Since the outbreak of COVID-19, hybrid work has become the “new” model of work. Yet for business leaders, the learning journey continues.
In season five of our Remote Works podcast series, we take the conversation to the next level, exploring the ways in which hybrid work is changing people’s work lives and examining the familiar challenges facing business leaders and organizations right now. The four-part series, based on Work Rebalanced: The Citrix Hybrid Work Report, delves deeply into the creative solutions companies are using to adapt to this new model of work to ensure their people can thrive and be creative.
This season homes in on a range of topics related to the complexity of delivering effective hybrid working practices and strategies. Each episode discusses one of the four key attributes that support an effective hybrid working environment: collaboration, flexibility, trust, and technology.
A range of perspectives and business case studies feature in season five, bringing expertise and real-world examples to the discussion, including conversations with:
- Jana Raver, professor at Smith School of Business, Queens University, Canada
- Sonia Kang, associate professor of organizational behavior and HR management at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
- Dr Caroline Knight, research fellow at Curtin University’s Future of Work Institute in Perth
- Bhushan Sethi, global leader of People and Organization at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC)
- Dr Alanah Mitchell, associate professor and chair of information management and business analytics at Drake University.
Together, these experts explore key themes including:
- Disrupting the potential for distancing bias: There is a real danger that employees who are regularly in the office will be better listened to, recognized, and rewarded than those who are working remotely. If this happens, a tiered social dynamic may form where people will feel forced to return to the office or be marginalized. In episode one, Jana Raver suggests that organizational leaders need to work hard to ensure that everyone has an equal place in the hybrid work model, and intentionally build inclusion into company culture. They will need to make sure they are building relationships with everyone equally, not just those attending the office.
- The need to create a rich, hybrid collaboration experience: According to Work Rebalanced, 61 percent of both employees and leaders agree that creativity and innovation are enhanced when working face-to-face. Arguably teams work best and creativity flourishes when there is “psychological safety” for individuals to bounce ideas off each other, combined with an element of informal spontaneity, says Raver. To replicate this in a hybrid work scenario, leaders will need to create a simultaneous in-person and virtual experience, enabled by rich collaboration software, utilizing the technology to its full potential. The metaverse also holds interesting potential for creating an environment that people want to collaborate in, and we hear from one company achieving that.
- Why flexibility needs to be destigmatized: Flexibility is a key pillar of hybrid work, but it can be the most misunderstood when policies are unclear or poorly thought out. Often this comes down to the preferences of business leaders where the office space has become a central part of their identity and is the lynchpin in their leadership approach. In episode two, Sonia Kang suggests that to move forward with hybrid work, those in leadership positions will need to start role modeling flexible working, to remove the stigma and realize the benefits for themselves. Leaders who choose to take a hard line on presenteeism will need to be able to back that up, or face losing valuable talent.
- Trust is crucial, and people need autonomy: The Work Rebalanced report highlighted that eight in 10 employees say it is important to have an employer they can trust, but only 49 percent say they trust their employer. There is a real risk that hybrid work will create less trust in organizations, and it’s important for firms and leaders to acknowledge that, says Bhushan Sethi, who also warns that leading and building trust in a hybrid environment requires a special set of skills that won’t come naturally to everyone. Currently, half of business leaders believe that when out of sight from colleagues and bosses, employees don’t work as hard. This mindset needs to shift. Tracking software, and close monitoring might be sought as solutions but these can cause negative well-being outcomes for employees such as higher stress levels, anxiety, and depression. In episode three, Dr Caroline Knight suggests that people need autonomy, and they need to have the freedom to manage themselves.
- IT needs to function as a business partner: One of the fundamental shifts for the future of work will be IT departments prioritizing focus on people instead of tools and technology. While traditionally, IT departments have often been seen as a barrier to getting work done, in the hybrid world, the IT department will need to become a business partner and be proactive in solving problems. In episode four, Alanah Mitchell proposes that technology must support the actual work being done and the mission of the company.
You can listen to the new season of Remote Works here, and you can find this season and past seasons on all major podcast outlets. A new episode will be available every two weeks, starting September 14.
