{"id":5734,"date":"2021-07-22T19:20:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T23:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/ftravel\/?p=5734"},"modified":"2023-02-24T19:22:08","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T23:22:08","slug":"why-hybrid-work-misses-the-point","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/ftravel\/2021\/07\/22\/why-hybrid-work-misses-the-point\/","title":{"rendered":"Why \u201cHybrid Work\u201d Misses the Point"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Hybrid work isn\u2019t good enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the pandemic wanes in the U.S. and offices reopen, employers\u2019 strategies vary wildly. Companies like Apple and Google have settled on a \u201chybrid\u201d model, with employees coming in the office three days a week and having the option to work remotely the other days (or longer stretches with approval). Others, like JPMorgan, seem committed to more or less snapping back to the routines we abandoned in early 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both of these approaches miss the mark. Employees have spent the last year forming new routines and sending signals about how they work best. Hybrid models with rigid rules and mandatory in-office days pay lip service to the idea of employee freedom, but end up adding even more structure. These policies seem to acknowledge that things have changed while also telling employees, \u201cWe still don\u2019t trust you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JPMorgan\u2019s CEO recently said<\/a> that he expects by this fall, \u201cIt\u2019ll look just like it did before.\u201d If that\u2019s the case, I think it\u2019s a failure of organizations to learn from the past year and a half, and respond to a changing world. Sure, executives have rent and office space to consider, but these factors shouldn\u2019t dictate their teams\u2019 future. Work is defined by why, not where. An employee\u2019s preference to stay completely remote says nothing about their work ethic beyond the fact that they\u2019ve discovered how they work best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Companies viewing this time as a race to roll out the best hybrid work strategy misunderstand the moment. As business leaders, we have a chance to prove we can be responsive to the ever-evolving way in which people work \u2014 and that doesn\u2019t end with one policy. It\u2019s not a time to \u201creturn to normal,\u201d but to forge a new, better normal. Amid changing work dynamics, here are my guideposts for building a workplace that keeps employees engaged, wherever they\u2019re logging on from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embrace Flexibility<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, parents became homeschool teachers and childcare providers, roommates became coworkers and our entire lives were confined to our homes\u2019 square footage \u2014 almost overnight.  Something had to give. At Brooks Bell<\/a>, we implemented a flexible work schedule policy, trusting employees to get work done without forcing them into a schedule that was unsustainable in a freshly flattened world. While we had already developed a culture that encouraged flexibility and stepping away as needed, this policy reinforced that idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Flexible schedules made sense amid self-isolation, but employees\u2019 personal lives always matter, not just during a pandemic. Is being in an office 9\u20135 p.m. so important that we should expect our teams to build their lives around it? Of course not. I enjoy going into the office and seeing team members, but sometimes I have an appointment or a kid\u2019s soccer game or simply don\u2019t want to iron a shirt. As a leader, I\u2019d rather accommodate employees\u2019 preferred working styles and schedules than dictate how they work, or demand they commit to a fixed schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practice, embracing flexibility starts with me. Everyone at Brooks Bell knows I\u2019m not 100% in the office or 100% at home, and I encourage them to take advantage of both as they see fit. We\u2019ve also standardized Slack statuses that broadcast whether we\u2019re working from home, in the office or unavailable during certain hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If our team members needed to be closely monitored to do their jobs, we wouldn\u2019t have hired them in the first place. This baseline of trust means they have the freedom to step out for a walk or a kindergarten graduation or a mental health day because I know they will deliver what\u2019s expected of them \u2014 even if it\u2019s after hours when they feel most productive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we roll out policies like giving employees Election Day off, I often hear, \u201cThat only works because you\u2019re a small company.\u201d But in some ways, these moves are easier to implement for bigger companies with more resources. Anyone can do it, it just takes a commitment to your values and ongoing evolution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rethink the Office<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

