Does anyone have thoughts about "hybrid work"? The more I think about it -- a hybrid model seems more difficult to pull off than a remote model.

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Margo Poda, MBA, MA

180

Marketing, Research & Policy Specialist

02/16/21 at 6:18PM UTC

Does anyone have thoughts about "hybrid work"? The more I think about it -- a hybrid model seems more difficult to pull off than a remote model.

HR, IT, facilities -- to offer the best employee experience, these need to harmonize and that seems more difficult with disparate teams. I don't remember where I heard this, but it resonated: "If you think Zoom is bad, imagine half your team on Zoom and half in person." Sounds like a lot of friction to me.

23 Comments

Claudia

396

Current events call for adapting new solutions.

02/16/21 at 9:11PM UTC

It's not that hard! The key to it is having proper hardware to help facilitate it. For example, PCs with cameras/audio in meeting rooms. So if you have staff on-site they are in a room with a tv, PC, audio microphones, and folks can call into zoom via that and display on the screen. It works beautifully, actually, and companies have been doing it for years when you work with teams that are separated by city or more. If you cannot get the right tools to make it work, however, it is an actual mess, and always leaves the call-ins feeling like listeners with only half the information. I've seen it done both ways. I hope people realize they have to invest and spend money to make hybrid models work if they hadn't already been utilizing the tools before Covid.

1 Reply

Margo Poda, MBA, MA

180

Marketing, Research & Policy Specialist

02/16/21 at 10:34PM UTC

I'm less concerned with people who are able to go into the office. Offices are built for people to work! I'm more concerned with the fact that a hybrid environment might create "second-class" (bad terminology) employees with, for example, WiFi that isn't working 100% of the time. Remote work is one thing. In office work is another. Putting them together, even with the best tech, needs to be very intentionally done imo... and I don't see that happening right now.

1 Reply

Cathy Colliver

140

Marketing & MBA

02/19/21 at 11:47PM UTC

Agree! Whether your company is hybrid or 100% remote, or just geographically dispersed, being intentional about communication is huge.

Anonymous

02/16/21 at 10:08PM UTC

I think hybrid models are important for flexibility. So many colleges are doing this now to support both students on campus and students who are learning off campus. I agree with Claudia that it's the technology that matters—and would add that it's up to the team to be cooperative as well. What do you think?

1 Reply

Margo Poda, MBA, MA

180

Marketing, Research & Policy Specialist

02/16/21 at 10:31PM UTC

Speaking as someone with WiFi that is less than perfect -- the idea of being in a meeting where I'm constantly catching up with a group meeting in person is anxiety-inducing. Yes, having the best tech is important, but even months into working from home, my setup is far from perfect. I would love hybrid options (there are so many excellent things to come from working in person!!!) but there definitely seem to be a number of tradeoffs if you can't go into the office while parts of your team can.

User edited comment on 02/16/21 at 10:35PM UTC

Anonymous

02/16/21 at 11:32PM UTC

Worked at a hybrid company for 5 years and it worked perfectly. While the entire management would fly into the office 2 days per week and work remotely the balance of the time, 50% of the staff was 100%remote, 20% of the staff was based in the office and 30% was hybrid. Our management made it clear that it didn't matter where you worked, you must be reachable and connected from 8 to 5 at a minimum unless you were in PTO. If there were ever technical issues, your manager was informed. I very seldom had issues reaching my team.who were spread across 11 states and 4 time zones. Hourly personnel had to clock in and out and Performance metrics must be met weekly/monthly and quarterly. Managers were trained the same way. The company had 1,000 employees and was hugely successful. Meetings were a combo of in person and remote via Teams and everyone was organized and well versed in execution of the work and seldom did anyone miss a meeting. Growth was off the charts.

Lily Oliver-Torres

Yale and Columbia Bschool; 15 yrs in media/tech

02/17/21 at 4:08PM UTC

I agree that it will be very difficult to pull off the hybrid environment and have everyone treated "equally". It's undoubtedly true that you get to know your coworkers better in person, as all of the informal interactions add up to significant time over the course of a year. But it does depend on your function. My work is completely dependent on cross-functional relationships. In past roles, we would eagerly anticipate teams from other offices coming to visit, because that in-person time exponentially increased our ability to work together productively in the future. And my team members were constantly coming up to me with small questions and comments in the office. If you are only interacting with people that you have a specific meeting with, you miss out on valuable networking and development opportunities outside of your immediate circle. It's different for everyone though -- if moving ahead is less important to you, or your work is independent of cross-functional relationships, then it's probably okay.

1 Reply

Margo Poda, MBA, MA

180

Marketing, Research & Policy Specialist

02/17/21 at 5:10PM UTC

I'm in the same boat -- sometimes it can be extremely difficult to get someone's ear, and that's about half of my job! With some people in person and some remote, I'd feel like I was missing those spontaneous moments that inspire the best content. My job is to observe and that gets hard with such a dispersed bunch of teams. Slack or Teams just don't create that same environment.

Anonymous

02/17/21 at 5:28PM UTC

I worked for a employer who used the hybrid model for 5 years. I think hybrid model works if the company embraces it. If all functions operate in the same manner people adjust and make it work. They have tools, conference rooms, technology to bridge the gap. If you come from a company that this is a foreign model and move to a company that embraces it there will be a learning curve. I moved from a in person role to hybrid and it took me almost a full year to adjust.

Gillianne Hetrick

321

HR Manager & Non-Profit Director

02/17/21 at 5:35PM UTC

I agree with a lot of the feedback, it can be good or bad... it can work or fail. It depends. On the technology, yes. On the management, even more. And on the individuals, absolutely. Some people work well with others, some independently. Some managers are better with seeing their team, others can adapt to regular check ins and remote/ hybrid. I think this is going to be a reality for so many going forward that we should be training our managers and our employees/ team members to work in this type of environment. Now to figure that out...

