A hybrid workplace in a mostly post-pandemic world

Prior to March 2020, a hybrid workplace—a mix of in-office and remote—was the exception to the rule. Fast forward to 2022, the hybrid workplace is the new norm as employees trickle back in—and out—­of the office. This dramatic shift has organizations, leaders, and employees asking themselves how they can avoid common pitfalls that come with introducing a hybrid workplace. ChangeStaffing recently sat down with Dan Rost, management consultant specializing in Strategy and Change, to discuss lessons learned from his work helping companies transform to a hybrid workplace—­recognizing that every organization’s workplace journey will be unique. 

Establish the fundamentals

Before a company can transform into a hybrid workplace, a solid foundation must be established upon which plans can be built, including establishing mindsets, updating company policies, and defining etiquette and norms.

• What mindset, or guiding principle, will be used when defining the hybrid workplace model? For example, a mindset of “default to simple” can be applied to avoid overcomplicating the hybrid workplace model.

• What company policies need to be revisited in order to align with the major organizational change of becoming a hybrid workplace? Many areas of the organization will be impacted by the new ways of working, such as how location-based salaries will change if employees can live anywhere and are no longer assigned to an office.

• How will the organization’s, as well as individual team’s, etiquette and norms be informed by the hybrid workplace policies?  For example, should all cameras be on during virtual meetings?

Respect that organizations are unique

Every company is different and what makes them unique is their culture. Even companies that land on a similar hybrid workplace model, such as allowing employees to work at home two to three days a week, will have unique attributes. The way that each organization constructs their hybrid workplace model will be different from the way they think about it, the way they package it, the way they talk to employees about it, and the way that they empower employees through it. One of the key things for Change Practitioners to remember when working with organizations to create the back-to-office plan is that every company and hybrid workplace model is unique and there isn’t a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Even within an organization, while there needs to be an overarching vision at the company level, each team should also define their own vision of the hybrid workplace, such as having a team lunch every Friday.

Organizations could also consider translating these new ways of working to frontline employees. If the company culture will include offering more flexibility to employees, that shouldn’t stop at headquarters employees.

Transparency, transparency, transparency

Over the past two years, most people really wanted to know what the back-to-work plan would be—will employees have to go back into the office? Will there even be an office? Can employees still have the flexibility to work remotely? Many organizations kept this news under wraps or figured it out ad hoc, but as Organizational Change Management Consultants, we know that communicating with employees and keeping them informed is the best course of action. The culture of the organization will determine how the back-to-work plan will be shared, but being transparent and communicating plans early and often is ideal.

Test and learn

Nobody has all of the answers. In this uncharted territory of being mostly post-pandemic, organizations have to be open to trying new things and know that they may not always be successful. The key to doing this well is to have an overarching vision but to allow room to test and learn. With so many unknowns (e.g., virus isn’t completely gone, labor market is dynamic), it would be a miss to have a plan that is overly defined and doesn’t allow for change and growth, especially incorporating feedback from employees. The most successful organizations are going to have a hybrid workplace vision, collect feedback from employees, acknowledge when things aren’t working, and make changes accordingly. While some organizations don’t like to acknowledge failure, if it's clear from the start that the plan is to test and learn, it gives companies the freedom to admit when something isn’t going well and then adjust accordingly.

One way to do this is to have intentional time with employees to ask “what should we start, stop, and continue doing?” When employees have the opportunity to raise their hand and voice their feedback, it allows for a stronger relationship with leaders, and a stronger organization overall.

Engage people managers

Leaders need to not only talk the talk, but also walk the walk. If an organization is going to establish a hybrid environment and a senior leader chooses to come into the office every day, then that's the example that the team is going to follow. Employees will say “well, we're technically hybrid, but my boss's boss is in the office every day, and my boss is in office every day, so I guess I’m coming in every day.” Change Practitioners need to work with people leaders to be clear about what the company plan is, what the team’s plan is, and what their plan will be. If a leader happens to be the type that isn’t productive unless they’re in the office, then they need to be transparent and communicate to their team that even though they choose to be in the office, it’s not an expectation for everyone.

People leaders should also plan to bring employees together once a month or quarter to celebrate moments that matter. These gatherings could look like a social event or special off-site meeting with a speaker. These team-building events can build trust, encourage communication, and increase team collaboration.

More broadly, Organizational Change Management Consultants need to share the hybrid workplace best practices with leaders to equip them to lead in this new environment successfully. This toolkit should include things like best practices for being inclusive with virtual meetings, being intentional about bringing employees together, and more.

Track and measure

In order to know if the hybrid workplace model is working, it’s important to decide what needs to be tracked and measured. These metrics should be established prior to the new hybrid workplace model being rolled out in order to have a baseline. Example metrics to track are employee productivity or employee satisfaction.

We’re just beginning to see what a hybrid workplace looks like in organizations. The next year is going to be very telling in terms of the success of an organization’s hybrid workplace model. As Change Practitioners, one of the best things that we can do is to bring ideas to the table regarding what we’ve seen work and what hasn’t worked when it comes to a hybrid workplace. This insight can provide thought-starters for teams to think and talk through as well as develop a language that works for them. Organizational Change Management Consultants, should also prepare to develop training and coaching techniques to help their clients navigate this new world and help organizations answer these key questions: How do we make a hybrid workplace work? How do we make it better for more people? How do we as an organization differentiate ourselves as an attractive place to work?  

Contact ChangeStaffing for guidance on managing the transition to a hybrid workplace and adopting new ways of working.

A very special thank you to Dan Rost, management consultant specializing in Strategy and Change, for his thought leadership and for collaborating with us on this blog.

Written by Kylette Harrison