From Compliance to Conviction: Reimagining How We Work
Reflecting on our own careers, we often think back to moments as emerging leaders, where we attended executive meetings, had to present content ‘on the fly’ and were expected to add value and influence others in critical moments. At the time, they felt like career making, or career breaking opportunities. And they were all live, and in person.????
In one instance, I recall being pulled into an ad-hoc discussion by my VP to talk to my Board chair. I had to think quickly, balancing the need to provide valuable insights without overstepping. The outcome from that conversation was memorable, too. Whatever was said resulted in the chair committing to working with the Board to create an ad hoc group to support the project.?
Recalling these types of career experiences sparks nostalgia - they are often developmental leaps forward in our professional journeys. And, they reveal the potential hidden costs of remote work for leadership development of complex and nuanced skills. While we have all seen some promising productivity metrics with remote work in our current roles, reflecting on our own career journeys, we have come to realize that the most valuable lessons during a transformative time in our careers came from unexpected in-person moments - watching mentors handle crises, having informal post-meeting chats, and observing subtle leadership and board dynamics. This begs the question: "How do we preserve these critical learning moments in today's hybrid world of work?"
This personal reflection also echoes conversations we're having with boards and C-suite leaders across industries. As many companies and leaders are declaring their point of view on work modality (in-person, hybrid, remote), so too are employees establishing their preferences for how they work. The question, however, has evolved beyond productivity metrics or employee preferences. Instead, we are hearing forward-thinking leaders who are being intentional and proactive, asking: How should we work to honor individual needs for flexibility and cultivate organizational cultures that drive sustainable business performance?
Moving Past the Either/Or Mentality
Recent data supports a more nuanced approach to workplace modality. Findings from our Pulse of the U.S. Workforce quarterly report reveals that only 36% of U.S Workers state that they prefer to work in person, while 63% cite working in person as their current modality. The expectations of coming back to work in-person may be complied with - but workers lack conviction for the value of working in-person.?
Relatedly, according to Microsoft's 2023 Work Trend Index, 82% of business leaders say getting employees back to the office in-person is a concern. However, the same study reveals that 73% of employees need better reasons to come to the office than just company expectations.?
What we know for sure, is that the way we work isn’t working. Many industries and companies have failed to effectively communicate the strategic value of different work modalities, and workers have struggled to articulate their need for greater flexibility to address life demands. Leaders sit in the middle of this tug-of-war, having to adapt, flex and enforce policies that they may or may not agree with. Instead of viewing this as a tug-of-war between employee preferences and company mandates, we need to reframe the conversation around optimizing how we work and what we are working towards.?
The Hidden Value Propositions of In-Person Work
The data on in-person work's benefits are compelling:
These statistics tell an important story: while remote work offers valuable (and often needed) flexibility, in-person interactions provide unique advantages for professional development, innovation, career advancement, and sense of belonging.
At the other end of the work spectrum, those who work remotely are feeling less confident in their careers. This quarter’s Pulse data also shows that 65% of U.S. workers who work remotely are very or somewhat concerned about their employment situation as compared to only 50% of those who work in person. While job concern is higher this month (based on our monthly Pulse report), there is a staggering difference based on work modality.
Whether we focus on feelings of job security, doing work that matters with people that matter to us, or on our desire for professional growth and mentorship, in-person experiences in the workforce hold significant weight that cannot be ignored.?
The professional growth mindset: The “when” and the “how”
Consider this analogy: Many of us don't naturally love going to the gym (well at least I don’t). We do it because we understand the long-term benefits for our health and well-being. We also feel instantaneous benefits when we do it - from the “high” of a workout, to more energy when going through our day. Similarly, while remote work might feel more comfortable, in-person collaboration is an investment in professional muscle-building that is important to organizational and career health. And, it can offer immediate benefits to a workers’ experience and to workplace culture - people can more easily connect and align when they are around other people, and there is a motivational boost that occurs when people work towards a common goal, together.
Just as a personal trainer helps optimize our workout routine, leaders need to help employees understand when and how in-person work can accelerate their professional development among other things. This isn't about mandating office presence—it's about creating meaningful opportunities for connection and growth.
