Hybrid work is part of the new normal. But what does hybrid work really entail? And what factors should employers consider as they enter this new frontier? As this article published in Bloomberg highlights, employers and employees have disparate views on the benefits of remote work, with the former unsurprisingly having a more negative view than the latter. What’s the solution? According to this article—which cites the work and recommendations of economist and remote work expert, Nicholas Bloom—employers and employees must agree on which tasks are appropriately reserved for the office as opposed to those done more efficiently at home. Easier said than done.
While certainly a labor-intensive endeavor, employers should view this as an opportunity to take stock of the tasks and duties each employee completes to better understand the distinction referenced by Bloom. As part of this process, employers should distinguish between tasks and duties that are better done collaboratively, require some degree of in-person training or discussion, or require more cognitive skill and focus, as opposed to those that are more rote or routine, with the former likely being more appropriately done in the office as opposed to the latter. Importantly, employers should determine how and to what extent they can restructure the office environment to better ensure that more junior employees are afforded opportunities to work or interact with more senior employees or managers on the days they are required to come to the office. This could include having junior employees take a more active role in business development on in-office days, attending meetings with clients or stakeholders, and ensuring that group or team meetings are scheduled during the days everyone is in the office as opposed to working from home.
Why should employers do this? Because it’s efficient. Continuing to implement a hybrid work model without taking the next step of being intentional about the design and structure of work itself will inevitably cause inefficiencies to emerge. Hybrid work is likely here to stay; thus, employers that get ahead here and consider redesigning how employees work will not only be ahead of the competition, but also will likely retain talented employees in the process.
Make sure managers and workers agree on which tasks are more efficiently done from home or from the office, and use that to decide when to come in and for what purpose. That way, bosses aren’t left wondering what remote workers are doing all day, and days in the office are spent doing things that benefit from in-person connections.
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