The debate continues to swing like an out-of-control rollercoaster between the merits of being present in the office and the flexibility of working remotely. Much of this misses the point — and the opportunity right in front of us — to reinvent the workplace experience so that it equitably optimizes the performance and productivity of everyone. It should not matter where or when you work, as long as you are performing as expected.
Recently, the U.K. Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, observed, “I doubt I would have had those strong relationships if I was doing my internship or my first bit of my career over [Microsoft] Teams and Zoom. That’s why I think, for young people in particular, being able to physically be in an office is valuable.”
Others feel the same way. Due to proximity bias, 70 percent of U.K. city workers believe that being physically present in the office will increase their likelihood of promotion. Notably, the same research revealed that 82 percent of workers would like their employer to revamp their employee benefits and perks, such as office drinks, socials, travel and cycle-to-work schemes, with 71 percent feeling the benefits and remunerations their company offers are outdated.
On the other hand, many people have embraced remote working and refuse to return to “normal.” There has been a rise in “digital nomads” who are choosing to work from any location in the world, with more and more countries actively inviting remote workers to their shores (the ones with beaches are usually the most attractive). Some cities, like Miami, are actively rebranding as a startup city to take advantage of rapidly rising talent mobility, particularly within the tech sector. Even more people have decided to “up sticks” and relocate out of dense urban areas, breaking the proximity bias, and continuing to work without the regular office commute.
All told, some studies show that up to 83 percent of workers want to go hybrid after the pandemic. Not everyone works in a role (or has a home environment) where that is an option. But other forces are at work — such as automation — that are radically changing the jobs landscape and the skills people require to stay relevant. No one is immune to this trend; it affects lawyers, influencers, even coders, requiring all of us to become much more comfortable with working alongside intelligent technology.
However, the skills gaps are widening and there is growing pressure to rapidly reskill workers over the next decade, with the World Economic Forum predicting that more than 1 billion people will need retraining by 2030. At the same time, the education system is struggling to prepare young people entering the workforce. Sadly, the very skills that will be in greatest demand, such as advanced cognitive skills, are not being prioritized, leading to actual skills deserts. Couple that with grade inflation and the manipulation of educational standards and it’s clear that the talent war is set to intensify.
For those already in the workforce, the pandemic imposed remote working for many and created a window of reflection that surfaced a longstanding dissatisfaction with the prior workplace experience. All industry sectors are grappling with a wave of resignations as people reevaluate how they work and who they work for. Gallup found that 48 percent of America’s working population is actively job searching or watching for opportunities. However, the “great resignation” is the outcome of a long-term underlying “great discontent” — the highest quit rate is among disengaged workers.
Employee engagement is closely linked to workplace productivity. Consequently, a lack of engagement is very costly. The lost productivity is equal to 18 percent of employees’ annual salary. Replacing these workers when they leave requires one-half to two times their annual salary. It makes business sense to ensure your organization offers the best possible employee experience to retain and maintain high-performing people.
This does not necessarily mean focusing on rewards, perks and quirky workplace environments. In fact, recent research suggests that focusing on the basics of good management practice and respectful communication has the most impact on engagement, resilience, commitment and performance.
This further acknowledges the deep links between learning, engagement and performance management practices and motivation levels of people at work, which is why organizations that still retain separate teams and silos to deliver these support services are at risk of undermining their own efforts. An integrated, aligned HR function that considers the actual everyday, individual experience it serves up to each employee is better equipped to manage the transition to a balanced hybrid work culture.
It will require a reassessment of the technology infrastructure that people use to learn, communicate and collaborate on a daily basis. An integrated platform can unify and personalize the experience to serve the unique learning, engagement and feedback needs of each person as part of their normal workflow. It also ensures the HR function operates congruently and can draw on insights that arise from observing the integrated flow of interactions, spot opportunities to address skills gaps, proactively support career development and internal mobility, or scale access to new ideas and solutions to problems right across the business.
We are at an inflection point in how most people experience work. The binary choice of remote working versus bouncing back into the office is the wrong debate. Instead, we should see flexibility and adaptability as core characteristics of a successful organization operating in a world of exponential change. Hybrid work embodies this when supported by the right technology and cultural practice.
As Lynda Gratton, London Business School Professor, says, “We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to redesign work — and we must ensure our work remains meaningful and human, whilst putting productivity first.” As HR and learning professionals, let’s get to work building the infrastructure and cultural practices that will take us there.
