Is the future flexible? Everyone wants to know!

Among the many great questions about the workplace that arose following the pandemic, the question of flexibility between home and on-site work continues to be debated by employers and employees alike. And there are as many viewpoints as there are people.

My attempt is to bring together disparate views, which can perhaps inform the various discussions you are having in your workplaces.

I will start by reiterating what has possibly been forgotten in this big debate. Flexibility has always existed in the knowledge and technology sectors, which is also my area of expertise. Office workers took files home even before the advent of the first personal computers. Technology just made it easier. Soon, employees were not working from home just to catch up on pending work after hours, but organizations were comfortable with employees working some days or weeks at home to accommodate work-life balance. The pandemic took that premise further and proved that nearly every type of work can be done remotely.

The employee view: All 360 degrees of it

Post-pandemic, as with most trends accelerated by extreme circumstances, the pendulum is swinging back from fully-remote work in search of balance. While there are employees who, according to Gartner data, say that if required to work entirely on-site, they would seek other jobs (that’s 43% of employees and 47% of knowledge workers in that survey), there is also another section of employees who are quietly embracing a return to the office. Benefits include more defined boundaries between work and home (which women mainly found hard to maintain during the pandemic), the human value of social interaction with colleagues, and simply being able to get things done faster by walking up to somebody.

Many debates are going on as to whether Gen Z, who started their careers in a fully remote model, are missing out on cultivating the soft skills needed to succeed in the workplace. Mentorship and role models are a huge part of employee success. Are they finding it more challenging in the absence of behaviors or role models they could otherwise observe on the work floor and model themselves after??

The employer view

For employers, one big plus as people return to the office is the renewed ability to immerse employees (especially pandemic hires) in the company culture. Conversations I have been having in the industry also list other benefits employers see, such as countering the rise in candidates with fake qualifications and people working for multiple companies simultaneously. They also cite the reality that certain jobs are done better when teams work side by side or are collocated, for example, in the scrum and agile way of working.???????????

Reframing how you view the workplace

In its 2023 Global Human Capital Trends survey, Deloitte says, “The ideal workplace is not just a physical site dictated by tradition, right, or necessity—but wherever work is best done…Leaders should focus on the fundamental issue, which is the design and practice of the work itself, as the work will dictate the mix of physical and digital workplace required to meet business outcomes.” ???

Gartner also finds that 82% of employees agree it is essential that their organization sees them as a person, not just an employee.

So the solution perhaps does not lie in debating “where” work must be done, but focusing on “what” the nature of work is and “how” it must be done. And most importantly, focusing on the people who deliver it and the people to whom it is delivered, i.e., the customers.?

Points to ponder: For employees and employers

For employees who want to be viewed as people rather than resources and for employers who are dealing with navigating the future of work where the purpose is becoming a business imperative, there are many conundrums to solve.??

Work without personal human connection loses purpose and meaning. Further, creativity and invention come through collaboration and connection. How we connect, when, and where is up for discussion, but meet and connect we must – and this is not a moot point. Here are a few simple points to consider as we find our way together through these issues:?

·????????Define work and the skills needed to execute it. Design it as optimum as possible, then determine how and where it can be delivered. Certain roles may be suitable for remote delivery but don’t strip it of all human connection. Find a way for people to have enough touchpoints so they can work together and be together.

·????????Immerse employees in company culture so they see it as a unique persona with distinct values and a purpose they can identify with.

·????????Equip managers to be ambassadors for the company culture and enable them to effectively manage all types of roles (on-site or hybrid) with sufficient trust, balanced with the tools needed to validate performance and outcome.??

·????????Create robust systems to allow a smooth transition between hybrid and on-site roles, whether during a pandemic-like crisis or routine internal role changes, as employees may transition back and forth during their life cycle.??

·????????Incentivize the right behaviors to promote trust and integrity while effectively addressing abuse of a flexible work model.?

Having shared my thoughts, I would love to hear from you about what you see in your workplaces and how you are navigating the ever-evolving challenges at work.?