Hybrid work challenges and how to address them…
Hybrid work is not a new concept. Instead, it is a response to the evergrowing need for remote-first operations.
Some think it is just an intermediary answer until we figure out where we should work.
Others think it is part of the commercial real estate lobby as they drastically lose revenue since the pandemic.
I think hybrid work will be here to stay, but it will evolve, and we won't call it hybrid.
It will be a flexible location with a remote-first operation.
But, still, we do have the current challenges of hybrid work. Here are the three greatest challenges and how to address them.
The many biases of hybrid work.
Ten years ago, I would not have imagined that we would discuss location biases. But here we are.
In hybrid, the greatest challenge is that those who regularly come into the office can be treated more special than those who go into the office less or not even.
Again, this is not a new problem. We had this before when we had offshore outsourcing.
Those who worked in the HQ in London / New York had more privileges, benefits, and real employment contracts than those who "supplied" work from Asia.
But with offshore outsourcing, the HQ never intended to integrate outsourced members into their core team. Plus, the outsourced team members didn't have that need to be part of the team.
Now it is a different scenario. The HQ in London can treat local employees differently, just by the sheer amount of their office time.
To overcome this challenge, there are 3-steps you need to take:
Make sure you are aware of this bias. Self-reflection is key here. You have to be conscious of that. It is normal human behavior: proximity creates trust, and you treat those better that are around you physically.
Balance on-site time so everyone can have the sort-of-a-same level of show-up in the office. If it is a hybrid work environment, treat it as a hybrid work environment. Capitalize on proximity.
Treat your company as it would be remote-first. All your operations should be transparent, documented, and most of them should be asynchronous. It will be a matter of choice to come to the office, not a matter of need.
Old habits die hard: the communication problem.
Let's view this from an example:
You have 100 people. 80 of them are in the UK, and most are 1-3 hours of a commute from your HQ, which is still operational as an office. The rest of them are overseas.
Those in the UK usually come into the office once a week. The less their commute, the more they visit the office. There will be some who come twice a week. Those who are overseas come in once a month or even less.
If you operate the company as it would be a fully in-office one, which most hybrid managers tend to do anyway, you will have teams with stronger bonds (more visits to the office) and others who will be left out of pretty much anything.
Again, proximity creates trust.
Those who show up more will be included more in the communication.
Those who show up less will be notified of what is happening with the business from memo emails.
To overcome this challenge, you need to change how you manage people:
As mentioned above, operate as you would be remote-first anyway. Transparency, documentation, and team-wide openness. It ensures that no one will be left out.
Invest in hybrid collaboration: level up your meeting room capabilities, invest in collaboration tools, and create different management flows to ensure that even those not in the office can contribute.
Change your management practice. Instead of directing people through in-person communication, switch to supporting them on virtual setups.
The classic coordination problems
It is a clear game if you are in the office all the time. The office is open from X to Y, and you have to be there to contribute.
Same with fully remote teams. It is not a question if we gather together IRL (only in retreats) because we are working when we are online.
But if you have a hybrid setup, things can get messy. Who comes into the office? Who doesn't? When? How will we collaborate if person X is not here, but person B is here?
I think one of the biggest issues with hybrid is the scheduling part. It is easy to say that everyone comes into the office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays but can work from home on Mondays and Fridays.
But from a choice perspective, it might not work for everyone. Also, from an office leasing perspective, it is a waste of money.
So scheduling is a big issue. Especially if you have fewer desks than you have people.
I had the chance to discuss hybrid work with Graham Joyce, the co-founder of DuoMe. His company works with many hybrid companies, addressing the scheduling problem with various solutions.
What is your biggest challenge if you work in or manage a hybrid team?
Take care,
Peter