Aligning modality with purpose
The most effective organizational strategies align how we work (modality) with why we work (purpose). For example, let’s continue with the exercise metaphor. I like to run outside - I like the freedom, the view and the extra challenge of varied terrain.? However, when it comes to lifting weights, I want to be in the gym with a trainer - someone pushing me to add more weight, increase my reps, or to tell me that my form is off.? There are benefits to both of these methods as part of my routine and overall fitness goals.? One ensures flexibility, choice, and puts me in the space I want to be mentally and physically, while the other offers me structure, immediate feedback through observation, and a coaching mentality that I likely wouldn’t respond as well to over video or audio only.
Aligning modality with purpose is not just applicable to our health!? As people leaders, many of us have likely observed what our Pulse of the U.S. Workforce report confirms this quarter: employees in hybrid work environments report the strongest connection with their managers and highest admiration for their leadership. This shouldn't surprise us.
When we trust our teams with the autonomy to work from home while creating purposeful in-person touch-points, we foster both independence and belonging.?
Architecting meaningful in-person experiences
When we consider the value of hybrid work, the differentiation between exceptional and mediocre hybrid models lies in intentional design. Our Pulse research reveals that teams are three times more likely to find office time valuable when it's engineered around growth and collaborative innovation rather than routine tasks.???
Let’s return to the exercise metaphor one last time… to get the most out of my workout routine, I take the time to work with a trainer or fitness expert to think about the data (eg. heart rate, blood pressure, age, etc.), my current emotions and motivation, and overall fitness goals.? Then we design a carefully constructed plan.? As I start to enact that plan, feedback (in the way of physical results, confidence, etc.) will serve as indicators about what is working and where we need to continue to adjust or shake up the routine.??
The same concept applies for us as leaders as we think about the most important outcomes in our work culture. We need to ask ourselves, “How can I intentionally shape my team’s work modalities to have the highest collective impact on our key priorities?” Working with leaders across sectors and industries, we’ve seen companies do this in a variety of ways, including:
These are not novel suggestions and they likely make sense to most seasoned leaders. We often reflect on our work at idealis as helping companies and leaders get back to the basics. We know that when things get busy and deadlines get tight, we tend to forego these types of opportunities to save money or time. We lean on requirements, policies, and rules rather than applying more human-centric design principles to make work, work. Balancing modality and purpose as a consistent part of work culture is essential, especially as the level of challenge or stress rises. That is the time we need to hold sacred these purposeful touch-points that bring people together and unlock the fullest potential of the workforce.
Moving Forward: A More Human-Centric Workplace?
The future isn't about choosing sides in the remote versus in-person debate—it's about strategically leveraging each modality to drive organizational (and human) performance and excellence. Just as world-class athletes don't build peak performance through random training, organizational vitality requires deliberate design of both virtual and in-person engagement.
The challenge for senior leaders extends beyond monitoring office attendance metrics and creating incentive models that reward (or punish). It's about creating compelling value propositions for physical presence - particularly for those who are deeming it to be required or necessary for business performance. When we shift our focus from "whether" to "when" and "how," we build environments that balance agility with growth, tapping into our teams' fundamental drive for shared purpose. We strengthen conviction in our collective mission when teams see the direct connection between how we work and the value of our work - personally and organizationally.?
Furthermore, once we've established the right approach to work that best fits our organization — our effectiveness hinges on nuanced contextual leadership. Leaders lead in context, which requires a level of curiosity, empathy, agility, and courage to adapt to new situations.?
As what we work on, how we work, and what is working continues to evolve, the most human-centric leaders:
Ultimately, our ability to read and respond to organizational context while maintaining unwavering standards is what separates exceptional leadership from the management-employee tug-of-war match many of us have witnessed or lived over the past few months.
If we can help you navigate how you and your team work, and help you design the culture you work within, reach out to us at [email protected]. And if you are interested in learning more about our research on How We Work (isn’t working), email us at [email protected]. We'd love to share our insights and more.??