The Hybrid Work Revolution: Challenges and Opportunities
Four years after the pandemic accelerated the shift to remote work, the evolution of hybrid work is still in its infancy. While opinions are divided, the majority of employees are satisfied with this new arrangement. Working partially from home has become a fundamental criterion for staying or leaving a job.
However, in the upper echelons of companies, a harsh reality is acknowledged by all: there are significant problems with this formula, particularly when it comes to productivity. Many leaders lack the technology and/or training to work effectively with team members in different locations, hindering innovation.
Experience has shown that top-level workers, those who set the rules for hybrid work, struggle the most with this type of schedule. Working in such an environment can be more challenging for leaders who supervise numerous team members if they don't have good systems in place to evaluate productivity. It can also be difficult to work with multiple departments if suitable communication tools are not available.
This state of affairs indicates that we have not yet reached the ideal state of functioning effectively in a hybrid work environment. The current situation is not the perfect formula for making everyone happy and allowing for quality work. Even increasing the number of days spent working in the office is not necessarily the solution to overcoming the difficulties associated with this type of work organization. Several studies have confirmed the benefits of hybrid work, suggesting that three days in the office and two days at home is the formula that has improved performance, satisfaction, and employee retention compared to a full week in the office.
To better adapt, leaders must rethink the way work is done and familiarize themselves with new measures of productivity and success. Productivity measurement must be tailored to each organization. The principle is to achieve goals through cross-functional collaboration initiatives rather than focusing solely on team achievements.
To improve team work within hybrid teams, decision-makers should also focus more on empowerment and training with the right resources, tools, and expectations. In practice, this is far from the truth. What is the proportion of employees who have received adequate training in hybrid collaboration? The result is that we find companies where the basics of communication tools, best practices for hybrid meetings, and how to work effectively with colleagues, whether in the office or remotely, are completely absent. This is a significant challenge that conditions the success of HR policies and directly affects companies' financial performance. Not to be underestimated.