How hybrid work—and AI—impact business performance

Four years removed from the office shakeups caused by the pandemic, companies have had time to experiment with a range of different workforce models—alternating flavors of WFH, RTO, flex, and others.?

Employees certainly aren’t shy about expressing their preferences. But have any clear winners emerged from an overall performance and productivity standpoint? If anyone has a good answer to that question, it’s Stanford economics professor Nicholas Bloom.?

The clearest takeaway from the last few years is that the five-day return-to-office model is DOA, says Bloom. In an interview with The Works, Bloom weighed in on critical differences between different hybrid models and the performance and productivity benefits (and tradeoffs) that come with each.?

One insight Bloom shared for companies that now include office card swipes as part of their employee key performance indicators (KPIs): You might consider more creative ways to lure people back to the office.

For example, in some organizations where developing talent and mentoring is a critical KPI, “rather than force card swipes,” says Bloom, “if you place 25% of compensation and performance reviews on developing talent, you'll find they will naturally come into the office anyway.”

Check out some of Bloom’s other insights about workforce models—including what is working best in IT organizations and in customer support operations—and how far off we are from adopting the four-day workweek.?

Read the full Q&A on The Works.?

Manage what you measure—with AI

Measuring business performance is the focus of another recent story in The Works, but from the other end of the spectrum: artificial intelligence.?

Just as AI applications are triggering operational changes and overhauls in every major function of business, they are making inroads in the world of KPIs and performance management. For companies keen to understand how to measure the ROI of all these new AI initiatives, an impressive new study suggests that AI will itself play a big role in solving the puzzle.

A Boston Consulting Group (BCG) study shows several new ways AI is redefining strategic, operational, and functional business metrics—creating new types of predictive KPIs, for example—and improving on familiar ones.?

As the study’s lead author, Fran?ois Candelon, summed it up: “It’s a well-worn maxim that companies can’t manage what they don’t measure. But using AI transforms both what companies can measure and what they should manage.”

Check out the full story on The Works.?

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