I TOLD YOU SO!

Remote work works - the data says so

I am not sure whether I love it or hate it when I read an article from one of the big guns and I say to myself, “I have been saying that for ages!” On one hand, it validates what I have been saying and on the other, it feels like no one listens unless your name is Garter, HBR, BCG, McKinsey, Gallup, Deloitte or the like.

In this instance it is Gartner and the report is called “Think Hybrid Work Doesn’t Work? The Data Disagrees.” Gartner warns that if you are tempted to take back more control over work by mandating a rigid return to the office, the data says you will be making a big mistake.

I said: The Great Divide Just Keeps Getting Bigger

The following are key success factors as determined by the data.

Location-flexibility

The survey of employees and leaders around the world who had worked consistently under a form of hybrid work model since the pandemic found that most models delivered below-average outcomes. There was one wildly successful model.

The failing models were all location-centric, attaching a rigid on-site requirement. Only one model scored above average and Gartner calls that “hybrid-flexible” which offers leaders and employees some flexibility to choose where they work.

More successful still is a hybrid-flexible model that incorporates other key elements of human-centric work design – that is location flexibility plus the practices of intentional collaboration and empathy-based management.

When organisations term their model as hybrid you know it is a location-centric model. If you look at any definition of hybrid, it is described as having two elements or components. This term was ok when the pandemic hit as most people worked at their normal place of work – or worked from home.

I said: Our Future of Work Language Is Wrong

The working models we should be adopting now have more than two elements. When I can choose where I work, it could be at home, a library, a café, a shared working space, a hub, or the old office which should now be considered just another remote working space, I have more than two choices.

We need to stop using the term hybrid as it is no longer a matter of either-or.

Flexibility and autonomy

The models that work are those that provide employees with both the flexibility to work where they want, when they want and how they want and the autonomy to choose how to leverage the flexibility. These are the models that recognise work is what we do, not where we go. There is no sound reason to dictate the specific days or number of days that must be spent in the office

I said: It’s Time to Ask “Why?”

The Gartner article states:

“Some location-centric models are fully remote or fully on-site. Some mandate office visits (either because the boss expects them or the organization’s policies demand it), and others claim to be hybrid-first but mandate location anyway (for example, a specific number of days a week). 

By contrast, hybrid-flexible models are malleable, granting employees and teams some autonomy regarding the mix of on-site and remote work so they can best achieve their outcomes (or do their best work). This model drives far superior employee performance than any of the more rigid location-based models, as well as higher intent to stay and lower fatigue.”

Most reasons cited for a return to the office have no substance – culture being the leading example. Culture does not live in an office.

I said: Culture Does Not Live Here 

There are only five sound reasons to return to the office.

I said: There Are Only 5 Reasons to Return to The Office 

Human-centric, flexible work design

When flexible work is combined with human-centric work design to include intentional collaboration and empathy-based management, there are massive benefits.

Gartner has been studying human-centric work design for more than a year, but this latest survey confirmed from practitioners that key organisational benefits – increased employee performance, intent to stay, and reduced fatigue – widely correlate to great levels of flexibility, intentional collaboration, and empathy-based management.

The impact of these benefits is cumulative, making the human-centric model most productive for organisations and employees. 

Gartner's research concludes that:

“Organizations with the most human-centric work environments are 3.8 times more likely to see high employee performance, 3.2 times more likely to enjoy high intent to stay among employees and 3.1 times more likely to see low levels of fatigue among employees than those organizations with far fewer human-centric attributes.”

Effective models require accountable employee autonomy

Implementing a human-centric working model is not possible if you do not grant your employees and teams autonomy over how, when and where they work. The provision of flexibility and autonomy has big benefits.

I said: What Is Your EVP?

Gartner concludes:

·       Employees who are allowed to decide when they work are 2.3 times more likely to achieve higher performance than employees without autonomy. 

·       Autonomy also reduces worker fatigue by 1.9 times (which is critical for sustaining performance over time).

·       Autonomy makes people 2.3 times more likely to stay with the organization, which is essential for winning the talent challenge and competing with fully staffed, talented teams. 

Every employee in every team is accountable for their leveraging of autonomy. Autonomy does not mean anarchy. Each team determines when co-location is required, as it will result in better outcomes.

Three key components

Human-centric work models design work around human needs, rather than expecting humans to conform to legacy practices or locations that constrain them.

I said: Employees As People First Imperative

 This requires a fundamental shift in key elements of work experience and vigorous attention including the three key components of successful human-centric work experience.

No. 1: Flexible work experience

Providing work location flexibility is a key element of employee autonomy but not the only one.

I believe that true flexibility is provided when employees have the autonomy, to decide where they work, when they work, and how they work, while still being accountable for delivering on outcomes.

The Gartner data suggests that when leaders offer this kind of flexible work experience, the likelihood of employees staying with the organisation, experiencing less fatigue, and achieving high performance is 1.5 to 1.7 times greater than when such human-centric attributes aren’t available.

I said: The 5Rs. Conquer Your Hybrid Procrastination

No. 2: Intentional collaboration

The approach to collaboration is also key to human-centric work design. Gartner tested five modes of collaboration on a spectrum from serendipity to intentionality.

Many organisations still base their work models on assumptions that productive collaboration is all about synchronised, in-person interactions. Gartner data shows that relying on these models alone yields below-average results. Adding asynchronous collaboration dramatically improves outcomes, especially if the organisation is purposely about incorporating both modes into working practices.

The most effective enterprises plan collaboration deliberately – intentionally devising a mix of synchronous and asynchronous collaboration that works best for the task at hand and the people executing it.

I said: Change the Focus - Part 1

“Intentional collaboration optimizes collective performance and innovation while accommodating individual preferences, so people can contribute their best work. But adding this intentionality to the other pieces of the human-centric model drives even better overall outcomes.”

Gartner has identified four work modes that teams should intentionally leverage as they leverage flexible work models.

“Most organizations are thinking about hybrid work only in terms of location (whether teams are located or distributed), but Gartner research shows that organizations must also think about it in terms of timespend (whether teams are working asynchronously or synchronously).”

No. 3: Empathy-based management

Employees want to know that they matter to the organisation and feel trusted. This must be demonstrated through actions that affect employees.

I said: Employees Want Empathetic Bosses

Traditionally, managers have relied on visibility to guide their management approach. In other words, they judge and manage based on what they see. To make up for the limited visibility in the hybrid world, many organizations try to recreate it by, for example, direct monitoring or adding manager/direct report check-ins. 

I said: Reinstating Trust

Gartner’s survey tested varying degrees of oversight and found the best outcomes occurred at organisations where leaders are empathetic to employees' needs. The worst outcomes were at organizations where managers mandate that workers be on-site so they can watch them. 

I said: Leadership – The Horror Movie

Empathetic managers have an outsize impact on employee outcomes, but again, incorporating empathy into a comprehensive human-centric design drives the best overall outcomes.

Employee input

Organisations must not impose new working models on employees. They must seek employee input and not assume that the initial model is the final model. Work models will continually evolve as business conditions and employee needs change.

I said: The Great Divide in The Workplace

Gartner survey found strong benefits from continuing to adjust the work model and explicitly seeking employee input. Co-creation is imperative.

“Employees who provided strong input into the post-pandemic work design were 2.5 times more likely to achieve high performance — and four times more likely to report lower fatigue. “

Summary

The most successful work models are those that provide both flexibility and autonomy to employees. We must have intentional collaboration and empathetic management and involve employees in the continual evolution of the work model. Our model must be human-centric not location-centric.