How to build a company that people won’t leave in the hybrid era

Remote work has left Australians feeling invisible. Fresh research from Adaptavist revealed that a whopping 72% of Australian office workers feel invisible to their colleagues on digital platforms.

As we emerge from lockdowns, organisations are making decisions about office vs remote vs hybrid work structures, and these feelings of invisibility must be considered.

According to Adaptavist’s chief executive Simon Haighton-Williams, “A key learning from the global 2021 Digital Etiquette Study is that companies need to communicate and engage more with employees, to better understand how work has changed and what employees need to be more effective and ultimately happier in their work.”

“The last 18 months has driven many organisations and teams apart and distrust has grown, with 37% of Australians actively pursuing finding a new job outside of their current organisation. Of those respondents, 66% are looking for another job directly related to how the company responded to COVID-19,” Haighton-Williams says.

Has there been a steep increase in job openings? Definitely, according to the latest report from job site SEEK. October 2021 saw the highest number of job ads posted in a month in its more than 23-year history, yet applications are low compared to historical trends.

Want to attract and retain staff? Then you need to know that — thanks to an extended work from home period — staff and job seekers have a new perspective on priorities, productivity and the digital tools on which we rely.

Here are some tips to help you demonstrate empathy in response to affects of the pandemic on well-being, job satisfaction, work and productivity, and build a company that people won’t leave in the hybrid era.

Five tips for navigating a hybrid work environment

1. Accept that employees are feeling invisible

   Don’t expect 100% of work time to be all about work to make up for “lost time”. Instead, reimagine opportunities for remote relationship building and digital interactions to replace water cooler conversations and coffee catch ups.

   Create opportunities to socialise and team-build with teammates and leaders both remotely and when people are in the office. Gather input from your people on what works and what doesn’t, lest these efforts fall flat.

2. Understand the great re-prioritisation

   Australians made it work during lockdowns, maintaining productivity despite the pandemic. Rather than returning to “normal”, the Digital Etiquette Study tells us one in every five Australian office workers says management is out of touch with the way work and productivity have changed, and they want to be asked for their feedback on that matter.

   Many Australians have come to new decisions about what truly matters to them and what they need. Employees are feeling a sense of power in The Great Resignation situation where job postings outstrip applicants and migration has stalled.

   Managers and employers should be prepared to negotiate individual and team agreements that balance the needs of the organisation and stakeholders with those of individual employees — rather than try to make one size fit all.

3. Understand what your employees want to get done at the office vs at home

   The top three things Australians missed most about the pre-Covid work environment are:

   • Working side by side with their team (35%);
   • Chance meetings with colleagues they don’t work with directly for social reasons (24%); and
   • The ability to celebrate success / special events and give and receive recognition (24%).

   “What this year’s Digital Etiquette Study clearly demonstrates is that while hybrid working is the way forward, there is still work to be done to maximise the opportunities that hybrid working can bring to both employees and businesses alike,” says Haighton-Williams.

   One of the largest companies in Australia found out its employees prefer to collaborate on work digitally because their tools and processes are working. While at the office, they’ve been focusing on team, culture and relationship building as well as collaborative opportunities they’ve been missing during the pandemic. Their hybrid work strategy is working because they are listening and adapting.

   Ask your employees how they would have responded to that question. Then design a work environment that makes the most of face to face and remote work hours.

4. Reward employees for productivity by making work, work better

   This latest research shows that 56% of Australians report spending 30 minutes or more everyday looking for information they need to do their jobs, such as searching emails or chat conversations. What’s going wrong?

   Well, 57% said during the pandemic their company adopted new tools and software to accommodate new work requirements. Almost half stated their organisation has too many tools overall, and too many that perform the same function.

   Despite all that, when asked what they need most from the business, the top response (35.1%) was better tools, software, hardware to do required tasks.

   Once the novelty of being back in the office wears off you may find more people preferring to work remotely, more often. The old model of the majority of work being done in the office will never come back. You must ensure that you have the right tools and processes in place. It’s not enough to be able to work “well enough” from anywhere. The business must work well, regardless of where people are working.

   The research tells us that one in every five Australian office workers wants to be asked for feedback on the tools used for work. Ask! Their feedback is critical to getting it right.

5. “Productivity” needs an overhaul

   The pandemic proved that productivity isn’t about hours worked, or about completing a 9-5 workday every day. Employees know this. Be prepared for the smartest, bravest, most proactive ones to negotiate their work hours, KPIs and even their contracts accordingly.

   Forget the “future” of work. It’s already here.

   In the ‘now’ of work, the best managers and leaders will hold people accountable for productivity and performance by measuring outcomes rather than inputs, tasks or time at the desk.