Like so many events that have indelibly changed the ways we live and work, the hybrid revolution seemed to come from nowhere. Shocked by the COVID-19 pandemic, we went remote, we worked in place, we did video calls — did a lots of video calls! But in the last months of 2021, the expectation of executives far and wide was that by now we’d be commuting and reoccupying our offices. Now, as we manage COVID-19’s transition from pandemic to endemic, it’s time to face the fact that hybrid work isn’t going away. In this article, let’s collect the best thinking on the ramifications of this enduring shift and the challenges you’re likely to face managing talent, culture, and your organization while you ponder what it actually means to be with those you lead..
Are we all ready ? Three situations before leaders in 2022 –
Employees don’t know what they want and are reevaluating their relationships with work
Employers are underestimating the disconnect and failing to realize that the ‘finish line’ is a mirage
Companies don’t know what comes next
Get real about Hybrid
The question of how many days in office per week are best is the most obvious one to answer, but it isn’t the only question, and it may not even be the right one to answer first. There will likely be a bevy of questions to address: What work is better done in person than virtually, and vice versa? How will meetings work best? How can influence and experience be balanced between those who work on site and those who don’t? How can you avoid a two-tier system in which people working in the office are valued and rewarded more than are those working more from home? Should teams physically gather in a single place while tackling a project, and if so, how often? Can leadership communication to off-site workers be as effective as it is to workers in the office?
Those who are no longer working remotely must accept that they are returning to the office without clear, solid answers to such questions. We’ll get there, eventually. But policies, practices, working norms, collaboration technologies, and more will need to change and evolve as we test and learn. After emerging from the pandemic, we will be just starting a new and difficult journey.
Embracing a test-and-learn culture will entail a real mindset shift for some leaders. The big answers may not emerge for years
It would be nice if employees were jumping for joy at the prospect of a full return to the office. And it would be nice if the future turns out to be as glorious and stable as we sometimes imagine the past to have been. But those are fantasies built on nostalgia. They are anything but a solid foundation for building a future-ready company.
Right now, a lot of wishful thinking is guiding the return from remote working. With notable and heartbreaking exceptions, many leaders were insulated from the COVID-19 pandemic. They think it’s both easy and desirable for companies to move on quickly. But their people aren’t begging to disagree. They are voting with their feet.
If leaders don’t accept the fact that they don’t know the shape of the future of hybrid working, their talent will keep walking out the door. But leaders can make a choice. They can continue to believe that they will deliver in the future because they have always delivered in the past. Or they can embrace this singular opportunity for change and work with their people—closely and transparently, with curiosity, respect, and a willingness to learn together instead of mandating—to discover a new and better way to work.
***
Comentarios