1 Reply

Margo Poda, MBA, MA

180

Marketing, Research & Policy Specialist

02/17/21 at 6:13PM UTC

Aha ... yes, the figuring out is going to be interesting! I'm sure many organizations and individuals will rise to the occasion. Or at least I hope so!

Stephanie Dufner

128

Communications professional

02/17/21 at 5:51PM UTC

I like the flexibility associated with the hybrid work environment. Like others have already said, people need to be on the same page with direction. Managers need to meet with their staff at least once a week, and employees must have access to the proper technology.

Chris Barham

Full Time Professor/Strayer University

02/17/21 at 6:42PM UTC

I think it depends on the job/situation. My husband is teaching in a hybrid format; it's a nightmare! He has to have three different lesson plans--sometimes simultaneously. However, other areas might adapt well if the technology is strong. For example, with half on Zoom and half live, it's hard to hear/see who's talking or is want to say something. However, if a large enough screen is provided so that everyone can see everyone, that problem might be overcome. Assess the individual situation and have tech involved as much as possible.

1 Reply

Margo Poda, MBA, MA

180

Marketing, Research & Policy Specialist

02/17/21 at 7:34PM UTC

oh man! that sounds stressful! hope he's managing alright.

Krista

02/17/21 at 7:12PM UTC

A hybrid of some workers in person and some remote does have its challenges but in the current environment I think it is sometimes necessary. Workers in the remote setting can certainly feel isolated, especially when there are in person conversations happening that the remote people might not be able to partake in. It can partially be dependent on how many are in each format also, if only a few are remote compared to how many are in person that can be even more dividing. But, it is better than people not working at all! Most of my meetings are 100% virtual, I think that tends to work better than the mix, because even if people are in the office they can still attend the meeting remotely. However I understand from a company perspective it is probably more cost effective to have the people that are able to attend in person do so.

1 Reply

Angela VanSchoick

02/17/21 at 11:43PM UTC

I had to comment on this part - "Workers in the remote setting can certainly feel isolated, especially when there are in person conversations happening that the remote people might not be able to partake in." I actually know more of what's happening in my office by us all being mostly remote than I did when I was there. When we were all in the office, there were side conversations that happened all the time, but never included me. So, it would end up where I'd have to be in charge of running the office and things would happen that I had no idea how to deal with. Now, we're having weekly meetings, so I'm constantly aware of what's going on. (I did ask for weekly short meetings when we were in the office, but one of the staff didn't like it, so we never did it. Now, we're forced to so we're all on the same page and it's working well, in my mind.)

1 Reply

Krista

02/17/21 at 11:52PM UTC

Is anyone in your weekly meeting in person? The side conversations the people in person could be having is what I'm referring to, but if everyone is remote then everyone can be on the same page.

Anonymous

02/17/21 at 8:06PM UTC

I love the flexibility of a hybrid environment. Our company has aways offered that and it works really well. We are 300 people strong and survived the various shutdowns easily because of it. Didn't really impact our work. We met our goals and even hired new people ahead of schedule.

Anonymous

02/18/21 at 3:14AM UTC

With many companies transitioning to remote work, the addition of a hybrid option is a key differentiator and I believe will attract more talent/retain current employees. These days, people don't want to commit to 100% in-office or 100% WFH - it's important for companies to recognize this and build policies that embrace a full flexibility model.

1 Reply

Margo Poda, MBA, MA

180

Marketing, Research & Policy Specialist

02/18/21 at 6:04PM UTC

Had not thought about this from the talent acquisition-side! To be honest, I think my company is really built for hybrid/remote work -- but I know it's going to be a journey for less nimble organizations. Good thing we're hiring! Sounds like a great opportunity to take advantage of.

Laura McCann

323

Driving results through people engagement

02/19/21 at 1:37PM UTC

My organizations have always had several people who traveled at multiple locations so I feel we've always been hybrid. The office does allow for more random conversations, which is a great benefit. If everyone was able to figure it out with everyone remote, there should be a way to do hybrid as well.

Erin Gargano

Banking & FinTech Executive

02/19/21 at 3:56PM UTC

Prior to COVID, I have worked in a hybrid environment for over 10 years in many different formats. 1. Hybrid Days were the same for all - this was great to enable collaboration days & then balance of life days and we were all on the same schedule. This was the days where virtual meetings were purely calls & no cameras. 2. Optional Hybrid - This was good for the individual, but did have ups & downs. All of sudden meetings would only have 1 person in the audience while everyone else was working from home or vice versa where the person working from home was left out of conversations. As technology evolved - we could have connected via cameras, but people would refuse & just be on voice phones multitasking. 3. All Hybrid - I have been in an all hybrid environment for 3 years, and honestly feel the most connected to my teammates. We all know this is how we need to get our work accomplished & it is a normal day in the office. Cameras on & let's get to work - there is no thought to who is in or out - it is about making it happen no matter where you are. To make this happen though your company needs to have the technology, rules of the roads, & culture expectations established & clear to make this effective. Good luck balancing this journey and remember it is baby steps of learning & trying as you go. Highlight the best practices & ensure there are success metrics to help be your guide.

1 Reply

Margo Poda, MBA, MA

180

Marketing, Research & Policy Specialist

02/19/21 at 8PM UTC

Optional hybrid -- this one is my concern. There are obviously many benefits offered by remote and in-person work. People will get used to whatever the policy is, but I'm sure there will be growing pains.