Hybrid working is nothing new. Many of us have been working in this way for years. But the focus on hybrid working has been turned up big time, as a result of the global pandemic. Pre-pandemic, hybrid working was more of a happy accident, now we are actively seeking to intentionally design hybrid working practices that work for all. This could be one of the silver linings resulting from the pandemic – if we get it right.
Hybrid working, quite simply, is a form of flexible working. There isn’t yet a universal definition, but in summary, it involves an arrangement where individuals, and teams, can work in a location that works for them – typically this involves part of the week at a workplace, such as the office, and part of the week working remotely, which could be from home. In her recent piece ‘How To Do Hybrid Right’ (HBR), Lynda Gratton also brings in a further dimension of time to help consider different working arrangements, resulting in a simple 4 box grid:
- Constrained time and constrained location – this is your typical 9-5 in a workplace
- Constrained time and unconstrained location – this is working from a place to suit you, but within specified hours
- Unconstrained time and constrained location – this is working hours to suit you but from a specified location
- Unconstrained location and unconstrained time – this is working from a place that suits you at a time that suits you
This is a useful model to begin to consider what hybrid working could mean for your organisation. But to design a hybrid experience that delivers engagement, it must be considered from some different perspectives, which is where our ‘Three EX Design Lenses Model’ (Bridger and Gannaway) is helpful:
Clearly any kind of hybrid working arrangement needs to be considered through these three lenses:
- The work lens – whatever arrangement agreed, it has to be right for the not only the work people do, but the way they do work as well. Clearly a bus driver needs to be in a specific location at specific times to fulfil the expectations of their role. And there are those roles which can be delivered remotely from a task perspective, but are enhanced via collaborative working for example.
- The organisation lens – the working arrangement needs to work for the organisation as well. It needs to fit with the culture, the vision and the values of the company. There are those organisations who have always been 100% remote, this is part of their DNA. And other organisations where the opposite is true.
- The people lens – finally, the working arrangement needs to be right for the people that work there. Firstly from an individual perspective, any working arrangement has to meet and fulfil needs, expectations and motivations. Some people love working remotely, others hate it. Clearly a one-size-fits-all approach, or policy will not work. And working arrangements need to work for the wider teams too
In addition, whatever working arrangements are agreed, need to be viewed as inclusive and fair, but let’s be clear – ‘fair’ does not mean treating everybody the same. So while on the surface hybrid working can feel like a simple concept, once you explore it further it could be more complex to implement in a way that works for your people and delivers engagement.
So what could a hybrid working approach look like?
Salesforce have been held up as leading the way with their ‘work from anywhere’ guidelines:
- The flex option will allow employees to come into the office up to three days per week.
- Other employees will have the option to work remotely full-time, even when it’s safe to return to the office.
- A small subset will come in every day.
They state that employees will work with their managers to choose the option that works best for them. Their office spaces will be redesigned as ‘community hubs’, with collaboration and breakout spaces instead desks. So far, so cool, but take a look at this quote from Brent Hyder, president and chief people officer at Salesforce.
“The 9-to-5 workday is dead, and the employee experience is about more than ping-pong tables and snacks.”
Whilst we completely agree with the ping-pong and snacks comment, for many people the 9-5 is not dead, and nor do they want it to be. Again, it depends on the nature of the work you do, and your personal preference. What works for Salesforce may not work for your organisation. Which is why we believe you need to design an approach to hybrid working that is right for you: your people, the work they do and your organisation.
There is no short-cut or playbook for this, you need to figure out what will work for you. And you need to ensure whatever you land on is inclusive, fair and supports psychological safety too.
We will be running our ‘Hybrid by Design‘ half-day workshop on Tuesday 25th May, 9.30-12.00, where we’ll share with you a framework and tools, to help you design a hybrid working experience which delivers engagement.
Find out more or sign up here to join us.