People have become accustomed to working at home. After gaining the freedom to sleep in, cook lunch or work from their comfiest chair, some employees are understandably less than enthused about returning to sterile, rule-governed offices. The solution to this challenge isn\u2019t to mandate their presence and hope they adjust, but rather to make the office a welcoming place to work and build community for employees who choose to come in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working from home and returning to the office doesn\u2019t have to be a binary choice. At Brooks Bell, we\u2019ve adjusted and think of the office not as space that\u2019s interchangeable with a home monitor and IKEA desk, but as a distinct experience with its own benefits and culture. Our office isn\u2019t just a place we work, it\u2019s a place we work together. We\u2019ve shifted common spaces to be more collaborative (while still spaced apart), creating environments similar to hotel lobbies that enable small group meetings and individual work. Along with traditional desks, we\u2019ve added modules with comfortable chairs, a light source and an internet connection. Now, employees can hunker down and feel like they\u2019re working in their living room rather than a desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve also considered culture and community in our office reopening plans. We now frequently offer free lunch for all employees in the office, strengthening team bonds with group meals and a break in the day. Our team is also inviting employees to \u201cmagnet events,\u201d like a forthcoming food truck rodeo in our parking lot. After so much time apart, optional events like these help people (like me) who crave social interaction with teammates reconnect and enjoy time together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

None of these perks or initiatives are designed to pressure employees into coming back. We have other things in the works for remote employees, and our processes will always accommodate both. But for those who\u2019ve been eagerly awaiting a return, we want to show that we know work looks different now, and we\u2019re committed to changing with the times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question Everything<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating a vibrant workplace and building a roadmap for your business\u2019s future often start with one essential question: \u201cHow are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning this simple pleasantry into an honest inquiry is a good starting point for creating an organization that keeps employees engaged and evolves with the world. These check-ins became more regular during the height of pandemic uncertainty, but they are equally important outside of crises. When leaders know what people are dealing with, we can quickly roll out policies and make changes to address issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond one-on-one conversations, I am a big advocate of design thinking. The willingness to question tradition and the fortitude to act on these insights is what sets disruptors apart from the status quo. We\u2019ve adopted this attitude at Brooks Bell \u2014 for instance, job descriptions became job designs that center employee growth and company needs. Today, we can do the same thing with office reopenings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is employee engagement? For some, it translates to comfy chairs and a food truck buffet, but others thrive when they can work in their own space, away from big personalities and fluorescent lighting. Talking to employees has shown me that sometimes, keeping employees engaged just means leaving them alone. Business personalization strategies require responding to individual customer needs in real time, and your approach to team management should be the same. Everyone at your organization has a way they work best. Employee-first policies start with helping your team discover this style and then creating spaces \u2014 physically and virtually \u2014 that allow them to do their best work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facing the Future<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However your organization plans to tackle the changed business landscape, it should be clear that this period isn\u2019t a \u201creturn to work.\u201d We\u2019ve been working this whole time, and if anything, the last year and a half of \u201cwartime<\/a>\u201d should serve as a launching period for a new era of work. My biggest takeaway is also what makes the next step challenging: There is no one way you \u201cshould\u201d move forward, as long as your strategy is informed by employee needs and right for your organization. And most of today\u2019s \u201chybrid\u201d models don\u2019t meet that standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strong core values allow organizations to set plans in plaster rather than stone \u2014 able to be broken and reformed as you reevaluate success and learn new information. While you may have an official \u201coffice reopening\u201d date, these policies are more about the journey than the destination. Leaders will be hungry for KPIs and measurements of program success, but when your values lead the way, this isn\u2019t the point. Your strategy isn\u2019t about whether one program sticks, it\u2019s about what you stand for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Brooks Bell, our true north is to be better humans and kick ass together. Wherever our remote work plans take us, these values will be the driving force. Business is changing \u2014 but as long as we know who we are, we can evolve along with it at every stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hybrid work isn\u2019t good enough. As the pandemic wanes in the U.S. and offices reopen, employers\u2019 strategies vary wildly. Companies … Continue ReadingWhy \u201cHybrid Work\u201d Misses the Point<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_social_preview_title":"","wp_social_preview_description":"","wp_social_preview_image":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leadership"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/ftravel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/ftravel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/ftravel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/ftravel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/ftravel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5734"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/ftravel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5736,"href":"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/ftravel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5734\/revisions\/5736"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/ftravel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/ftravel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/ftravel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/ftravel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}