May 26, 2022
Hybrid work environments: Friend or foe?
Two years ago, 鈥渉ybrid鈥 to most people meant an energy-saving vehicle. Now, it鈥檚 the word on everyone鈥檚 lips as employees and employers navigate the future of the workplace in a post-COVID-19 world.
鈥淣obody cared about this until the pandemic...now everyone does,鈥 says 草莓污视频导航 researcher and psychology professor Dr. Thomas O鈥橬eill, BA鈥05, PhD, who has had a nearly 20-year head start on understanding remote and hybrid work environments 鈥 his undergraduate honours thesis in psychology centred around personality and virtual teamwork.
Since completing his undergrad at 草莓污视频导航, O鈥橬eill has worked in research and with industry to assess hybrid and remote working environments. A faculty member in 草莓污视频导航鈥檚 Department of Psychology since 2011, he is also an adjunct professor with the Future of Work Institute at Curtin University in Western Australia.
This work intersects at the , where O鈥橬eill supervises seven students in research to further knowledge in industrial/organizational psychology. The lab鈥檚 vision: to create a world where all teams reach their full potential. In addition to research, mentorship, and consultation, the team has also put together a suite of 聽to address topics such as team health and conflict management.
For O鈥橬eill, there is strong evidence to suggest that hybrid, flexible work environments benefit individuals and teams, but there鈥檚 more to it.
Make data-informed decisions
Survey data has found workers generally in support of a hybrid work model. A survey found 80 per cent of 鈥渘ew鈥 remote workers (those who previously worked outside of the home prior to COVID, but switched to remote work during the pandemic) in favour of working at least half-time from home once the pandemic is over.
But O鈥橬eill says work needs to be done up front by employers in order to make this new paradigm successful. 鈥淓mployees can sniff out really quickly if you're doing it because you want to enrich their work and life, or if you're doing it for the 鈥榖ottom line鈥 or fears of mass resignation,鈥 he says. 鈥淭his isn't about relenting 鈥 that鈥檚 the wrong motivation. This is about improving work and life.鈥
Organizations need to consult employees (surveys, regular pulse checks), strategize (set business goals and visioning), plan (address organizational policies and practices) and support (ready the workforce with knowledge, skills and abilities needed to function in a hybrid working environment), so the workplace can be set up for long-term success.
鈥淚t can be easy to get overwhelmed with a lot of new logistical details, maybe even abandon it all together. I think that would be a big mistake,鈥 O鈥橬eill says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 in an organization鈥檚 best interest to treat this opportunity as a competitive advantage 鈥 retaining and competing for talent.鈥
Set a team charter
In addition to organizational considerations, O鈥橬eill suggests each individual team create a . Also known as a set of agreements or standard operating procedures for a team, a charter鈥檚 aim is to address key issues around group communication, co-ordination and logistics. O鈥橬eill also suggests defining as a group what makes a day in the office 鈥渨orth it.鈥
鈥淢eetings can be huge source of inefficiency and a suck on engagement, especially in certain environments or at busy times,鈥 he says. As a general rule of thumb, O鈥橬eill suggests meetings happen either wholly remotely or wholly in-office. In meetings that happen primarily in-office, 鈥渞emote attendees don鈥檛 get engaged as well,鈥 says O鈥橬eill. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e a good backup if, say, your kid is sick, but have them as backups, not as defaults.鈥
Intention-setting, O鈥橬eill stresses, can be a useful exercise in determining what a day in the office should be. Collaborative activities and carving out time to build relationships may happen more easily in person. O'Neill suggests reintroducing planning to eat lunch together, going for a coffee, talking a walk, even grabbing a drink after work as meaningful ways of deepening connections.
Many teams have varying levels of interdependence, thus different levels of communications needs. Re-establish and define what your availability and response rates are on days out of the office. Address communication pathways such as how to gather information, when to use instant messaging, setting important and urgent tags, and e-mail subject headline conventions.
When employees start going back to the office, O鈥橬eill also stresses being mindful of conversations about work projects where collaborators aren鈥檛 present. This can lead to communication breakdowns or important team members being left out of decision-making.
Stay flexible and open to change
With so many considerations, workplaces can get hung up on finding the best way of doing these things. Given how new this is to so many workplaces, O鈥橬eill says being flexible and open to adaptation is important. 鈥淚f you become overly prescriptive, for instance, in my experience going for a one-size-fits-all solution just doesn't work,鈥 he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so variable; everybody鈥檚 situation is a little bit different.鈥
From his research, O鈥橬eill has found that absenteeism and 鈥渢ime in desk鈥 does not map onto performance and, for this reason, says that management styles may have to change. He suggests a move away from managing based on time at a desk, but towards metrics, results and quality of work.
鈥淐onsider what your objectives are, being a good team player and doing high-quality work is more than attendance. This can be a huge transition for managers in terms of mindset.鈥
Be mindful of health considerations
For those working remotely, a partial return to the office could have far-reaching health benefits. Increasing mobility, addressing isolation and giving respite from home environments are some of the mental-health considerations that may be supported by a partial return.
That said, it鈥檚 important to be mindful in addressing concerns on both sides, says Dr. Andrew Szeto, PhD, director of the Campus Mental Health Strategy and associate professor in the Department of Psychology.
鈥淲e need to take stock of what we鈥檝e all learned over the last two years, being mindful of what's served us in the office and what鈥檚 served us from home,鈥 he says. 鈥淜eeping those mental-health considerations top of mind in planning what hybrid looks like will support the psychological health and well-being of our whole campus community."
Hybrid working at 草莓污视频导航
Many workplaces, including 草莓污视频导航, are at various stages of reimagining and redesigning the office. In conversation with employees and reflective of best practices in workplace health and safety, the university will be defining a long-term approach to hybrid working.
Cross-campus consultation, planning and goal-setting throughout the summer and fall months is anticipated to inform a long-term approach.