When the great pivot to remote work happened in 2020, many companies had to scramble to ensure that their teams were equipped to work outside the office. The approach of 2020 was centered around technology—rolling out apps and tools to enable people to get work done. The process wasn’t without hiccups, but it did mostly meet the needs of the 2020 workforce.
Now, however, companies have to face new realities about how work gets done. Employees consistently say they want flexibility in their work arrangements, and hybrid work is likely to be around for a long time. But equipping your team for a temporary situation is a very different challenge than supporting their arrangements long-term.
As leaders everywhere confront the new hybrid work world, now is a good time to think about how to shape the future of your workforce for the long term. Here are five things to think about as you approach the new hybrid work environment:
5 Considerations for Work in a Hybrid Environment
1. Think About Long-Term Strategies that Include Hybrid Work
Sometimes within executive leadership, there is an entrenched idea that work is a location, not an activity. Current strategies might reveal that leaders have not yet integrated hybrid work realities into their outlooks. As you look at strategic goals beyond the pandemic, be sure to include hybrid work models in your thinking and planning. Don’t assume that everyone will return to the workforce models of 2019.
2. Give Your Managers and Their Teams Wide Latitude
Your managers know their direct reports better than you do. Their direct reports might need to accommodate the needs of school-aged children, or they might have a team that’s dispersed across many time zones. Let them work directly with their own teams to define work arrangements that accommodate as many needs as possible while maintaining productivity.
3. SUpport – and listen to – Your Human Resources Staff
While HR doesn’t always know every employee’s personal situation, they do tend to have insight into overall personnel needs and employee satisfaction. Trust these professionals to ask the right questions of staff, analyze surveys, and return solid information to senior leaders about how to keep the team happy in the new work environment. Ask the HR staff what support they need from senior leaders. From formal hybrid work policies to the varying laws and regulations of different geographies to onboarding hybrid employees, the human resources team must manage a lot of different needs and requirements. Actively supporting the HR staff as they set standards for the future can help reduce the risk of overwhelm.
4. Don’t Neglect Leadership Challenges
Hybrid work is not a cure for leadership challenges; if anything, the complexity of the hybrid environment will reveal them. Leaders who struggled in the past will likely struggle more, and team conflicts that were easy to hide in an in-person environment may be more obvious. Don’t assume that just because you can’t see the challenges, they aren’t happening.
5. Ask the Employees
It may seem obvious, but don’t forget to ask your employees what they want. Although broad surveys indicate a desire for remote and hybrid work, your team may crave more in-person interaction. For positions where some hands-on work is still necessary, ask employees if they want some form of flexible work model, and allow them to give input.
The future of work may include hybrid work models, but it doesn’t have to be shaped by the same emergency approach that characterized 2020. As we move past pandemic-era thinking, leaders should take the time to shape the future of work for long-term growth and productivity.
For a more detailed dive into Stewart Leadership’s approach to the hybrid work future, download our white paper, “Back to the Future of Work: How to Embrace the New World of Work.”
