The Three Key Factors to Consider in Making Hybrid Work for Your Organization
In a group, if everybody thinks about the other person’s needs, everyone’s needs are actually fulfilled in the end.
- Priya Parker, The Art of Gathering
Most organizations we’re working with are still trying to figure out how to hybrid well. With some people now in the office part-time and others quite happy to keep working remotely, everyone wants one thing: to stay connected while retaining their autonomy. When everyone worked virtually, life was simple. But now, managing a hybrid setup has been challenging.
Similar to most eudaimonic design challenges, this complex problem doesn’t have simple answers. Beyond logistical realities that arise from managing a hybrid working model, there are also behavioural and work style realities that come into play. For example, even if you have a policy that makes workplace flexibility possible, if leaders say they want you to come into the office, does that mean you have to?
In our experience, how we hybrid is just an extension of how we do anything at work. That means thinking about culture. Experts suggest that culture boils down into several key factors:
artifacts (things like policies we can tangibly point to)
espoused values (what we say and do), and
underlying beliefs (what people think, even if we never say it)
We need to think about all three in How We Hybrid well.
Artifacts:
To create a successful hybrid work environment, you’ll need to establish clear and transparent policies around what hybrid means for your organization. Fairness should be a top priority when it comes to these priorities. By keeping fairness top of mind, you might realize that a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t possible.
Map out the stakeholders who need to be involved and understand what guardrails are needed. Remember, the more flexibility you can bake into your policies, the more autonomy you can give your people – to help them choose their own adventure.
Espoused values:
It’s one thing to have a policy; it’s another (and essential) to come together and align on what that policy will look like in practice. Here, the more tangible you can be, the better. Often, we make assumptions about how people choose to work, but until we discuss and address these assumptions, we’ll struggle on communication and collaboration.
We’ve been very inspired by Harry’s How to Hybrid Manual - an extraordinary compendium of resources they generously shared with the world in the fall of 2021. This guide includes self-reflection exercises, group activities and inclusive best practices around how to communicate and collaborate as a hybrid team. We’ve adapted the material for our clients and we’ve seen the power these facilitated conversations can have for helping teams articulate strategies for working together.
Underlying beliefs:
Even if you’ve developed a great policy and made team agreements about the ways you’ll bring it to life, you can’t overlook the importance of underlying beliefs. Chances are high that everyone holds different beliefs about what it means to have ‘flexible work arrangements’ in your office. For some, getting to come into the office is a great gift. They love being with colleagues and creating separation between work and life. For others, remote work is liberating. It might give people freedom to manage different priorities in their lives. It may also provide freedom from toxic relationships and microaggressions that make work intolerable.
Your belief system about hybrid work will shape your behaviours. You may not have even taken the time to consider what they are. Nonetheless, those beliefs are there, they’re shaping what you say and do, and they’re also shaping how you think about others.
Let’s imagine an executive who’s desperate to get everyone back in the office. For this person, the vestiges of power have always been associated with an office; the nice office on the fancy floor, the secretary and team of staff who take care of all the logistics associated with life. They even have an entire closet of clothes that signify status just hanging unused. Coming into the office is an opportunity to see and be seen as someone powerful. They believe that interacting with co-workers and observing their team is how they get things done. They also know that being with powerful people in person is how they got where they are today. If we ignore the underlying beliefs this executive has about coming into the office, we may be surprised that despite any policy or team agreements, they expect others to be in the office too. They may only promote those who come into the office as worthy and successful. Pretty soon, it’s an unspoken reality that if you’re not in the office, you’re not valuable.
Tackling underlying beliefs is by far the most challenging part of making a hybrid culture work. But it’s also the most human part of the process. If you want to tackle beliefs, you have to get curious about them. In our experience, that only happens through conversation built on respectful engagement and trust. These conversations don’t have to be hard. In fact, the best conversations about how we hybrid are strength-based in nature. Appreciate and learn from what’s working, imagine what could be possible, and then reflect and take action in the present.
Summing it up
How we Hybrid may be complex but you can do it well if you think though the artifacts, values, and beliefs at the heart of the core. Clear and transparent policies that prioritize fairness, stakeholder involvement, and flexibility are crucial. Aligning on what that looks like in practice is essential for effective communication and collaboration. Lastly, tackle underlying beliefs through respectful conversations that are strength-based and focused on mutual needs. Doing this means you’ll build a culture of trust and autonomy that not only helps you hybrid well, but also drives wellbeing and performance throughout your organization.
At Eudaimonic By Design, we are passionate about helping organizations get hybrid right by building work environments that are fair, flexible and foster wellbeing. If you are interested in working with us to develop a hybrid work culture that suits your organization’s needs, please contact us.