There’s no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced businesses to re-evaluate the way they operate. For some, the shift to remote working has been a success, with employees proving that they can be just as productive outside of the office as inside. However, there are also challenges that come with this new way of working, and as we enter a new phase of the pandemic, businesses are faced with the question of whether to return to the office or continue with remote working.

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, and it will ultimately come down to what works best for your business. However, these factors may influence your decision.

Top 7 Benefits of Hybrid Workplaces

If you are a business leader considering a hybrid workplace, here are the top seven benefits you should know about:

1. Balance / Employee Satisfaction
   Greatly-reduced commuting time provides more time for individual interests and pursuits. Increasing numbers of online collaboration tools pave the way for timely interaction. 
2. Less emphasis on facades
   The status of workwear brands has taken a back seat to the ability to create and produce in a timely fashion.
3. Positive Impact on mental health
   WFH can provide the space many people need during critical times of crises.
4. Increased competitiveness in the talent war
   When flexibility is at the core of organizations, it attracts those who ‘make things happen’ in their own way. They seek empowerment, trust and ownership and are repelled by a supervised timetabled approach. 
5. Increased Productivity
   Less distraction and/or office politics reduces the chance of diluted productivity. 
6. Reduced FFE business costs
   Furniture, fixtures and fittings were previously an essential asset, yet now can be downsized.
7. Shift in operating culture
   Micromanagement is dying a natural demise, paving the way for trust and empowerment

There is an 8^th research-based benefit, ‘hot off the press’ at the time of publishing this blog post, as shared by @Siobhan Morrin, Editor of LinkedIN, July 2022. Morrin quotes research from Stanford University: 

“Hybrid work arrangements make people less likely to quit, research shows. Nicholas Bloom, remote work expert at Stanford University in the US, says quit rates are down and satisfaction is higher at a range of global firms that offer hybrid work options, with attrition falling 35% at one tech firm. Surveys have shown that workers prefer hybrid work, citing benefits such as less frequent commuting and better work-life balance. It’s these advantages that lead Bloom to believe hybrid work will thrive, even in the face of economic downturn.“

CHALLENGES FOR HYBRID WORKPLACES

Challenges always accompany any major change: resistance to change, changing structure, resourcing and policy requirements, the need for ever-evolving training and support, along with the probability of unforeseen problems and reactions. These ‘mountains’ have been climbed in many differing change contexts previously, and therefore will also be able to be navigated for the ‘to hybrid or not to hybrid’ argument with a little thinking, exploring and planning. There’s absolutely no reason these challenges should become insurmountable barriers for this current ‘hybrid’ issue.

The bottom line is that the decision to move to a hybrid workplace is not one to be taken lightly. It’s a complex challenge that requires careful planning, thoughtful execution, and – perhaps most importantly – strong leadership that allows people their freedom, and moment to shine. Are you up for the task?

We help organizations build their hybrid workplace

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To work digitally some days and talk to a computer screen for 8 hours does take effort, self-discipline and organization for a myriad of reasons. To turn up physically on other days and interact with on-again, off-again face to face relationships can at the very least be, inconsistent. Inconsistency erodes dependency, a vital ingredient of trust.

Yet why has the evolution of hybrid workplaces become such a tricky one to navigate? Could the dilemma actually be rooted in something much more profound than balance sheets, productivity formulae and satisfaction surveys? Could hybrid models currently be challenged by the very concept of leadership, or more specifically, self-leadership?

When the ability to trust, or be trusted declines, two vitally-important human beliefs are negatively impacted:

• The concept of ‘I matter’
  • ‘I matter’ ordinarily breeds an air of self-worth, self-confidence and self-care, recognizing and rewarding social, emotional and economic well-being.

• The concept of ‘making a difference’
  • When ‘I matter’, purpose-driven beliefs can emerge and extend into, I can ‘make a difference’ is also nurtured, inferring that even in the toughest of times, opportunity exists to contribute, and build ‘we-ness’.

