Going from remote to hybrid...

It's been quite the year, hasn't it?

And we still don't know whether Fulham will be relegated, but even I have got to admit it's not looking good.

But I digress...

As parts of the world have emerged from, or are starting to emerge from, the worst of Covid, one of the key areas companies have had to grapple with is the potential transition from an environment where people used to work predominantly from an office before the pandemic, to one where there will be more say over where and when they work. Most surveys that have been ran in this area consistently throw up a figure of anything between 65% and 80% of employees wanting to shift to a scenario where they will spend the majority of the working week from home, and using the office a couple of times a week.

The so-called "hybrid" model. 

It was a pleasure to welcome James Carrier and Jane Stewart from the World of Work Project to our latest International HR Forum gathering to share what they are seeing as companies start to make this difficult transition.

The session covered the following:

Looking at the current state
- Leading remote teams differ from in-person teams. Trust matters more, and the role of the manager is more critical.
- What's changed since the pandemic? Increased disruption and uncertainty, more short-term outlook, societal shifts, individuals having different (negative and positive) experiences, etc. 
- Diversity of aspirations about the future state of work. 

Reviewing the importance of the role of the manager
- An intermediary... Connecting the org (strategy objectives, goals) and their people (thoughts, feelings, needs, performance). 
- Forming and maintaining psychological contracts, managing expectations, etc.  

Aligning on future ways of working
- There's been many positive and negative changes that have emerged during the pandemic.
- Much of this has been as a result of "drifting" into new or changed practices. 
- Need to be more intentional around how we structure things moving forward.
- Co-create future ways of working (through 121s, team meetings, focus groups, surveys, etc). 
- Equip managers with the tools and skills to manage remote teams (comms, engagement, difficult conversations, listening, creating "psychological safety", presenting a sense of purpose). 
- Biggest issue is the "personalisation" of work, i.e. tailoring to individual needs and wants.
- Apply common-sense as we look to apply balance and equity. 

And all too soon our hour was up! So much food for thought, and a large thanks to James and Jane for all the energy they brought to a complex issue. 

Do connect with / follow James and Jane, and read/share their stuff:
- James Carrier: james@worldofwork.io, https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-carrier-74b0a115/, @jgcarrier
- Jane Stewart: jane@worldofwork.io, https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-stewart-87a63b2/, @Janie_S
- Podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Others

Further reading:
https://worldofwork.io/2019/07/bridges-transition-model-for-change/

https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/the-boss-factor-making-the-world-a-better-place-through-workplace-relationships#

Have a good weekend! I will be looking forward to the Mighty Whites picking up 3 points from the Bridge tomorrow :)