In the new hybrid world, a culture of trust is key

“Should I stay, or should I go?” – this is a question I ask myself whenever I decide whether I should work in the office or from home in the coming week. Surely, I have grown to appreciate the benefits of working from home, taking calls and really being able to focus. On the flipside, I also truly enjoy working in the office and connecting with my colleagues. This is what we call the Hybrid Work Paradox . Therefore, I personally find it highly interesting to see which direction some of our customers and partners choose – some remain fully flexible, some have quotas of office and remote days, and others order all of their employees back.

For us at Microsoft, the answer is clear: Our future is hybrid. In Switzerland, we let our colleagues decide where and when they would like to work, because we trust them to make the best decisions for themselves – and for our customers. And trust is at the core of how we collaborate. This is why I see building a culture of trust and support in the flexibility of work styles as key to how all of our companies can thrive in hybrid work. Let me explain.

A new report we have published this week makes me optimistic: Our own Microsoft employee survey data shows that 90% of our employees feel included in their work. Manager support is also reported at all-time highs, while self-reported productivity levels remain consistent. I believe we are on a good path, but we are also just like one of the many companies in Switzerland trying to navigate the new hybrid reality. Still, the Hybrid Work Paradox is also something all the companies in Switzerland are facing: 71 percent of employees in Switzerland wish to continue working in a hybrid setting according to our?Work Trend Index . However, 70 percent of them also want to spend more time physically with their teams after the pandemic.?

I am fully convinced that a successful shift to hybrid work will depend on embracing exactly this paradox, in which people want the flexibility to work from anywhere, but simultaneously crave more in-person connection. On top of that, working hybrid will make our lives more complex than before: How do we ensure that our employees remain to feel included? What can we do to help our managers support our colleagues? Navigating the hybrid reality, also means navigating this complexity. We also see the role of managers becoming even more important: Our findings show a gap between manager and employee expectations, but one-on-one conversations create trust and give people the confidence to embrace their own version of flexible hybrid work.

And by all means, we are also in the middle of a learning process ourselves as we are currently moving to our new Swiss headquarter in the Circle at the Zurich Airport. On one hand, this gives us the immense opportunity to adapt to the new circumstances we find ourselves in and to listen very closely to our colleagues needs. On the other, we have to accept that there is no one-size-fits-all approach: some employees see work-life balance, focus time, and meetings as reasons to go into the office according to our data. Others see those as reasons to stay home. Now, it is our challenge to create a collaborative space where we can accommodate everyone.

This is why I see culture as the key to success. Hybrid work creates an opportunity for organizations to build new workplace norms that not only lead to greater fulfillment for employees but also better business outcomes. Even though Microsoft Switzerland has been empowering its employees for over 10 years now to work wherever it suits them best, we don’t have all the answers. But we hope that sharing what we are learning will help other companies consider what flexible work means for them in order to develop a culture that makes hybrid work really work for them.