The Hybrid Workplace Debate Continues and Why Hybrid Can Still Work

The news of Amazon calling workers back to the office five days a week has thrown kerosine into the hybrid workplace debate. Let’s face it – leading a business is no easy task, particularly with all of the moving parts that make up today’s marketplace. 

The traditional five-day model affords leaders the most control and visibility over workers. That’s one reason many business leaders push so hard against allowing workers to work remotely. For 20 years, VPN login systems have been readily used, and for many decades, it has been common to have a leader in one location supervising teams in other locations. It isn’t necessarily that the technology is not fully there. It is the change associated with it – company culture and measuring productivity, to name just two ways. 

Arguing against in the hybrid workplace debate isn’t entirely off base.

When people work from home, it becomes easier to be distracted. Plenty of people are folding the laundry, running an elderly parent to the doctor, even taking a nap, or surfing social media on the company dime. Not to mention, it is significantly more challenging to communicate when you are attempting to read nonverbal cues or micro-expressions on a tiny screen with internet issues and inconsistent audio quality.  

Bringing new employees into a hybrid environment makes team building and communication significantly more cumbersome. The drop in meetings and water cooler connections simply can’t be as organic as they are in a fully in-person workplace.

The challenges don’t merit throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

The perception that the hybrid workplace should be scrapped entirely for the challenges remote introduces, however, sounds a bit like the grandfather in 16 Candles complaining about rock and roll music. Productivity and engagement have always been a challenge for leaders. 

The habit culturally is still to measure productivity in hours. Productivity should really be measured by your employees’ contribution to their roles in delivering value to your customers. Time management doesn’t necessarily add to that value delivery. 

Fact of the matter is, there are indeed important irreplaceable aspects to having your employees come into the office and spend time together face-to-face. As we preach on repeat around here, trust is essential to a healthy workplace culture, regardless of the format. 

The lesson is – make your hybrid workplace work for you.

Make in-office time about building internal relationships, having tough discussions face-to-face, collaborating, and brainstorming. Remote work time should be for contributions that can be completed independently. Provide the necessary guidelines, skills, and authority to achieve defined goals and trust your people, who you hired for their skills, personalities, work integrity, to do what’s necessary.  

All organizations are unique, and working through the hybrid workplace debate may take an objective advisor to help find the right resolution. And hybrid and in-person aren’t the only two options. The four-day work week is another structure being debated. Working with an experienced leadership expert can help you make the most informed decisions. If getting started seems overwhelming or you are tripping on disparate opinions among your senior leadership team, reach out to Liddell Consulting Group to talk about the options. Getting started doesn’t have to be complicated, even if it is highly customized. Call or email us to arrange a complimentary consultation. 877-603-7593 [email protected]