How to Get Remote and Hybrid Working Right
Getting remote or hybrid working right is one of the challenges and the most pressing questions that organisations are grappling with. While nearly all of us have likely implemented some type of remote working policies – we are also probably wondering if they are the ‘right’ policies. Are they helping us keep our employees engaged, involved, productive?
While we hope that our remote working policies are effective and are helping our teams and organisations be successful, productive, innovative, and efficient, proving it and validating that they are working the way we intended is often a big question.
Professor Nick Bloom speaking at the Insight222 Global Executive Retreat 2023 in Colorado, USA
Professor Nick Bloom (William Eberle Professor of Economics, Stanford University) recently presented at Insight222’s Global Executive Retreat 2023 – where he drew from his extensive research to discuss the profound impact of remote and hybrid work on the world of work. He explored its implications for employee productivity, the impact of hybrid working from a financial perspective, and a wealth of other topics.
As a ‘fully remote’ worker myself (as I have been for over ten years now), Nick’s work resonated and highlighted some important issues for consideration. It also posed some very good questions for the People Analytics experts out there – as we think through the impact of hybrid working at our own organisations.
The Rise in Working from Home is Permanent
As a fan of studying history (and an equally big fan of online shopping), Nick’s research on the history of working from home was fascinating. While historically, work-from-home rates plodded along and were generally very low (less than 5% of us) – the pandemic significantly accelerated the work-from-home trend – increasing work-from-home rates the equivalent of 40 years of pre-pandemic growth all at once!
While working from home accelerated – so did retail spending online (it certainly did in my household!). But as the pandemic lessened and shoppers returned to actual stores, online spending returned to expected levels. In contrast, Nick’s research shows that the rise in work-from-home has stabilised at about five times its pre-pandemic value (about 28% of us). In other words, while the rise in shopping was temporary – working from home in a hybrid workplace manner looks like it is here to stay!
And what is compelling is that many employees really appreciate hybrid working. Nick’s research supports that employees like hybrid working as much as an average pay rise of 8%! Employees seem to be happier and feel more productive in a hybrid working situation (especially if they have a long commute).
Making the Most of Hybrid Work
So, if hybrid working is here to stay and employees appreciate it – what is the best way to get employees to come to the office and remain productive? Whether your hybrid working policy requires two or, three or even four days in the office a week – Nick suggests some tangible steps you can take to make sure employees remain engaged (and come into the office).
First, make sure that you coordinate the days that employees come to the office. Rather than just mandating a certain number of days a week – specifically schedule the exact days to ensure that all employees are on-site. Nick’s research supports that employees come to the office primarily to socialise with co-workers and for face-to-face collaboration. If there is no set schedule, employees may be more resistant to coming to the office as they just aren’t sure if their colleagues will be there.
Next, encourage collaboration by scheduling in-person meetings or events during the office-required days. Rather than conducting a series of virtual calls, make every Tuesday (or whatever day works) – the in-person meeting day. Schedule brainstorming or innovation sessions for in-person days. Sure, we can be innovative from home – but it is far more likely to have a really energising flow of ideas when we are in person and face to face.
Lastly, Nick suggests setting the standard that attendance on anchor days is mandatory – as in, you can’t miss those meetings/days unless there is a real emergency. This can become a slippery slope – for example, as we all know what it is like when five members of the team are in a room together, but one person is “in” the meeting virtually. Over time, we run the risk of more and more people working remotely and missing out on valuable collaboration on those specific days.
Hybrid Doesn’t Mean Fully Remote
With all this talk about hybrid working, you might be wondering about those of us who are fully remote. While some employees (usually older employees) might desire fully remote work – it isn’t necessarily the best arrangement.
Sure – fully remote working can be really cost-effective and allow companies to save money on rent and allow talent to be hired in more diverse locations (those are big wins!). Some studies have shown that productivity for fully remote workers can really lag when compared to fully in-person or hybrid work situations. So yes – I don’t have to worry about commuting as much – but I also don’t get the advantages and benefits of going to an office and collaborating with my colleagues.
Nick suggests that productivity for fully remote employees is usually about 10% lower than for other situated employees but also highlights that fully remote employees who are managed well will do just fine (as compared to those who aren’t managed well).
Strategies for Hybrid Success in HR and People Analytics
As we probably all suspected, working from home (in some way, shape, or form) is here to stay! For the average office worker, a hybrid situation with at least two days required to be in the office will likely be the best. But simply asking employees to come to the office without specific, tangible plans isn’t going to work. Instead, schedule coordinated meetings on specific days and require attendance (think peer pressure). Lastly, rethink how we use our office space and work environment to encourage collaboration and focus on working together (if not, we might as well just stay home and have virtual meetings)!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jay joined Insight222 in 2022 and leads our products and services team. He is a globally respected leader with extensive experience in consulting, product management, and business leadership, with particular expertise in employee listening. Previously, Jay led strategy and revenue growth for EX solutions at Qualtrics and he’s also worked at KPMG, Korn Ferry, IBM, and Kenexa during his career. He holds multiple degrees including a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. Jay has lived in several locations across the USA, as well as in Toronto, Canada. He now resides in Nixa, MO and spends much of his free time watching his daughter play soccer and discussing the latest video games with his son.
If you’d like to connect with Jay, please visit his LinkedIn here.
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