The pandemic has radically altered how executives view remote work. For example, a recent McKinsey study found that before the pandemic almost all C-level execs expected office-based employees to be physically at work more than 80% of the time. Now, half of those same execs expect that employees will work remotely most of their time. However, only 3% expect a fully remote workforce (McKinsey, May 17, 2021). They are preparing for hybrid work, where an employee works part time from home and part time in the office.
Managers certainly see benefits. McKinsey says, “The survey confirms that productivity and customer satisfaction have increased during the pandemic.” Harvard Business Review adds, “Many companies have reported higher levels of employee engagement even as teams went remote almost overnight, with no planning or strategy in place.” (HBR, June 8, 2021)
Nearly all employees I’ve talked to are enthusiastic about working remotely some of the time now that they’ve tasted it. Several organizational development experts I’ve talked with say they’ve seen an abrupt shift in the power dynamic. Many employees have radically reassessed what they want from their work-life balance. They are almost demanding to be allowed to do some of their work from home and to bring pieces of their personal life to the workplace, such as dogs and children. Given how hard it is to hire and retain in some industries right now, this is getting serious management attention.
But hybrid work raises a host of questions. Can permanent hybrid work be structured to sustain increases in engagement and productivity in a people-friendly way? How can nervous managers who are used to centralized, line-of-sight management learn to manage a hybrid workforce? Does the reduction in physical visibility hamper innovation or sidetrack career progression? What about cyber-security?
If this topic grabs your attention, the Portland Portfolio and Project Leaders Forum (sites.google.com/view/pplf), a group of senior managers, has arranged a panel of experts to discuss it on August 12,2021. If you’re a member, sign up! If you’re not, contact me to attend as my guest.