*Trends & Next Steps* Jabra Hybrid Ways of Working 2021 Global Report
The puzzle of hybrid work poses one of the greatest management challenges of modern times.
Capitalizing on the benefits of flexible and remote work, while re-utilizing the office as a renewed resource is a complex problem to solve in order to enable an equitable workforce. Hybrid itself is not a remedy; there will be a spectrum of implementation, and it is up to leaders to align and evangelize healthy practices that work for a specific company in order to foster high performing teams of individuals.
While each organization needs to consider its unique needs to optimize hybrid work productivity, standardizing these practices such that they meet the unique complexity of each employee’s hybrid working preferences is a challenge. Threading the hybrid needle will require new leadership perspectives built on the insight of knowledge-worker preferences and viewpoints.
Leadership > Leadership Trends > Organizations must communicate clear principles, but will suffer from policies
Much of the complexity for management lies in designing return to the office policies that maintain employee autonomy and flexibility while still encouraging ways to bring people together for meaningful activities.
Three in four knowledge workers say they have concerns around a hybrid work future (74%), but most of the reasons driving this come down to sound leadership and communication practices.
have concerns around a hybrid-work future
While knowledge workers are seeking clear guidance on company-wide expectations for hybrid work, they still desire flexibility and autonomy to make individual decisions on how best to get their jobs done.
Majorities believe managers can make a hybrid work environment as comfortable as possible by allowing team members to set their own schedule (65%), instead of holding standard 9-to-5 working hours (35%).
A similar percentage would prefer that management allows team members to come into the office when they need to and work from home when they need to (61%), over setting “in office” and “at home” days each week for the team (39%).
The majority also see a path forward for companies to solve these complex issues, most notably with simple steps, such as establishing clear guidelines on when to go into the office and setting clear expectations for communications and reporting.
Rather than setting formal policies in place, leadership should focus on creating high-trust environments in which principles and guidelines are communicated, making expectations clear for employees while allowing them to retain autonomy and maximize their flexible working arrangements.
Leadership > Leadership Trends > Companies that consult employees will win in the long run
Throughout the pandemic, leading organizations have communicated more consistently with their employees, and equally listened to the input and feedback from managers and teams undergoing the transition to remote work.
Now, as the shift to hybrid is implemented, 86% of employees think that careful work guidelines are needed for an equitable hybrid workplace. Considering the opinions of multiple stakeholder groups can be a complex process, but 85% of all knowledge workers we surveyed would value consultation before implementing any hybrid working practices. Companies that consult with employees are likely to see more success in hybrid. And even if they don’t agree with all of them, consulting with employees will lead to higher satisfaction with new practices and broader buy-in and adoption into hybrid ways of working.
Leadership > Leadership Trends > Leaders have overconfidence in hybrid preparedness
Employees have low confidence in their organization’s ability to navigate this space: 66% say they need help. Three in four employees are concerned about hybrid, largely tying to poor communications practices and an unequal playing field, and only 20% think their organization is very prepared for hybrid.
When segmenting confidence and preparedness in shifting to hybrid work, C-Suite and senior management also have higher confidence in their readiness for hybrid, compared to employees. Employees were 11% more likely than C-Suite to say that their organizations were not at all prepared for the shift to hybrid. Conversely, only 53% of employees think that their organization is prepared for hybrid, compared to 74% of C-Suite leaders.
Leadership > Leadership Trends > For organizations to thrive, they need hybrid
Hybrid working models can benefit company growth from two main angles. When thinking about return to the office policies, 59% of the global workforce have said they wouldn’t work for a company that required them to come into the office five days a week and 63% of millennials have already considered changing jobs for an employer that has hybrid working options.
Organizations with hybrid models can recruit talent from a broader geographic catchment area, while those looking to mandate a full-time return to the office will be geographically limited by office proximities and have access to only 41% of the talent pool within that very limited range.
