“Can I still work from home?” A question many of us are still asking in 2023. Now a few years on from the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s clear that flexible and remote work is here to stay for many professional services workers.
Although government guidance around working from home has been relaxed, data shows that hybrid and remote work is the predominant model for most office workers. Recent surveys indicate that 70-80% of companies are adopting a hybrid approach, with full-time remote work also increasing in popularity.
With this shift, workers’ expectations have changed. Flexibility and work-life balance are now key considerations for employees when searching for a new role. Over half of workers say schedule flexibility would make them less likely to quit, and 35% have made a career change for greater flexibility.
For employers, this means rethinking what appeals to candidates beyond compensation and traditional perks. Here are some focus areas for creating an attractive culture in the new era of hybrid work:
- Emphasis on work-life balance and flexibility in when and where work gets done. Offering asynchronous collaboration can support this.
- Digital perks and benefits like retail discounts, mental health resources, and continuing education stipends that can be accessed remotely.
- Manager and leadership training to effectively support and measure productivity for distributed teams. Clear communication of goals and success metrics is key.
- Creative approaches to foster culture like virtual social events, bringing remote folks into brainstorms, and occasional offsite in-person activities.
- Rethinking performance reviews to account for challenges and benefits of hybrid work. Judging output rather than face time.
- Embracing asynchronous communication and documentation over meetings to respect people’s time.
- Proactive inclusion of remote staff by distributing meeting agendas beforehand, recording sessions, and recapping conversations.
The companies that succeed in retaining and attracting talent today will be the ones that adapt to employees’ needs and preferences in the new workplace. A flexible, productivity-focused culture is paramount.
What aspects of work culture matter most to you? What benefits could companies offer to better support hybrid teams? The conversation continues as we shape the future of knowledge work. Have your say on our LinkedIn page HERE.
