The idea of the hybrid workplace was a niche concept only a few short years ago. Yet now, it’s become the go-to model for employers keen to strike a balance between daily office presence and a fully remote workforce. Hybrid offers employees the opportunity to retain an element of the home working schedule they could suddenly enjoy during the pandemic while ensuring that there’s time in the week for the kind of meaningful group collaboration and interpersonal connection that’s generally more difficult to achieve over Zoom. 

With the balance of supply and demand currently tipped in favor of the worker, firms need to do everything they can to keep the edge in the war for talent. Updating hybrid and remote working policies has become a significant part of that effort. 

But even though it’s still a relatively new concept, some are questioning whether or not hybrid working can be successful. A recent editorial from BBC Worklife highlights the issue, citing a 2021 study that showed as many as 83% of people wanted hybrid working practices when they were allowed to return to the office after the initial pandemic lockdowns. 

But now, 72% of employees are reporting that they’re already exhausted with hybrid working. The main reason? Well, the BBC editorial puts it down to the fact that employees still don’t feel that hybrid allows them control over their work-life balance. I could go a step further – employers aren’t offering hybrid work solutions that are designed to meet their goals of attracting and retaining people in the war for talent. 

A Deeper Problem
At this point in time, it’s hardly surprising that the shift to hybrid is running into teething problems. After all, remote working was thrust upon people in a time of vast uncertainty. From the employer’s perspective, asking people to work at home was a matter of health and safety, not HR strategy. And now, firms have the challenge of trying to create some amalgam of old and new that satisfies a vast number of competing demands. 

But finding a hybrid working policy that works for everyone isn’t just impossible. Attempting to find it misses the more deeply entrenched reasons why employees aren’t finding satisfaction in hybrid as it is. McKinsey research shows that employees, particularly those in the millennial and Gen Z group, feel that a lack of belonging is one of the most important reasons for leaving a job. The keys to creating the needed belonging, that support our new world, is driven through leadership and culture optimised for the hybrid world. 

Similarly, culture, engagement, and career development are all areas that have suffered throughout the pandemic but that play a key role in attracting and retaining talented people. 

Therefore, rather than be too quick to condemn hybrid working as not fit for purpose, HR professionals and leaders need to take the time to ensure that their people strategies can succeed in a hybrid environment. 

Making Hybrid Meaningful
Through hundreds of conversations with senior HR leaders and executives, Heidrick & Struggles has identified ways to boost career development in a hybrid world. 

On a practical level, hybrid working needs to be fully integrated into succession plans, which includes reviewing the requirements for mobility in particular roles. Traditionally, senior roles required that people remain open to relocation or international assignments. Many of these assumptions can now be legitimately challenged and potentially open up positions to a wider pool of potential candidates, including groups who would typically be less willing or able to relocate, such as parents. 

Furthermore, by embracing creative alternatives, firms can foster new relationships across geographical or departmental boundaries. 

Other measures may be less quantifiable but no less important. To reduce the element of employees being “required” to attend the office for collaboration and team-building, leaders need to build a culture where virtual collaboration and communities are valued as much as in-person interactions. There are vast benefits, particularly for larger organizations, to allow people to strengthen connections, create opportunities to learn about other roles, internal job opportunities, and foster a mutual sense of belonging. 

Similarly, leaders should be wary of saving meaningful one-to-one discussions for office days and leaving employees to their own devices when working at home. Creating a culture where feedback is shared virtually as well as in-person promotes the idea that feedback is positive and reinforces openness in people’s interactions. 

Leaders will need to find the change in mindset, leadership style and capability set to lead in this new world.  Working in the hybrid world with outdated leadership is not going to work.

An Ongoing Learning Experience
Finally, it’s worth noting that hybrid working is still a very new situation for many leaders, who may still be developing the soft skills needed to thrive without face-to-face contact. Ensure that leadership receives the necessary upskilling to know how to be inclusive in a remote environment, how to communicate virtually with impact, and how to foster effective collaboration in a hybrid environment. 

In addition to new capabilities in leadership, culture will be critical. The culture, and sense of belonging, needed to navigate the hybrid world is different to the one with which you entered the pandemic. There are brand new hallmarks in the culture for the new hybrid world. This will require leaders to lead differently and intentionally shape a new culture.

The perfect storm of events that’s led to the very sudden imperative for hybrid working has inevitably made managing the change a mammoth task. However, the hybrid model offers many benefits providing that leaders don’t get lost in the details of policy implementation. Instead, focus on the intended outcomes of an engaged and high-performing workforce, and shape your hybrid culture to match.