Commercial Integrator June 2022 - 32

Future of Work
last year during the peak pandemic months. About 26% plan
to reduce office real estate as a result of the shift to hybrid
work, as compared to 35% last year. These changes point to
an interesting shift in mindset. It begs the question - as the
fear of the pandemic and its variants subside, are businesses
rethinking the role of hybrid work?
Varying Expectations
Business leaders and managers want employees to be back
in the office. It makes complete sense - creativity, mentorship
and teamwork often thrive best when people come
together in person. Many employees recognize that and are
indeed excited about the
return to office. Some are
finding comfort in being
back at their desks in a
familiar environment, away
from the compromised
workspaces and noisy environments
at home. However,
this newfound energy is also
accompanied by a strong
preference to have the flexibility
to choose how often
and when they want to be in
the office so that they have
the best of both worlds.
According to Microsoft's
All workspaces
in the future
will be built
with one
common theme:
They must
invigorate
employees and
foster a spirit
of creativity,
collaboration
and inclusivity.
2022 Work Trend Index, 50%
or more of the business
leaders say their company
is currently requiring or
planning to require full-time
in-person work in the year
ahead, while 52% of employees
say they are somewhat or extremely likely to consider
going remote or hybrid in the year ahead. And therein lies the
dilemma on how to practically implement hybrid work models
that meet both the employee expectations of ultimate flexibility
while assuring managers of maximum productivity and
thriving teamwork.
The Path to Hybrid is Not Easy
For reasons mentioned above and more, hybrid work has
become riddled with many uncertainties and complexities.
Most businesses are offering a mix of remote and in-office
policies in some shape or form today, but the outcomes are
largely unknown. The implementation will remain a constantly
shifting target. Planning, executing and measuring the efficacy
of all changes will be an iterative process until businesses are
satisfied with the outcomes.
Among the many challenging questions, for both today and
32
Commercial Integrator JUNE 2022
the future, which business leaders must answer are
○ What is the right mix of in-office and remote work that will
keep employees happy while ensuring that it enhances
productivity, creativity and teamwork?
○ How should they plan for office space and technology
investments given the constant ebb and flow of in-office
presence?
○ How can they prepare for long-term investments in real
estate and office space buildouts when the hybrid-work
policies are constantly changing?
○ What is the fastest and most cost-efficient way to pilot and
test new space and technology concepts and determine
whether they match employee needs and preferences?
○ How can they support business continuity that enables
employees to switch to work from home at a moment's
notice if conditions change?
○ How can they fully measure the efficacy of hybrid work
and how often must they revisit their strategy?
There are no straightforward answers. One size does not
fit all when it comes to hybrid work. It requires businesses to
lead with agility, nimbleness and adaptation at a scale they
haven't experienced before. But most of all, it requires a sea
change in how they evaluate and measure success. It means
an increased focus on responding to employees' wants and
needs and measuring business success across metrics such
as employee retention rate, ease of hiring talent, broad diversity
and inclusion initiatives, and building a sustainable and
equitable workplace.
For too long, businesses have focused on financial performance
and shareholder returns. In the new future of work, the
businesses that will win are the ones with leaders willing to
focus on employees as their primary stakeholders. They will
also be the ones open to moving beyond an overriding focus
on the physical location of work and provide various options
to their workforce, along with the necessary resources to be
productive anywhere.
Stop Defining Hybrid Work by Location
Among the many ways to address the challenges ahead is to
start by taking a fresh look at the term hybrid work. Today hybrid
work is defined as a flexible work model where employees
work partly in the physical office and partly at home or from
another remote workspace. The definition of hybrid work itself
is flawed because it's location dependent.
Whether working in the office, at home, at a café or from an
Airbnb, hybrid work essentially means omnipresent work. And
therefore, the focus is always on the employee. A blanket policy
that says " workers must be in the office three days a week "
will not work and, in fact, will lead to loss of talent as employees
move to companies that better fit their needs. Deciding
where and how people work must be dependent on user personas,
job roles and the needs of the teams they interact with;
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Commercial Integrator June 2022

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