During 2020 a lot of companies had to make the switch from offline work to online work within a small amount of time. How to make this switch effective and boost work performance were common challenges companies had to face. Moving into 2021, the pandemic is less dangerous and that shifted the discussion from working completely online to some form of a hybrid model where employees can work two or three days from home. A problem arising from the combination of both online and offline is how do companies effectively manage the relationship between remote and in-person employees at their current office space?
Leadership
Running a hybrid model successfully starts with the right leadership style that is required. The way of working changed over the last year and it would be strange to see no change in the way management leads the company and their employees. The pre-COVID leadership style does not suit the post-COVID leadership style anymore. Too much has changed in a short amount of time. All companies require a leader that has trust in their employees when it comes to results. Employees do not require someone who is constantly looking over making sure their work is done properly and in time. The trust part should be enough to see good results and therefore it does not matter how many hours someone spends to get the results needed.
Consistent experience
Although there are many advantages within the hybrid model, companies have to be aware that remote workers are not pushed into second-class employees. Companies should try to value remote and in-person employees the same, by providing every experience they have at the same level. This could be done by, for instance, prioritizing all communication through an online environment. By doing so, companies are not counting out the remote employees. So, every meeting has to be through one’s own computer and not having half of the employees in a room and the other half on a big screen somewhere in a corner of the meeting hall. If companies decide to do this, the experience for both is not the same and remote working might feel less valued.
In conclusion, effectively managing the relationship between remote and in-person employees requires a new form of leadership, whilst delivering a consistent experience for both. A lot of testing out has to be done, but eventually, it will benefit the company and its employees in multiple ways.
Griffis, H (2021). What is a hybrid work model, and how do we make it work? Builtin. https://builtin.com/remote-work/hybrid-work-model
Roggeveen, J (2021). De hybride werkplek is de toekomst, wat biedt het jou? Dutch IT-Channel. https://dutchitchannel.nl/678855/de-hybride-werkplek-is-de-toekomst-wat-biedt-het-jou.html
Hi Freek, very interesting insight on an up-to-date topic! I agree with you on the point that there is a need for a new form of leadership. I am also curious about what the role of the new kinds of employee monitoring software that are currently being developed will be. I also wonder how companies are going to manage this change and how they are going to decide what is the best way forward for them and their workers. However, I honestly do not think that a 38-hour work week where the presence of the workers is expected 5 days a week will be common practice anymore. Did you also read that PwC offers their employees in the US full-time remote work? Do you think that this is a desirable development? Either way, I think it is an inevitable one..