Hybrid Work - Success Relies on Cultural Change, Not Policy Mandates
Summary
As we near what appears to be a conclusion to the pandemic, we have a once in a generation opportunity to redefine the way we work. The focal point of current discussion is around the location from which we do our work. Do we remain remote? Do we all return to the open-plan office? Do we work with a mixture of both? A hybrid approach – a balance between on-site and remote work - may hold the keys to increased productivity and mental vitality, but only if we put the support systems in place to support change on a cultural level.
Defining what we want from work
How often do we take the time to consider what we want from our work? What is it that we want? On the individual level, what you might hear are things along the lines of getting more done in less time. Or having less time-pressure and having more time for personal pursuits. Really when you distil this down to its simplest form, you hear that what people want is a sense of balance and autonomy. Balance between progress at work, and progress on a personal level, whether that’s in the form of more time for family, hobbies or other pursuits. Autonomy facilitates balance.
On an organisational level the desired outcomes again are relatively simple. Organisations site a combination of measurable output, employee satisfaction and ultimately profits as their main targets. And while this is a generalisation, it broadly captures what organisations generally talk about these days. The vision each organisation might have is a topic slightly outside of the scope of this discussion.
Aligned targets, misaligned execution
Broadly speaking, employees and organisations appear to be aligned on the outcomes of work. But what the events of the past 20 months have brought to light is that there‘s a disconnect between organisations and employees on the execution of reaching these goals.
At the start of the pandemic the concern was very much around the question of whether we’d be able to get as much done at home as we were able to get done in the office. And the difficulties of working at home were very real. Parents found their homes transformed from places of refuge to hybrid offices and nurseries all while trying to compartmentalise down time. But as schools reopened and as people transformed corners of their homes into efficient working spaces, people quickly discovered the benefits to working remotely and close to or at home.
A recent McKinsey study1 of over 5000 participants revealed that there’s a shift in employees’ desire to work fully “on-site” towards a hybrid model where there’s flexibility to switch between remote and on-site locations.
Whilst some industries are embracing this changing way of working, the transition hasn’t been as smooth in other industries. Many still believe the open-plan office, widely recognised as the place of work over the past 50 years, remains the optimal location to carry out work. And the friction between those wishing to work remote for a portion of time, and those wishing to work fully “on-site”, while subtle is potentially insidious in its effects.
As organisations consider and trial the best solution, one thing has come to light – the one size fits all solution - either fully remote, or fully in-office - hasn’t been yielding the results we want.
Visible busyness, surveillance, and results
As organisations we need to reassess what it is that we truly want from our teams. Do we want results, or have we come to value perceived busyness and monitoring of teams and individuals over actual output? Or did we simply become so comfortable in our previous way of working and communicating that we refuse to consider the potential gains on offer from a modified way of working?
These are uncomfortable questions, but ones worth consideration if we are to maintain employee engagement, facilitate productivity and ultimately achieve the results of our desired vision. With recent studies2 showing that 40% of employees globally are considering leaving their current places of work by the end of 2021, this is an area that cannot be ignored.
Fortunately, we have pools of data from the past 20 months, on how a hybrid approach can be made to work, sustainably. We also have case studies of organisations who’ve historically demonstrated a sustainable approach to hybrid work. In his new yorker article How to Achieve Sustainable Remote Work https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/how-to-achieve-sustainable-remote-work Cal Newport author of the acclaimed Deep Work, Digital Minimalism and recently published A World Without Email describes the story of WATT Global Media company who have a Results-Only-Work-Environment (ROWE). The focussing principle of ROWE is simple. It focusses on results – results defined by whether or not clearly defined tasks are completed in the agreed space of time. It focusses on a clarity of outcomes. It focusses on a trust in employees and individuals. It focusses on the principle that as human beings, we’re intrinsically self-motivated. The reduction in employee turnover – likely because of the increase in self-reported well-being – and the increase in productivity, demonstrated the gains on offer once WATT Global moved away from historic norms, a focus on in-person surveillance, and towards a focus on results.
Sustainable hybrid – making it practical
Assuming we’re sold on the benefits of a hybrid approach it’s crucial to consider the practicalities of making it work and the inevitable teething issues that come with every shift in culture. With the evidence available to date, it’s clear that we do have the tools to make a hybrid approach a success, but only if we implement the support systems over and above those at policy level - an organisational statement without support systems inevitably creates conflict at the workshop level. There are three governing principles that can serve as a foundation.
A.We need to suit each task to the location. That means being aware of and acknowledging the nuances that come with each role and each industry. For example, a manager will flourish in the office environment as the role calls for constant decision-making and coordinating of tasks to move projects forward. A technician on the other hand will flourish in a more isolated environment where he can work undisturbed for longer stretches of time – something the open-plan office doesn’t statistically facilitate with ongoing distractions.
B. We need to improve communication. We need to be clear on the outcomes we’re looking for over a given period of time. We also need a shift in our methods of communication – email and instant messaging needs to return to a support system for work, rather than the work itself. This will mean setting boundaries around the purpose and frequency of use of these communication tools. That includes zoom. Do we need to consider creating more friction around organising meetings - something we used to have when in-person meetings were the predominant method of facilitating meetings.
C. We need to change our work culture through training. This is vitally important as without this, we risk a division in our workplaces. We need to acknowledge existing culture and work to avoid an approach where those working in the office are valued more than those working partially remote. We need training on and a cultural shift around our methods of communication and what we value as organisations – for example, do we value presence and availability over output on our hierarchy of needs? We need training on the mental health costs of our current methods of working. What is the mental health impact of our always-on culture?
Hybrid won’t have the answers to all our problems within organisational work. No single solution solves all the challenges at large. But hybrid presents an opportunity for a quiet seismic shift towards improved productivity and most importantly, a practical step towards the mental health improvements we are looking for.
References
1. Paper – It’s Time For Leaders To Get Real About Hybrid
2. Research – Microsoft Work Trend Index – The Next Great Disruption is Hybrid Work – Are We Ready?
