Is your Organization ready to be a Hybrid workplace?

This pandemic has thrown a wrench into how most organizations are doing business and how their employees are getting work done. 

A typical work week for most people used to be, drive to work, put in your full day in the office and then head home when work was done. 

Now we are seeing a number of variations of a work week.  Some are working entirely from home with no commute, others work a few days in the office and a few days at home, and while others are working part days in the office and part days from home. 

As we navigate through this pandemic it has caused our workplaces to be flexible and as accommodating as it can be to meet the needs of the business as well as doing what it can to keep workers safe and healthy.

 The question on many people’s minds is:

Will this way of working change how our workplaces will function in the future post pandemic?

All evidence is pointing to a definite yes. 

This pandemic has taught our organizations and employees some important lessons. Many have learned:

1. How organizations and employees are more malleable that they ever thought possible. 

   According to a study done by McKinsey Global Survey , many companies that responded to the survey said their companies acted 40 more quickly than they thought possible prior to the pandemic to make changes so their employees could work remotely.

2. That all levels of employees from Senior Management to front line employees are more cognizant of the health and wellbeing of each other.

   Recent studies and reports that the continuous work from home has resulted in increased stress, anxiety, and feeling of isolation among employees, affecting their mental and physical health increasing disengagement. The Employee Wellbeing Trends for 2021 by Thrive Global indicates that the health and wellness of employees have a direct impact on an organization’s productivity.

3. It takes attention and concentrated efforts on the wellbeing of employees from mental health to financial wellness to continue to operate.

   Financial stress results in a 34% increase in absenteeism and tardiness according to SHRM’s article, Employees’ Financial Issues affect their job performance.

4. The need for the organization to rewrite business strategy playbooks in order to survive and thrive while shaking up the way business is done.

   Many industries have been forced to reevaluate their current strategies and rethink what is going to work through the stop and start recovery of the Covid-19 challenges. This type of challenge has created the need for resilient leadership and how to focus on business recovery from the challenges of Covid-19.

All of the flexibility and forced need for change has no doubly changed the course of how we will do business in the future. 

How we structure our workplaces to get the work done will be an area that will need further consideration in order to change for the better as we continue to navigate and not only work through this pandemic but also post pandemic.

All of these changes are impacting the organizational culture and the need to consider a “hybrid workplace”. 

A recent survey by Gensler, found that the majority of workers prefer a hybrid model.

If you or your organization are considering developing a hybrid model for getting the work done, consider these questions:

1. What is the nature of each of your employees work and the tasks that they are required to do?  How can they fit this model?

2. As a hybrid model, it is not a one size fits all model.  As you look to consider how your hybrid model will look, the key is flexibility.  Consider the personalities of your employees.  Some work better in the office environment where others prefer to work remote to get their work done.  What do each of your employees prefer and can their preferences fit into the hybrid model?

3. What is the experience level of your employees to successfully perform their work?  This is important to consider as you look at this type of model.  If an employee is recently promoted or hired into the organizations they may need to be in the office for some time working closely with their supervisor for guidance and support. While others may be quite tenured and able to perform their duties with no problem remotely with random times in the office.

4. If you are concerned about the impact on the culture of your organization by moving to a hybrid model, ask yourself this, is the culture you have right now the right culture for the future and new hybrid model?

There is no doubt that our organizations and our workers will have to continue to navigate this pandemic. 

We are best to continue doing what we can to mitigate our risks, protect our health and wellbeing of ourselves and those around us while positioning our organizations and workplaces for a successful transition post pandemic.