plenty of signs that certain processes could be improved by quick in-person syncs.

Are there teams getting burnt out on Zoom meetings and moving more conversations to email? Is there a lag between the average start of a project and the work taking off? If you’re finding that

Zoom fatigue

is setting in, consider leaving online interaction with face-to-face meeting — health and safety permitting, of course.

There may also be certain roles that are simply better-suited for in-office work. As you talk to your team, ask whether they feel they can effectively execute their day-to-day work from home, or if there are certain parts of their job that really beg for interaction. You might find folks who love to bounce ideas off one another to think outside the box, or who really value being in the office for face-to-face client meetings.

Leave room for personal preference

A person works from home inTiskilwa, Illinois.

Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

The beauty of moving to a hybrid model is that it provides the

flexibility

that many firms have always wanted to offer, but hadn’t figured out how. If work-life balance is an important part of the culture at your firm, the flexibility of hybridity can be an asset if managed correctly. But a lack of clarity will do more harm than good.

Many businesses are leaving remote decisions to team leaders. While a certain amount of managerial discretion is fine, it shouldn’t be a free-for-all where one team becomes envious of another’s policies. Create a framework that allows for some customization of policy, and don’t be afraid to let individual team members dictate a certain amount of their own personal plan. As long as everyone communicates clearly and nobody leaves their fellow team members in the lurch, almost any level and style of hybridity can be successful.