Another week, another ‘Wave’ ???

5 news items from the world of work and workplace you can digest in 5 minutes.

This week:

1. How leaders can best support their hybrid workforce
2. Employee surveillance is on the rise but it’s backfiring
3. Hybrid working can reduce US carbon emissions by 87%

Supporting the System: How can leaders and managers best support their hybrid employees? Be “prepared to flex, be open to new technologies, continually work on your culture, prioritize relationship building and drive effective communication,” says Marco Favaloro ???????? (he/him), Head of APAC for Insights. With research showing 72% of employees want hybrid to continue and 65% of companies plan to maintain this way of working, businesses must ensure staff are able to perform at their best. “While the results show a strong preference for hybrid working, it doesn’t mean companies should adopt a ‘one size fits all’ model. There are no hard or fast rules about what will suit every team. I believe that organizations should consider the behavioral and work preferences of their teams when adapting work models. Where there are any doubts, create a safe space for honest and transparent dialogue.” Read Full Article.

A Watchful Eye: Employee surveillance is on the rise, reports CNBC. The shift to hybrid work has fueled what Microsoft calls “productivity paranoia” with 85% of leaders having trouble believing their workers are being productive. So it comes as no surprise that 80% of employers use monitoring software to track employee performance and online activity. “In 2022, we saw 100% growth across the Asia Pacific region,” said Elizabeth Harz (She/Her), CEO of employee monitoring software company, Veriato. However studies show it has a lot of potential to backfire — monitored employees were substantially more likely to purposely work at a slow pace, and reported feeling more anxiety and pressure to work longer hours. Randstad’s Jaya Dass called it a “breach of trust and personal privacy. If the intent of surveillance is to control, to make sure that my employee is seated for X number of hours at a desk then the entire basis of remote working is lost. That is observing the human being as a commodity. You’re not managing the emotional and the mental state of the employee, which is actually the real essence behind productivity engagement.” Read Full Article.

The Environmental Impact: With Earth Day last Saturday, has your business considered the positive environmental impact of hybrid working? With a decrease in building and transport emissions the reduction in carbon emissions could be be as much as 70% in the UK and a staggering 87% in the US, according to research by IWG plc and Arup. With such significant potential carbon savings, embracing hybrid working models is an essential and practical step toward reducing our carbon footprint and protecting our planet. Read Full Article.

Coworking Boom: Coworking spaces in India are in high demand as companies seek to provide flexibility through alternative work arrangements, reports The Economic Times. This is accelerating the adoption of coworking and managed spaces which are seeing an unprecedented boom in demand, not just from startups and SMBs, but large Indian enterprises and multinationals. Occupancy rates at coworking spaces across the country are now at 85-100%, as organizations increasingly look for flexible, asset-light, and cost-effective models. "Even though WFH is no longer as prevalent, concepts like flexible working, hybrid working, and walk-to-the-office continue to grow in popularity," says Sanjay Chatrath, managing partner, Incuspaze. "People want to continue working in their vicinity, even if they are not working from home. This is a great opportunity for the managed workspace sector." Read Full Article.

The Visibility Problem: Is presenteeism more of an issue for women in a hybrid world? Looking at the tech sector alone, where female representation is just 26% of the workforce, research reveals women are twice as likely to be seen in the office – with 16% heading into the workplace at least three days per week compared to 8% of men. Yet this trend is not indicative of a greater desire to be in the workplace, women could be more likely to face pressure to turn up to work, often due to higher rates of imposter syndrome and a current lack of representation in leadership. With such a mismatch in male and female perspectives on flexibility – both in priority and current set-up – it could be easy to create a work environment that benefits one over the other. Businesses should be mindful when driving a return to office mandate not to negatively impact female progression, work-life balance, or worse yet – drive them out of the industry completely. Read Full Article.