Hybrid Work is Not a One Size Fits All

In the last three years, many organizations have been challenged to balance the need to return to the office while managing employees’ well-being, including the flexibility of working from home. The debate over if one is more productive than the other continues. In a recent HR Conference I attended, hybrid work sprouted to the top as an ongoing obstacle in my conversations, leaving HR professionals lost, looking for answers and best practices to bring back.

Leaders struggle to decide what is best for the organization, which really shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, leaders hold different values and perspectives about work and what defines productivity is vastly different. The majority of what is being presented in research shows hybrid work is here to stay, although even if this is accepted as the truth, it doesn’t wipe away the challenge that still exists: What is the right balance? I don’t have an answer, as I feel every organization has many factors that will determine the right model for them; however, the highlights below are what I hope leaders can reflect upon when trying to magically create this balance.

Productivity Is Not Measured by Where You Work but How You Work

"Talent Is Hard To Find, So When You Have Someone Struggling With Hybrid Work Decisions, Just Remember How Much You Can Potentially Lose If They Decide To Walk Out The Door And Not Feel Heard Versus How Much You Can Gain If You Put Intentional Effort Into Addressing Their Emotions"

We all know those people who will take advantage of doing less when they can. But luckily, those types of folks are the minority. Most of the people I have ever worked with are true professionals who not only produce quality work, wherever the work may be but overwork themselves. To think that bringing people together into an office will increase productivity is a flawed assumption. Instead, the shift needs to be on the purpose of why we need to bring people together. Sure, some will defend face-to-face in the office for the purpose of teaming, collaboration, brainstorming, and building meaningful connections. I don’t disagree, yet I challenge the need to do this five days a week. When I go into the office, my energy level rises by having conversations over coffee and lunch, which provides a great sense of connection to others; while holding meetings to talk through a challenge or brainstorm a complex system or process does the brain good. When it comes time to go home, I am drained, and luckily for me, my drive home isn’t too long. For the days I stay home, I get energy by being able to concentrate without distraction on my strategic thinking pieces, my data analysis, and other administrative or leadership duties that come along during the day. I still have virtual meetings, but I am not wasting time running from one room to another just to take these calls. In both cases, I would say I am productive, but in different ways.

It’s a Choice in the End for the Organization and the Employee

Some may disagree with my belief that organizations need to decide on hybrid work and not leave it vague. When I say decide, I mean to determine a framework or guideline. It could be the decision to leave it up to each manager to decide, force a certain number of days, or determine frequency by role type. Factors such as these will depend on the organization, but the point is that companies need to provide direction. Without this, what happens is that employees start to experience differential treatment, and that is enough to cause further decay for teams. Remember, you will never please every employee, and you never could even before hybrid became a hot topic, so don’t let this get in the way. The caveat is this: although the organization needs to make a choice, your decisions will also lead the way for employees to choose if they belong. If you work for an organization that offers flexible work arrangements, then I say ensure to get to know your people, trust their work ethic and respect their way of working.

People Are Not Products. Their Emotions Matter

We hear it everywhere we turn; CEOs and leaders constantly praise the fact that their people are the company’s greatest asset. Really? Is that so? Companies invest so much time, effort, and money into an amazing product or service because growth is key. Easy to market, all based on facts, testing, and user experience may vary but usually not that much. But people and hybrid work, it’s difficult to market a side because the facts and effects of the situation vary tremendously from one person to another. The difference is that products themselves have no emotions, but people do; thus empathy becomes critical. If people are a company’s greatest asset, then leaders need to invest time, sharpen their listening skills, apply their coaching skills and care for their people. This isn’t easy by any means, but necessary. Address and acknowledge what stressors may be playing out for these individuals and even if the decision does not play in their favor, support them in other flexible ways possible. Talent is hard to find, so when you have someone struggling with hybrid work decisions, just remember how much you can potentially lose if they decide to walk out the door and not feel heard versus how much you can gain if you put intentional effort into addressing their emotions.

In the end, there is no cookie-cutter, one size fits all solution here. I really wish people would stop stressing about finding one. It probably would make more sense to use the time to take risks and try a few alternatives or ways to approach this hybrid challenge your organization is facing and see where it takes you. Learn from it, pivot and continue to address concerns with confidence, knowing there is no right answer or perfect solution.