Stepping into the Void: Hybrid Work

Jimmy Chin, one of the greatest high-altitude climbers of our generation, describes his risk calculus for taking the next step on the jagged edge of a mountain as “stepping into the void.” This measured risk acceptance—a necessary precondition to being a world-class climber—is one where life or death often hangs in the balance.

And while strategic decisions by Fortune 1000 companies don’t often involve actual life or death (one would hope), the decisions they make in response to the rapid evolution of remote and hybrid work could easily decide their financial mortality.

And it’s in that sense the analogy holds: all companies, great and small are being forced to “step into the void” with respect to remote and hybrid work, both from a policy and platform perspective. Those that navigate these evolutionary forces effectively will inevitably 'survive and thrive'. Those that don’t - well…..they may very well gain the dubious distinction shared with this guy.

The Great Attrition - It’s happening. You should receive that.

A recent McKinsey survey indicated that forty percent of employee respondents are “somewhat likely” to quit their jobs in the next 6 months. Furthermore, over fifty percent of employers said they are experiencing greater voluntary turnover than they had in previous years, and over 60 percent expect the problem to continue—or worsen—over the next six months. That old adage - “it’s going to get worse before it gets better”- seems to be an appropriate descriptor.

The Great Remote Experiment

Due to the introduction of mandatory COVID-19 quarantines around the globe in early 2020, many companies rapidly transferred most, if not all, of their operations to remote platforms. As they adapted to this way of working, unprecedented levels of data and first-hand experience revealed the pros and cons of introducing remote work among organizations. With the inherent variability of hybrid and remote work and the increasing number of people discussing the concept through their own terminologies, developing a clear understanding of what hybrid work should look like is no small feat.

DWELLoptimal | Where Business Lives

Enter DWELLoptimal. We were built to respond to the work needs of an increasingly remote employee base. We believe strongly that companies that prioritize the remote-work needs of mobile employees thru ‘true connective experiences will reap higher productivity and retention rates, as well as attract the best talent in today’s competitive job market.

DWELLoptimal was designed for companies to harness the power of remote workers and provide for a more seamless onboarding experience of new employees. In addition to providing physical work|live environments, DWELL's travel utilization platform allows companies to manage all aspects of their secure real-estate portfolios. DWELLoptimal seeks be an integral part of the overall “Onboarding Experience” as companies look to attract and retain talent.

If you are a company navigating the challenges of implementing an effective hybrid workplace, we would love to connect with you and share our product. Please reach out directly thru our ‘Corporate Enquiry’ button at the bottom of our website to learn more.?www.dwelloptimal.com

About the author

Craig James is the founder and CEO of DWELLoptimal, a real estate technology company that provides companies a dedicated, secure work|live platform (both software and physical spaces), with the primary motivation of providing deeper connectivity to the remote worker.

Prior to making real estate his focus, Craig James spent 20+ years on Wall Street in equity derivative trading, and 8 years abroad in Hong Kong. Mr. James received his MBA in Computational Finance from the University of Texas-Austin and his BA in Liberal Arts and Economics from Wheaton College.