I have some bad news for those forcing a return to in-person: the world is already hybrid first
Read 15 lessons I learned about remote work at an event in London
Hello. Today I send you the second post about my learning at the Remote Working Expo 2023 in March in London. For those who missed the first one, here it is. Important: No edition of No Direction Home will be published on Friday —a well-deserved break for Easter.
The most significant takeaway is that the workplace is already becoming hybrid. Therefore, reverting to 100% in-person work is going against the current. Companies that fail to adapt risk losing their best employees —83% say they must try to retain their top talents. Looking ahead, 60% of IT professionals predict the workplace will be hybrid by 2030.
It’s a hybrid world (survey with execs and large enterprises)
*APAC refers to Asia-Pacific
2. Interestingly, people spend the least time in the office on Monday (no one wants to wake up early at the start of the week) and Friday (when people are eager to kick off their weekend).
Have you got that Friday feeling? Specific days required to be in an office
Having more than five video calls a day can be quite exhausting. In a hybrid setup, we need to minimize meetings and only have them when necessary.
How often do you have a video call for work purposes?
As I often say in this newsletter, some people enjoy working from home while others don't. And that's perfectly understandable. I can relate to why some people feel more productive, but I also understand those who feel less effective. That's why the post-pandemic world needs to give people the autonomy to bring out the best in themselves.
Why do you feel more productive working from home?
Why do you feel less productive when working at home?
Not only remote onboarding needs improvement. About 30% of employees working in a hybrid model feel disconnected from their colleagues and the company. Furthermore, one-third of employees working in a hybrid model are dissatisfied with their current experience. Therefore, today's business tools must match the current reality and meet employees' needs on various human-factor levels.
The dichotomy of "culture x wellbeing" is still a dilemma for companies: 69% say the culture of organizations will be less intense as more employees work at home. This is not entirely true. I have worked with purely remote colleagues who had much more of the company culture than others who had been there for years. And as a friend says, paying them well is the best way to get an employee into the company culture.
It's important to shift away from the "us vs. them" mentality regarding in-person and remote work. All employees are equally important to the company, and communication needs to be clear and compelling. It is the responsibility of managers to lead by example and ensure that communication is appropriately established. Leaders need to adapt to this new reality and understand that the "out of sight, out of mind" perspective is no longer applicable.
The company needs to learn how to effectively use asynchronous communication to take advantage of the benefits of having collaborations from anywhere. While it may be okay to have occasional team alignment meetings with people worldwide, doing it frequently can be exhausting and unproductive. A collaborative mindset and using project management apps and tools are essential to overcome this challenge.
The fear of remote work leading to decreased productivity is unnecessary. Today, analytics can measure everything, allowing for even better parameters than when only in-person work was available.
Three of four companies will likely create new meeting spaces or consolidate offices. This is essential because even if the company is 100% in-person, the rest of the world won't be, and many virtual meetings and coffee chats will always happen. Having suitable spaces is crucial to facilitate these interactions.
“New hybrid arrangements should never replicate existing bad practices” — Professor Lynda Gratton, London Business School.
11. Building data security to remote work is crucial: 86% of executives consider it indispensable. In fact, many of the talks at the Remote Working Expo focused on data security, although they were more technical.
12. There are five main technological concerns that employees face.
a) Tecno-overload: too much information and multi-tasking.
b) Techno-uncertainty: work and technology changes are too fast to keep up with.
c) Techno-complexity: people find their technology too complex and intimidating.
d) Techno-invasion: Pressure to be constantly available.
e) Techno-insecurity: people feel insecure in their job.The problem of the future will not be that we cannot connect —it will be that we cannot disconnect. Kevin Kelly, Wired.
This is amazing. Location preferences have changed significantly. Home is the desire of about 60% in post-pandemic, while before 80% were inclined to work from offices.
More numbers showing that the world is hybrid first.
Just 6% of employees desire to work entirely in-office going forward
Remote/hybrid employees are 22% happier than workers in an onsite office enviromnent and stayed in their jobs longer than full-time counterparts
87% said they would not accept a role that required them to work in corporate office from nite to five, five days a week
54% said they would likely look for another job if they were made to return to the office full-time
50% of Gen Z and 68% of millenials said hybrid workplace flexibility is a priority for them
62% say they feel more productive in a remote work environment
15. Pillar of success of hybrid work: Autonomy + resources + trust
In conclusion, problems must be faced. Hybrid is not perfect. But as iPWC highlighted, stress and turnover intentions impact organizational performance whether remote or in the office. The problem is the workplace at all, not the way of working.
