Hybrid working and how to please everyone
Hybrid work can mean a lot of things to different people, but what actually works?
What may suit you as the employer may not always work for your people, and what if everyone in your team wants something different?
Today's employees expect more flexibility and more options, and post-pandemic activity has proven that there is no right answer.
It’s about finding the right balance for an organisation as a whole. For a team to function cohesively, there must be compromise, understanding and the desire to try out new ways of working.
Key benefits of hybrid working for the employer
Increased diversity: Remote work widens your talent pool.
Increased engagement: Flexibility allows people to make work work for them and find the perfect work-life balance.
Increased retention: A flexible and accommodating work environment will attract great talent.
Cost savings: Less people in the office leads to a reduction in costs for office space and utilities.
How are other organisations doing it?
Hybrid work is not one-size-fits-all. It’s also not likely to be a permanent organisational policy.
It’s a fluid agreement that has the capacity to evolve over time, depending on the demands of your organisation and the needs of your team. It’s about compromise, balance and the willingness to try new approaches.
When working successfully, hybrid work will contribute to a great employee experience that can be promoted as an effective employer value proposition.
Unilever was awarded 2022 Best Place to Work by AFR Boss. The organisation made flexible employment options a future of work goal, breaking the employment mould and giving people the option to choose how they would like to work. Unilever’s approach concentrates on what their people produce, not where and how they work.
Their work models consist of U-Work, where people are given the freedom associated with contract roles with the security and benefit of permanent work. Employees do not have a fixed role, instead working on set assignments. The other option is U-Renew, similar to a paid working sabbatical. These employees have the security of a role with the opportunity to study and undertake work experience.
The Financial Review interviewed a number of top CEOs in Australia to find out where they stand regarding hybrid work. The common theme in everyone’s approach was that it was a process of collaboration. The answer relied on balancing the needs of everyone from the top down in order to maximise the productivity of the workforce as a whole.
“Our flexible working policy provides a framework for employees to work with their leaders and teams to find the right balance of in-office and remote working. This balance is different for each individual and team. We empower our people to work in ways that optimise efficiency and effectiveness. We think this improves employee engagement, retention and wellbeing. Employees in our office environment can adopt flexible start and finish times to help balance personal needs.”
– Meg O’Neill, Woodside
The challenges of hybrid working
Hybrid work comes with its fair share of challenges. The Harvard Business Review discusses how regularly assessing the 5Cs checklist can help overcome them.
Communication: Find ways to maintain strong lines of communication. Virtual meetings on Zoom or similar have been found to create a barrier for some, with introverted personalities more likely to shy away from speaking up.
Offering different channels and the opportunity to provide private feedback and checking in regularly will ensure your team are happy and not holding back any potential issues.
Coordination: With the office environment shifting on a daily basis, team dynamics can change. People may miss important conversations, and this could cause a glitch in process or impact output.
Fostering strong working relationships may take a little more effort when the team is disconnected physically, which highlights the importance of effective communication.
Creativity: Collaborating with team members boosts creativity, and brainstorming leads to new ideas. While working in the same office can offer more opportunities to throw around ideas, inspiration can come from anywhere.
Having the space to think outside of the office environment may help to encourage creativity and innovation.
Culture: Work culture is determined organically and founded on a positive employee experience. Happy, healthy people who are optimistic about their workplace will attract others to join the team.
A hybrid work environment means that as an employer, you must understand what your people need to fulfill their roles to the best of their abilities. If you understand and fuel their drive, they will be more likely to invest in your organisation.
How the hybrid working model can work for everyone
Psychology Today outlines ways to integrate the hybrid working model at your organisation.
Set clear expectations, objectives, tasks and deadlines, and have the means to measure performance.
Promote a healthy work-life balance by providing boundaries and guidelines, like when to use your ‘out of office’ bounceback message, or turn your notifications off.
Conduct regular one-on-one check-ins and performance evaluations.
Make sure your people have the necessary resources and support to fulfill their roles.
The Heart approach
As a business, we made a decision in 2022 to only work on roles that offer hybrid working.
For the type of talent and jobs we work with, 100% office-based roles won’t attract top talent. It’s that simple.
Beyond attracting talent, employers who don’t offer hybrid flexibility run the risk of a drop in engagement and a negative impact on their employer value proposition and employer brand.
For more insights on how to foster a great work environment, check out the Heart Talent blog.