How your culture needs to change for hybrid work to work

Never before has the world experienced a productivity increase like that of the past year. The numbers declare that COVID has been a blessing for organizations across the globe. 

But I probably don’t have to tell you what lurks behind those seductive statistics. We cram more Zoom calls into a day, our PowerPoint presentations grow ever longer, and our Excel spreadsheets make never-before-imagined calculations – but simultaneously, we’re sacrificing something precious and fragile: our culture. 

Let’s be realistic. As vaccinations go in and masks come off, employers aren’t going to simply hit the reset button. The universal travel ban, rent cancellations, canteen closures, and always-available employees have had an impact, loud and clear, on profitability. Employers are asking why they should burden the bottom line with unnecessary costs, and more than 70% of employees expect hybrid to be the dominant way forward. It’s not a question of if – but, rather, when – the hybrid model should kick in.

As organizations scramble to figure out the ideal future model, here are three things to consider: 

1. Mirror your organization with its digital footprint. Every organization suffers from bureaucracy. That’s not news to anyone. But what’s less well known is the direct correlation between bureaucracy and an organization’s ability to thrive in a virtual business environment. Researchers have observed that the flatter the hierarchy, the more successful virtual work – for the simple reason that the flatter hierarchy keeps workers closer to the hub of decision making. 

Going back to work doesn’t mean copy-pasting past structures. Instead, it means seizing the opportunity to run your own ‘hybrid due diligence’, remove reporting layers and ambiguities, and employ new talent in a virtual world. 

2. The quality of interconnections. 

Some conversations, like the water cooler moment and the afternoon beer with a client, just don’t work online. A salesperson recently shared with me his dread as he Zoomed with a client, only to notice his competitor sitting right next to the client. 

Some functions, like programming and planning, have thrived online, but others, including creatives and strategists, have suffered behind the camera lens. Consider drafting up an ‘interconnection heatmap’ of your organization. Use it to shape the optimal online/offline constellation of proximity. The goal should not be to save money, but to optimize the quality of work. 

3. Avoid the second-class citizen’s trap. 

Have you ever been in a meeting with six people sitting around a boardroom table and one poor participant on the speaker phone? I’m betting it didn’t take many minutes before the six people at the table forgot he existed; all he managed to contribute was random soundbites: ‘Yeah, I agree’ and ‘Mike’s right’. This ‘connectivity out-of-balance’ must be recognized and fixed before going hybrid. Adopt an office design with vertical screens to give off-site participants a solid physical presence, allocate funds for high-quality sound, and place everyone, virtual or not, at eye height. 

Whether we’re willing to admit it or not, unspoken work-codes will have a profound impact on the success of your hybrid model. Recent studies show that working in a physical environment is perceived as being more committed than appearing virtually. Even the tiniest signal – a remark from senior management, a promotion, KPI favoritism, or org structures – can amplify or minimize this narrative. 

The message is simple. Viewing a hybrid environment as a temporary strategy can be disastrous, but jumping straight in can be fatal, too. Hybrid work requires solid consideration and preparation. Only then will it help your organization go ‘forward’ to work.

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