Hybrid Work: 3 Challenges and Solutions. Despite efforts by some firms to entice employees back to the office full-time, hybrid work arrangements appear to be here to stay, even though the COVID-19 pandemic pushed a transition to remote knowledge work almost four years ago. Despite this, implementation remains a challenge for organizations. The managers we’ve spoken to have highlighted three main concerns: productivity, culture, and scheduling.
Scheduling
Many companies have decided on a mix of remote and onsite work, such as three days in the office (Tuesday through Thursday) and two days when employees can work from home (Monday and Friday). But workers aren’t perfect and don’t always follow the rules. The data shows that some employees aren’t showing up as often as expected or required.
For example, there’s a tendency of “coffee badging”, where workers pop in for a quick visit but leave as soon as possible. We have also overheard supervisors expressing their displeasure that employees spend less time with coworkers since they use onsite days instead of work-from-home ones for medical appointments or vacations. Hybrid Work: Simply put, companies are trying everything to attract employees, but it has not paid off so far. This includes offering free food, loosened dress codes, social events, and excellent office facilities.
We suggest you overcome this difficulty by changing the conversation from how frequently your employees should be in the office to when their physical presence and unity are most valuable. When new hires are still establishing their bearings in the company and completing their training, they must meet with essential coworkers face-to-face. Similarly, employers should have more flexibility in requiring and enforcing attendance during busy periods or when collaboration and collaborative decision-making are necessary; employees will be more inclined to understand and accept the policy if the reasons are conveyed well.
For example, asking employees to show up in person for essential meetings is very appropriate. J.M. Smucker appears to be finding success with this strategy, which involves announcing 22 “core” weeks in advance and requiring staff to be physically present at the headquarters during those times.
Culture
Many executives are concerned about the challenges of creating and maintaining a company culture in an era where employees are less likely to be physically present, more likely to meet online, and more likely to multitask during these meetings. Some managers say team meetings are still held via Zoom or Teams instead of in-person meetings, even when everyone is physically present. Happy hours and other social gatherings are under-attended, according to their reports, since individuals are ready to hit the road after the workday.
Once again, we recommend that companies change how they “ask” their workers. Try appealing to people’s urge to help others instead of getting them to come to work to improve the company culture and their interactions with coworkers. It is more beneficial, according to research on social impact, to focus on the benefits to society rather than the company or even themselves.
Hybrid Work: Employees may be better mentors, allies, and champions if they take the time to explain how their presence in the office might benefit customers, clients, and coworkers. According to research, setting up opportunities for employees to meet the individuals whose jobs will directly impact them can encourage them to come in more frequently.
Productivity
The lack of visibility into employees’ specific activities while working remotely is a source of concern for some bosses. There is a lack of concrete data to support claims that employees are just as productive when they work from home than when in the office, even if some jobs (like sales) have obvious performance measures. Managers’ concerns are understandable, especially in light of reports of more and more people practising yoga or golf during the workday and working numerous full-time jobs (sometimes known as “playworkers,” “over-employed,” or “double-dippers”).
Our first tip is to accept that leading people in a multidimensional context is difficult. Leaders must learn open, non-overbearing performance monitoring to give their people the support and feedback they need. For instance, checking in on workers to see how they are doing and asking how you can help them differs from checking in to ensure they are productive or utilising technology surveillance.
Managers can also consider reviewing and updating staff yearly objectives, duties, and job descriptions, emphasising deliverables. As an example, it may be beneficial for some employees to have daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly goals or duties laid out for them. Finally, supervisors should avoid assuming remote workers are slacking off, especially since gender biases can make them cautious of women. Studies show that most remote workers put in more hours.
Hybrid managers should engage with their firms to focus on people. They can attend lunch and learn and formal training on remote worker management to discuss issues and find solutions with coworkers. Businesses have asked us how to encourage management-staff communication about various return-to-office policy components’ effectiveness (or failure). These discussions can help organizations rethink and redesign systems to attract, motivate, and retain employees.
