Designing hybrid models that boost company performance

Foster workplace diversity and ensure equity

In the new normal, leaders must ensure that equity and inclusion are real priorities. This is not just a hypothetical concern; in one study, workers were randomly assigned to work mostly from home or mostly in the office. After two years, those in the at-home group had a 50% lesser incidence of promotion compared to those who worked primarily in-office. Another study found that home and office workers were promoted at the same rates, but remote workers experienced lower salary growth than their office counterparts.

This suggests that if employees are given the choice to work from home or the office, it is likely that, over time, there will be disparities in both representation in leadership ranks and compensation. Before the pandemic, workers who requested flexibility were routinely stigmatized, as their leaders were mainly in the office. Managers will need to track how working remotely correlates with promotion and pay increases and factor diversity and inclusion into their hybrid models.

If left to individual preferences, there is a high likelihood that the choice to work from home is a function of the employee’s demographics. Many working parents, for instance, have enjoyed the newfound flexibility to fit childcare around work commitments. And for some people with disabilities or chronic health conditions, the option to work remotely has been desired for years. Minority staff want to spend more time working remotely, freeing them from “microaggressions” and enabling them to be their authentic selves.

On the other hand, many younger employees find working from home isolating, and organizations of ten find it difficult to onboard new colleagues in a remote setting. This suggests that employers who want to build diverse and equitable workforces should be cautious about forcing people back to the office full-time. Leaders must also ensure that equal opportunities are upheld across demographic groups.

Rethink office spaces to attract and retain talent

If office time is reserved for more teamwork, then the design of physical office space will have to change. In the past, some companies created “open-plan offices” to enable people todo their individual work, and meeting rooms for collaboration.

This model will likely be reversed to facilitate hybrid working, with more open spaces for collaboration and private rooms for individual work. Collaboration will demand flexible arrangements, whiteboards, and other collaboration tools as well as enhanced videoconferencing equipment, especially for “multi-modal” meetings, when some are at home and others in the office.

Establish boundaries and encourage employees to recharge

If hybrid work is the future, companies must establish the right workforce policies to ensure that everyone feels supported. Many remote workers struggle with fatigue under heavy workloads, find they can not switch off at home, and face uncertainty over their job or performance.

While a perk for some people, remote work is a burden for many others. Two-thirds of employees have reported experiencing burnout symptoms while working remotely, with employees bound to endless Zoom calls and work emails.

More generally, the pandemic has underscored the need for good employee wellbeing policies. Some remote workers feel isolated and excluded, which can breed feelings of disconnection, erode engagement and corrode culture. Others have thrived away from the distractions of open-plan offices, politicking, and micromanagement.

In response to these developments, many companies have hosted talks from wellbeing experts, conducted group meditation and mindfulness sessions, and provided resilience coaching and virtual meetups. Managers must be trained to tune into the energy level of their teams, and respond to those needs to boost wellbeing levels in the workforce.

Managers also need to encourage employees to recharge and lead by example in doing so themselves. This might include taking entire days off, having meeting-free days, or facilitating regular breaks to encourage staff to leave their homes and exercise in the daylight.

Final thoughts

Finding the best way of working will take a great deal of experimentation. The right answers will vary depending on the specific context of each business unit and function. Organizations should monitor the impact of their policies through regular employee surveys and assessments of workloads to understand whether the implemented hybrid model is delivering productivity, wellbeing, and inclusion.

Those leaders who succeed in establishing this sort of balanced and fair working pattern are likely to discover how beneficial an engaged, empowered, and fulfilled workforce can be as they emerge from the COVID crisis.