Hybrid Workforce designs are failing. Nobody is asking about the "Purpose" of being in the office.

A few weeks ago, while speaking at the Michigan Society of Association Executives annual conference, I was struck by two things in discussions with attendees:

1. The number of organizations who have fully adopted a hybrid or fully remote workforce and;

2. How many people indicated it had not been a roaring success. In fact, many said it’d been a terrible failure.

I immediately changed the title of my session to “The Joy of Hybrid?” adding a big fat question mark at the end, as it was clear that for most, there had been no joy in being part of a hybrid workforce!

While I had found this disheartening, I certainly did not find it surprising.

In a rush to acquiesce to employee demands for “flexibility” following almost two years of Covid work disruptions and work-from-home success, organizations rushed into the 2-3 mix, two or three days at home or in the office.

Many in leadership claimed to have “listened” to what employees wanted and, better yet – “acted” upon it. And in some regards, this is true. I believe many employees didn’t or couldn’t express what they really wanted in the return to the office, and leadership, in the absence of information, thought they were meeting the needs of their employees.

But after a few months now of half-empty offices, vacant cubicles, colleagues you wish to speak with not being there, and those lucky enough to have private offices staying in them to zoom into on-site meetings; it’s apparent this is not what everyone was hoping for in the great return to the office.

And let’s not forget the office never really worked for everyone in the first place. There is a reason people used to say, “I never go into the office to get real work done.”

My advice to organizations is to take a giant step into the future and use this time to reimagine work structures. Use this as an opportunity to create cultures that fit the lives of the humans who make up your workforce.

The first step is to take a deep dive into understanding the “purpose” of why people want to be in the office, and don’t just think about it – make sure you “ASK” them.

Included in your conversation with staff should be an understanding of how they like to get their work done, who or what teams they need to collaborate with, and when they require quiet, focus times.

Since so many people are working out of the office, re-position your space as a place people “want” to visit, at least occasionally. At Achurch Consulting , we tell our clients to visualize their workspaces like a university. A place where you come to do individual work, group work, attend learning seminars, eat, and do the all-important act of socializing.

In their article “Going Back to Work in the Office: It Has to Be Worth It,” Gallup suggests that leaders think about their workplace value proposition; what does our workplace offer to enhance the employee experience? If you can’t answer that question, it’s unlikely your employees can either.?

Understanding the organic way people work and how they want to spend time with colleagues can help you avoid the mistake of assigning arbitrary days to show up at work. We don’t need to go to the office to send emails and make phone calls; we’ve already proven we can do that quite successfully from home.

Want to learn more about how to create a successful Hybrid Workforce? Contact us at Achurch Consulting .

John Clese is a remote workforce strategist at Achurch Consulting , focusing specifically on helping distributed workforces remain engaged and productive.