What leadership needs to know about designing for hybrid work

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The Overview

Companies have learnt to be more flexible in terms of both place and time during the pandemic, and this trend may be here to stay. Rather than ‘going with the flow’, it is recommended that organisations take a deliberate approach to crafting their hybrid work policies. 4 factors need to be considered when planning recommendations and guidelines for hybrid work: (i) tasks, (ii) projects and workflows, (iii) employee fairness, and (iv) inclusion and fairness (Gratton, 2021).

 

Choosing the right time and place

Task and job requirements were considered most essential when deciding the time and place for work. A few common task requirements and associated recommendations have been made below. However, experience levels of the employees also need to be taken into account- for example, more inexperienced employees tend to learn through observations and working from the office may be recommended more often for them.

Actions taken by companies in relation to hybrid work (Gratton, 2021)

Challenges of hybrid work

  • Spreading of norms, values and ways of working becomes sparse, and reinforcing company culture becomes a greater necessity

  • Recruiting for remote or hybrid work needs to focus more on competencies that allow one to work by themselves- such as self-motivation, initiative-taking, and effective virtual communications

  • Training related to social and relational aspects of remote/ hybrid work needs to be considered

References

Gratton. L. (2021). How to Do Hybrid Right. Harvard Business Review.

Makarius, E. E., Larson, B. Z. & Vroman, S. R. (2021). What Is Your Organization’s Long-Term Remote Work Strategy? Harvard Business Review.

Guest User