Creating a hybrid work culture: Lessons I’ve learned as a leader
Do you know that 74% of U.S. companies are using or plan to implement a permanent hybrid work culture?
For years, watching over employees has been the simple measure of productivity. It is not hard to figure out which employee is giving their best and who is just trying to exist.
We worked in this environment for a very long time. But the pandemic has pushed us to a new way of working.
I agree working from home comes with an amazing long list of benefits. But working from the office also has its importance. For example, the camaraderie between office workers simply cannot be achieved by working from home.
Even the statistics show that more than 70% of workers feel lonely working remotely full time. This has damaging side effects on productivity, career progression, and mental & physical health.
Despite this, there is strong opposition from employees towards returning to the office because they want more freedom and flexibility.
The solution to all this dilemma is a hybrid work culture.
In this post, I will share the five lessons I have learned while creating a hybrid work culture, how you should create a hybrid work culture, and once created how to sustain it.
What exactly is a hybrid work culture?
A hybrid work culture is when employees work remotely for some days in a week and come to the office on some days. Usually, companies implementing a hybrid work model work from the office for three days and two days from home.
Companies like Google and Amazon have implemented the above model. But, it is not the norm.
Many companies such as Cisco have no fixed office working days. Employees can come to the office whenever they want.
So, there is no standard definition of hybrid work culture. You have to figure out what works best for your team.
Read more: 31 Remote work tools for happy and productive employees
Lessons I have learned while creating a hybrid work culture
One thing I would like to address upfront is you will make mistakes while creating a hybrid work culture. You cannot find an impeccable balance in the first attempt. Therefore, it is important to set the expectations right first.
There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but you can definitely learn from the experiences of others.
Here are the five lessons I have learned from creating a hybrid work culture:
1. The purpose of coming to office needs to be redefined
The hybrid work culture was invented to tackle the most pressing challenges posed by remote working i.e. isolation and loneliness. Now the purpose of coming to the office will not be about supervising people. It will be more about providing a space to the employees where they can build connections and collaborate with co-workers.
“People are going to come into the office for engaging more with each other, rather than going out and getting work done in their cubicle.” — Jeetu Patel, Cisco’s executive vice president
The best way to make the most of office days is to devote them to activities that work better in person. For example, if you feel your team strategizes better in person than on video calls, you can keep the office days for such meetings that require innovation and discussions.
2. Older ways of working need to be changed
Hybrid work is much more complex than a simple combination of remote working and working from the office. You need to revisit all the policies and processes to ensure that they support the hybrid work culture. It applies to everything from onboarding new hires to performance reviews and training new talent.
From working in the office to remote working and now remote working to hybrid working, your entire organization is going through a cultural shock. You need to involve internal stakeholders and seek feedback from employees to create policies that support the newer ways of working.
To avoid confusion and bring clarity to how things will be executed in your company, it is very important to write down all the standard processes.
3. Mistakes will be made
Shifting to a hybrid working model is going to be challenging. Things that have worked in the office working may work in remote working. And strategies that have worked remotely may not work in the hybrid working model.
“Everybody being remote in the pandemic was actually a simpler problem to solve than hybrid work.” — Mr. Previn, CIO of Cisco
For example, you cannot watch remote employees all the time in remote working. So, the measure of productivity in remote working is not in terms of the time invested by the employees on the laptop, but in terms of the tasks completed in a given time.
Similarly, in remote working, you need daily Zoom meetings every day. But in hybrid working, you can cut down those daily team meetings and plan meetings when your team visits the office.
So, it will take time to find the right balance. The key will be to iterate and improve.
4. Make employees realize the importance of working from the office
If you switch from full-time remote working for a long time to a hybrid working model, believe me, there will be employees who are going to resist this. It is because they have become so comfortable working from home that they want to lose this freedom and flexibility. In that case, you have to make your employees realize the value of working from the office.
Wood, CEO of Groundswell, a corporate philanthropy company, says, “It is not about you. You might be able to execute your work on time and to standard in a remote environment. But what about your colleagues?”
He added, “Top performers raise the performance of those around them. This is severely degraded when those top performers (who are most capable of thriving remotely) work from home.”
5. Parity in treatment of the employees
There will always be a disparity in the employees who want to work from the office or work from home more. In that case, it is very important for a leader to ensure that all employees are given fair treatment. Those who come into the office more than others should not be seen as favorites. Or if some people are away from the office more, they should be involved in every decision.
You can use digital collaboration tools like ProofHub to ensure everyone participates in the team discussion. ProofHub provides you with a discussion board to facilitate and keep a record of conversations.
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How to create and sustain a hybrid work culture?
Certain things are a must-have to create and sustain a hybrid work culture. Here is how you can create and sustain a hybrid work culture:
1. Define policies
The first step to creating a hybrid work culture is you have to define how you are going to work, what will be the standards to measure performance, when employees are expected to be in the office, when they can work remotely, how they should connect, and so on.
The best way to define these policies is to involve internal key stakeholders and receive suggestions from the employees.
2. Invest in tools and technologies
Hybrid working is all about providing flexibility to the employees. You have to invest in the tools and technologies that facilitate employees’ work both from the office and the home.
For example, remote employees should have access to all the information that is accessible to the employees in the office. It may include creating an intranet where everyone can access the information.
Similarly, you need a centralized place where all the projects can be accessed. You can use project management software like ProofHub to make information available for both remote and office teams.
With ProofHub centralized task management, all the tasks are available in a single place. You can access information, share files, and collaborate with team members directly on tasks.
3. Write it down all the processes
If you do not want everyone to create their own version of hybrid working, it is best to write it down in all the processes. The documentation will help them understand what is expected of them. If they have any doubts, they can refer to the documentation at any time.
4. Have shared goals and values
If you want to sustain the hybrid work culture, leaders need to communicate to the employees what they stand for, what they are willing to do, and what they expect from their workforce. This gives employees a sense of common purpose, working together, and belonging to the company.
Without a clear understanding of common shared goals and values, it is hard to create a work culture and hold people accountable because it is the people who make the culture.
5. Communication and inclusivity is the key
No matter what model of hybrid working you adopt, communication and inclusivity is going to be the key to sustaining it. Regularly communicate updates to keep everyone informed. Whether your employees are working remotely or in the office, keep them involved and make sure they feel connected.
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Conclusion
Remote working has changed the way we work forever. Now, the corporate working model is more about the workforce, not the employers. This shift was long-awaited, the coronavirus pandemic just pushed it.
A hybrid work culture is all about finding a balance between employer and employee needs that is beneficial for both. With the right knowledge and practices, you can create a hybrid work culture that is designed for your team, sustainable, and beneficial.
