Navigating the new workplace dynamic

Coffee in the office on Wednesday? Teams meeting from your study on a Monday? We’ve all got into our individual rhythms with hybrid working. However you navigate it, it’s clear that this new workplace dynamic is here to stay.

But the hybrid working model has done more than just shift where we work. It’s changed our attitudes and relationship to work.

As organizations seek to navigate an increasingly competitive and fluid labor market, ensuring that the employee experience is fulfilling and engaging will be key to attracting and retaining talent.

Back in 2020, we, like many other enterprises, had to react quickly to move our (then) 220,000-strong workforce to remote working. While we successfully transitioned 90% of our employees in just a few weeks, the work didn’t stop there.

Since then, we’ve grown to 340,000 employees, and in the past few months we’ve been reflecting on what is and isn’t working to deliver a significant, sustained talent transformation. This accelerated with Covid, but the trend was already well under way.

Last summer, we implemented a new hybrid working approach, offering employees globally the possibility to work remotely between 20% and 70% of the time. Here I reflect on our progress and share our learnings to help others navigate the shifting labor market and establish their own work dynamics.

The changing approach to work

We’re operating in a far more fluid and competitive labor market than ever before, and as more companies digitalize, demand is increasing for employees with tech-based skills.

But as all companies, from startups to the biggest players, jostle to attract the same talent, it’s clear this demand far outstrips supply. Now more than ever, tech skilled individuals can have their pick of employers.

When coupled with other phenomena like “The Great Resignation”, where employees rethink their relationship with and expectations from work, organizations that want to attract and retain skilled employees need to work harder. Creating an attractive workplace environment to capture prospective employees is crucial, but companies should also invest in upskilling existing talent to equip them with the digital skills that are the new currency of the labor market.

And just as the traditional structures of work have changed, so too has the previously rigid border between the company and the rest of the world. Aiman Ezzat put this into perspective in his recent discussion at Davos , explaining that companies should widen their perspective and view talent as an ecosystem, where their business is a platform for many different types of talents, whether they be employees, freelancers, gig workers, subcontractors, students and more.

Catering to all needs, with flexibility

Leaders need to recognize the importance of clearly defining a people strategy which reflects the needs and preferences of its workforce. To develop greater insight into what is and isn’t working for our employees, we leveraged a new global listening tool to help us better measure various aspects of wellbeing.

The main takeaway? For employees, flexibility is key, and what may be a walk in the park for one employee may not be for another.

Different work patterns suit different ages, levels of experience and geographies. Our hybrid policy helps ensure that all these different needs are met. Not only that, it empowers our workforce by laying a foundation of trust, and autonomy.

Unsurprisingly, many employees now expect some form of hybrid work policy. But many are wary of the consequences: our 2021 research on 500 organizations globally revealed that 56% of employees felt burned out because of working remotely. To help ensure we’re meeting the fundamental needs of our employees’, Capgemini also developed a Well-being Hub internally in Microsoft Teams. This application provides extra support to our global workforce with resources such as guides, webinars, and support channels for caring for mental health.

Lead with empathy, intelligence, and care

As remote working has increased, so too has the use of technology. But as technology seeps further into our everyday work routines, we’re all placing increased value on human connection.

It’s never been more important for management to exhibit and practice behaviors that are intrinsically human. However, we know that the majority of employees don’t believe their leaders have a high level emotional intelligence: our recent research showed that 75% of employees view emotional intelligence as a key attribute that leadership needs to develop, but only 48% believe that leadership is proficient at it.

It’s so important that leaders embody behaviors like empathy, authenticity, and transparency. And for these traits to take root in an organization, change has to start at the top. Upper management should be creating and nurturing a culture that drives team cohesion and supports efficient hybrid working practices.

As part of our hybrid policy, we sought to upskill our management by updating and redesigning our existing training programs. We gave special attention to establishing trust between managers and employees, how to navigate working in a hybrid environment and how to boost emotional intelligence. But more than that, we also made supporting our managers a pillar of our approach. Management in a hybrid environment is far-removed from an in-office situation. High performing teams rely on effective management, so we ensured managers had the support and resources to handle the transition efficiently. ?

In fact, between September and early December 2021 over 2,000 managers registered to our revamped Connected Manager Program, helping embed rituals such as like implementing two-way feedback loops for both individual and teams.

And the results speak for themselves! We’ve seen fantastic success, with employees rating their managers as more supportive and caring.

In practice, everyone’s way of working is different. But as organizations navigate the nuances hybrid working brings they have to continuously reflect – taking time to listen to their people to best construct their talent ecosystems, improve internal relationships and safeguard their wellbeing.