Are we overthinking hybrid working? Part 1 of 3.

Hybrid working is a term that seems to have been invented in 2020, but it’s been around for a number of years as the ability to work remotely has increased. The pandemic certainly accelerated its popularity but as we begin to have the option to return to offices, many companies are scratching their heads as to the best approach to hybrid working for their people, their customers and their ongoing success.

This possibly isn’t hybrid working. This is just someone working while sitting on top of a building at sunset — as you do — but I liked the image, which was taken from PxHere.

Why is there such a big debate around hybrid working? And why are there blogs with the title: “Hybrid working: could it really work?” I despair. I read another article saying that there wasn’t one clearly defined example. It’s like reading about the definition of “engagement” all over again.

I don’t believe the concept is a difficult one to fathom: in the same way hybrid cars use petrol/diesel some of the time and an electric motor the rest of the time, hybrid working is about going to the office some of the time and working remotely the rest of the time – and the flip-flop from one to the other changes dynamically depending on the circumstances.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to hybrid working, but I don’t want to rehash other people’s blogs on the pros and cons of office vs remote. The bottom line is that office workers have enjoyed the flexibility of working remotely for more than a year, so rather than jump back into the 9-to-5 day in the office, there’s a huge opportunity to take advantage of this workplace evolution.

I want to address some really practical questions I’ve read on the topic: How should companies be shifting to hybrid? What issues should we be thinking about? And what needs to change in our well-established ways of working for it to be successful? While considering this and looking across the blogosphere to see what others are wrestling with, I’ve pulled together 3 key themes for consideration, based also on the thought process we’re going through as a company at the moment.

Part 1: Hybrid ways of working need to evolve constantly

I’ve been involved in conversations recently in which we’ve debated loose guidance vs strict policy and everything in between. Should we leave it up to line managers and project teams to work it out for themselves? Or should we issue specific instructions and a policy to tell people what they can and can’t do? Are guidelines enough: “you should think about working 2–3 days from the office each week”? Are they too restrictive? Or should we treat individuals like adults and let them work it out?

The reality is that everyone is different and their needs (and the needs of their work) will vary. Some people don’t have the option to work from home as their work requires them to be physically at the office for whatever reason. Some people have office set-ups that will allow them to work remotely for the rest of their careers. Others will want to get some social contact again.

But the added complexity is that individual and project needs will change over time. If someone moves further away from their base office, they’ll be more reluctant to commute; if they move roles, they may want to be around people to learn on the job; if they are spinning up a new project or starting a new sprint phase, the team may want to be around each other for faster collaboration and in-person white-boarding/brainstorming; if they or their partner have a new addition to the family (child and/or pet), they may want to spend less time travelling and more time with their new arrival.

To unlock hybrid working, you need to redefine how people use offices

Therefore, in my mind, it’s not about rules and policies – it’s about redefining how people should be using offices, which will help people make their own decision about how they want to work in a hybrid world.

Redefining how workplaces are used will also help companies make decisions about what to do with their existing buildings in terms of downsizing or reconfiguring them.

But, arguably most important is to involve people, work through live scenarios with them and give them the chance to come up with their own solutions based on the needs of the business, your customers and individuals’ preferences – and then let them experiment, iterate and refine as required. We won’t get far by dictating rules and policies that restrict people’s flexibility, particularly as many people have got used to a flexibility and freedom during the pandemic.

Finally on this point, it’s about the technology and processes that enable a truly hybrid workplace. Introducing asynchronous communication such as 24/7 discussion boards, meeting notes for those who couldn’t attend and shared documents will help teams to be able to interact with each other whether they’re online, offline, present in an office or working remotely.

If your ways of working aren’t being set up to allow for different working patterns, then you’ll suffer from disconnect and misinformation all over the place.

In part 2: How we use offices needs to change…