Implications of Hybrid Workforce: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

A hybrid workforce means many things today: complete flexibility chosen by each employee, a mix of work from home and office by all, designated in-office and work from home days, and many other possibilities. 

The pandemic put us all on an equal playing field by all working remotely. Before quarantine at home, the full-time remote worker or person who worked from home on the occasion was relegated to “dial in” or, at best, “video in” where they were one of the few not in the room.  

Coming back to the office is an opportunity to think about things differently, rather than reverting back to what used to work. If you were forced to rip up and renovate the floors of your kitchen due to a leak, you would be savvy to consider this a great moment to address other renovation needs of your kitchen (i.e., swap out the 30-year old stove, fix the leaky fridge, or change the color of your cabinets) while the floor is already ripped up anyway. Much like this kitchen, you have to bring back your workforce eventually either way, so it may as well be more intentional, thoughtful, and beneficial than before. 

The primary question when considering how and where your workforce works is, “Does this help my organization win now and in the future?” In considering this question, we share the following good, bad, and ugly considerations to account for when thinking through the potential impacts of a hybrid workforce. 

The Good

• Flexibility. The option to work from home completely or partially will make a significant impact on employees’ lifestyle and wellbeing. Not to mention, the option itself gives many the sense of autonomy and empowerment.  It is a very real possibility that companies who do not embrace, to at least some degree, the benefits of an increasing value put on flexibility by their employees will lose in the war for talent in the near future. 

• Capitalizing on technology. The last year has shown us that technology makes getting together face-to-face doable virtually. The quality of those interactions is subjective, but utilizing the technology that has proven effective over this last year is a wise choice for many companies. Almost certainly, technology can be used as a supplement to any hybrid work situation to reduce travel time, costs, and hassle. 

• Reduced footprint and pollution. With a large number of companies potentially not needing to house their entire workforce daily, the amount of commercial space can decrease significantly, reducing overhead. In addition, fewer people hitting the highway for work everyday can make a real positive impact on emissions.

• Improved quality of life. For those who have opted for a more rural lifestyle or are using their time differently where they’ve always lived, swapping the commute for exercise or time with family may be a significant improvement to their quality of life. 

The Bad

• Increased bias. Humans are tribe animals, and we can’t help but put people into categories. “In office” and “work from home” groups and biases about each are bound to form. It will be all too easy for each group to relate more to the fellow members of their group and potentially less and less over time to the other(s). 

• Decreased in-person facetime and potential promotion opportunity. With a split of the workforce and/or days in and out of the office, in-person facetime between managers and employees, peers, and working teams will decrease. Studies have shown that the rate of promotion decreases with decreased facetime between manager and employee. 

• Tricky communication. Meetings, trainings, and events that need to accommodate people in-person and virtually will have communication challenges. Will people joining virtually get as much airtime? How can both experiences be positive and impactful while knowing they will not be exactly the same?  

The Ugly 

• Personal beliefs by companies or leaders. We can’t help but have an opinion on what’s “best” for work moving forward. It is all too easy to project our belief knowingly or unknowingly onto others and/or think less of those who disagree with our way of moving forward. This can get ugly if leaders and employees alike don’t see this issue from multiple vantage points. Compassion and empathy for all employees is and will remain paramount in maintaining a workplace of belonging and inclusivity.

Making the Decision

A few tips and tricks to help make this important decision:

1. Talk to your people first. Both surveys to collect quantitative data and conversations with a variety of people in the workforce will be important to add color to the reason behind people’s preferences. Don’t skip this step and go straight to assumptions. 

2. Get specific in considering the work. Does all of your organization/teams’ work require an in-person workforce? Subsets of the work? The more this decision is based on fact, data, and solid reasoning, the better it will be received. 

3. Treat this as an experiment. Often, when leaders come to a decision and can finally take a breath, they want to implement the decision and move on to what’s next. The reality is that this initial hybrid work decision is likely to be one of many. Treat this as an experiment and be clear about when the discussion will be revisited to see how it’s going - 6 to 12 months can give you an initial sense. 

4. Practice what you preach.  If hybrid is the way of the future, leaders, including C-level and VPs, should walk the walk. It may be hard for employees at lower levels to believe that working outside of the office is supported and encouraged by leaders who have reverted to every day in the office. 

5. If organizations are going to be hybrid and have any percent of their workforce working remotely, these folks need to be treated as the standard and not an afterthought to be accommodated. Otherwise, this is setting up work from home employees for failure. Technology and open discussion about the organization’s belief in a hybrid workforce can help. 

6. Be transparent in your communication. If the choice is to bring everyone back into the office, explain why in reasonable detail and focus on the requirements of the work rather than personal beliefs without data to back it up. If a particular type of hybrid work is the plan, share what it will look like, what the options for employees are (if any), and what the organization’s expectations are for all employees. If there is lack of clarity, that risks leading to more inequity. 

From our view, the list is compelling on both sides. There is much to be gained and much to be concerned about with a hybrid workforce. Like with many complex challenges, transparent communication, listening, and experimenting before committing to a long-term plan is critical for success in this new way of working.