{"id":47009,"date":"2023-09-22T07:13:51","date_gmt":"2023-09-22T11:13:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/?p=47009"},"modified":"2023-09-21T09:39:12","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T13:39:12","slug":"essential-tips-for-navigating-the-messy-middle-of-hybrid-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/blog\/essential-tips-for-navigating-the-messy-middle-of-hybrid-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Essential Tips For Navigating the \u201cMessy Middle\u201d Of Hybrid Work"},"content":{"rendered":"
Hybrid work is emerging as a winner for workers and organizations alike.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s just one problem: Hybrid work<\/a> is most definitely a \u201cmessy middle,\u201d forcing companies to navigate numerous complexities in an attempt to find an arrangement that works for everyone.<\/p>\n Why go through the hassle? A recent Stanford study<\/a> by economist Nick Bloom found that most employees prefer hybrid work<\/a>, valuing flexibility as much as an eight percent increase in pay. Their top reasons for wanting some office time include socializing, collaboration and better boundaries around work.<\/strong><\/p>\n Organizations that go hybrid see benefits too, including lower attrition and increased productivity compared to fully remote or fully in-office setups.<\/p>\n Unlike fully remote or fully in-person work, hybrid organizations have a lot of gray areas to navigate.<\/p>\n How often will employees be on site? How will that be enforced? Will there be a strict delineation between what work is completed at home and what\u2019s saved for the office? How will a hybrid setup impact the design and size of the office space? These are only a few of the questions leaders are grappling with as they try to figure out hybrid work.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s impossible to say one size fits all in this world of hybrid work, especially for an industry like ours that has a large and diverse workforce,\u201d says Jadine Riley, executive director of workforce strategy at Providence, a national not-for-profit healthcare system. \u201cFor us, the needs are very different based on which part of our system you\u2019re looking at. For some caregivers (employees), virtual work isn\u2019t possible, while for others, it makes a whole lot of sense. It\u2019s been essential to provide clarity around our flexible work model so people understand the guardrails and intention behind our hybrid philosophy.\u201d<\/p>\n Although there\u2019s no one-size-fits-all for hybrid work, common themes emerge when talking to leaders about how their organizations are figuring out the puzzle. These include:<\/p>\n Hybrid work demands clarity around how often, when and why you need employees in the office.<\/strong> Even if your organization isn\u2019t mandating a strict number of days in the office, employees need to understand the intent behind the organization\u2019s hybrid policies and flexible work arrangements so they can operate confidently within those guardrails.<\/p>\n This is especially true for large organizations like Providence, where some teams have a greater ability to work remotely than others and discretion is often left up to team managers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to make sure our remote work policies feel consistent and that decisions made by each leader are transparent,\u201d Riley says. \u201cA lot of it is driven by the nature of work. However, when leaders are assessing suitable work settings for their teams, it is important for them to consider implementing solutions that further our commitment to human connection while providing the flexibility our caregivers need to maintain balance in life.\u201d<\/p>\n Team norms are also important. It can be helpful for teams to understand when they should aim to be available, how quickly they\u2019re expected to respond to messages, and so forth. The goal isn\u2019t to shackle employees with rules but rather to give them some guidelines to operate within while they take advantage of flexible work.<\/strong><\/p>\n In the era of remote and hybrid work, visibility can no longer be a hallmark of productivity. Leaders need to understand how to set actionable benchmarks for employees and measure success based on outcomes, not hours worked or how often employees appear to be online.<\/p>\nThe Many Complexities of Hybrid Work<\/h2>\n
Tips For Navigating the \u201cMessy Middle\u201d of Hybrid Work<\/h2>\n
Communicate clear guidelines.<\/h3>\n
Train leaders in new ways of measuring productivity.<\/h3>\n