A CLEAR STRATEGY FOR HYBRID / REMOTE
WORK IT ISN ' T JUST NICE TO HAVE, IT ' S MISSION CRITICAL by Rick Morgan, WAHVE
I was having lunch with a friend of mine recently, and he was talking about the flexibility of his office. At his company, employees are free to create their own inoffice schedules; some employees show up to the office three days a week, others come in only for specific events a few times a year, and others are completely remote. The company values the work that gets done, not how it gets done, he said.
But then my friend’ s face changed. Due to mismatched hybrid and remote work schedules, he said, he doesn’ t get to connect with his manager as often he would like.“ I just wish I saw my manager more,” he whispered.
Post-pandemic, hybrid work has replaced the traditional in-person, 9-to-5 office environment across industries and organizations. This has been a boon to both employers and employees alike, with studies highlighting increased job satisfaction, improved work-life balance, and reduced turnover rates with maintained or even boosted productivity.
However, flexible, hybrid environments pose their own challenges— and my friend’ s predicament is a major one. Companies are struggling to manage and adapt to a work culture that includes a mixture of inperson, hybrid, and remote workers. Without a clear strategy in place to ensure managers and employees understand each other’ s schedules, communicate effectively, and meet each other where they’ re at, organizations run the risk of alienating good workers. So what’ s a team to do?
This is where crafting a carefully thought-out hybrid work strategy becomes critical. When done well, it provides a roadmap for maintaining equity, enhancing communication, supporting work-life balance, and strengthening company culture. It ensures that employees, regardless of where they work, feel included, valued, and empowered to do their best work.
While each organization must create its own plan based on its specific goals and company culture, there are a few key things that a hybrid work strategy should do:
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