Five ways hybrid isn’t working
The new world of hybrid isn’t as simple as just offering ‘augmented work’: more freedom to be at home and access virtual tech. It means a mix of staff with different experiences and routines who are trying to work alongside each other. It changes the whole dynamic between leaders, managers and line reports.
Evidence from the new workplaces suggests people are:
- Worrying about the hybrid deal: why are colleagues in some roles (or working for competitors in the same market) getting the chance to work remotely and flexibly and others not? And there’s an issue of details - why do some have the option of five days and others only two? On the other side of the argument, there are now growing numbers of employees who would prefer to be in the office but aren’t being given the option. Gartner research claims only 57% of employees say their organisation’s culture ‘embraces flexible work’.
- Feeling left out: hybrid means many more conversations involve a mix of staff in a meeting room and those who are joining via a video call. This leads to a very different experience for participants. Remote workers are left wondering about the chats that are going on before and after. The little jokes they don’t feel part of. Who’s going to be meeting up over lunch later to talk more. In its report, Is remote work sustainable? RingCentral found nearly half of employees struggled with group work during the pandemic period; more than half felt their employer did not make significant attempts to help them collaborate remotely .
- Anxious about being less visible: there’s a growing sense of disconnection from being away from the office. Out of sight, out of mind. Will line managers naturally prefer to give projects to the team members they physically see more of, and therefore also be more likely to think of them when it comes to promotions? There’s already a base of evidence from the Office for National Statistics that this happens.
- At greater risk of overworking: work and home lives are blurred and that leads to both more ‘always on’ working and presenteeism — with the laptop open, but feeling distracted. Last year a survey among business professionals working remotely found 53% felt overworked, 39% ‘exhausted’.
- Relying too much on technology: there’s an assumption among managers that as long as people have the right software packages, working broadband and regular video catch-ups then their job is done [[https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/what-is-work-really-like-today-leaders-and-employees-see-things-differently]]. All the issues above share the same common root — that sticking to the old ways in terms of management and leadership won’t work.
Each of these is a problem that can and will be overcome. It’s a matter of which leaders and which organisations get there first. Who is going to be first to get the most from all the benefits that come from good virtual working and a good platform of hybrid. Who are going to be the hybrid heroes? They’ll be the ones able to demonstrate genuine integration and inclusion; a new brand of workforce where there’s a real sense of health and wellbeing, feeding into stronger engagement and productivity; an employer brand with a halo effect from its hybrid offer and commitment to sustainability.
Dr Ghislaine Caulat, Founder, VLA.
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