When an environment revolves around positive self-leadership , around empowerment for thinking and acting differently, along with the anchors of ‘I matter’ and hence ‘I can make a difference’, it is not unusual to see processes updated, customer satisfaction actions increasing, efficiency suggestions more forthcoming, creativity soaring, an emerging willingness to step beyond the known, openness of sharing increasing, impartial and frequent recognition, all without intervention, coercion or demands of the leader. In any hybrid model which depends on trust at its core, positive and creative action that sparks change just seems ‘the right thing to do’ for the team members, firstly because they care and secondly, they are cared for. 

Everyday heroes do exist around us, yet there still can be a vast increase in their numbers to tip the power in rapidly-evolving hybrid corporations. Team members without title, position or authority often feel so compelled to make a change because the alternative is simply unacceptable to them. For example, the informal leader (individual contributor) who watched her 150 colleagues receive redundancy notices during the pandemic could not sit back and watch her colleagues’ livelihoods collapse. She stepped into the unknown, reached for What’s App and requested help from anyone able to give, and within days, a series of remote, rolling learning initiatives was underway, giving these people opportunity to reposition their careers with new skills. Not only was she self empowered, yet also her contribution had far-reaching positive impact. All was achieved without question, approvals or policy from managers or leaders, rather just courage, commitment and capability – just pure self-empowerment.

The future of work should not be about ‘to be or not to be hybrid’ but rather ‘to be or not to be trusting and trusted’  within any future hybrid environment. This is, after all the space where true difference will emerge and endure, or simply be locked away forever. Could business afford the latter?

More Resources

hybridIt with heart – a strategic yet sensitive business approach to hybrid work

‘business en motion’ youtube page

The Leadership Challenge® Self Empowered

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An appreciation of credibility can deepen when comparing it to watching television. Relaxing in front of a television while noticing the actor’s mouth is moving yet the words are heard 2 seconds later is enough to make me jump out of my chair and turn the set off; it’s just not serving in the way I expect it to. Similarly, when the opposite occurs with visual and the audio being in sync, I trust the television unit, the actors, the show and all that it encompasses.  The former example is fraught with a lack of credibility, yet the latter exudes credibility.

According to Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, co-authors of The Leadership Challenge®, as the world falls deeper into economic downturns and conflicts, as communities become more heatedly partisan and as many workplaces show growing signs of disengagement, issues of credibility remain front and central.

 Credibility is the currency of effective leadership. Currencies stay strong when the market is active, the environment is robust, and the people are confident. Currencies weaken when the market weakens, becomes inconsistent and people have no idea what the future holds. In times of turbulence and change, leaders create psychological safety, wellness and stability through the virtue of credibility.

Ponder:

1. When have you said one thing, and done another?
2. Why did you feel that was acceptable? (Remember: others deposit or withdraw from their ‘trust’ account based on your actions)
3. On a daily basis, how often do you check your ‘credibility balance’, and if decreasing, how proactive are you in turning that around?

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hybridIt with heart

https://www.youtube.com/user/businessenmotion/videos

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What if we had leadership-at-all-levels of organizations? What if everyone took steps to change what is no longer serving?

If this really was the reality of the workplace, we would surely have living and breathing organizations, evolving continuously with the help of all. 

What is needed for that to happen?

Connection

Connection breeds productivity. In healthy organizations, connection is evident in the relationships between people, a need to work at personal bests, a desire for progress, active and authentic inclusion of all stakeholders, one shared focus and loads of stories that demonstrate contribution to 

Sound like utopia? Not really.

It can exist, with:

• Ownership

Ownership is the outcome of involvement. Involvement breeds trust, belief and commonality. Great leaders nurture this from the outset.

• Environment

Common languages, behaviors and expectations are at the core of inspiring work environments. They encourage an appreciation of ‘if I do this, what will it impact’, enabling all into a heightened state of intention and awareness.

• Co-Focus

Efforts and stories revolve around the same exciting future, one that brings hope.

People are crying out for more connection in the workplace; it’s the antithesis of a legacy where working in isolation prevails, a win vs lose attitude exists, hierarchies that reward few both thrives and separates the masses while #mediocrity rules. 

It’s the only way to move beyond a group of disparate individuals to a co-joined, self-correcting, relevant and ever-changing entity.

https://www.youtube.com/user/businessenmotion/videos

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1. Organizational Culture

Imagine a day when your leader announces a major change to take place on Monday. You had no prior knowledge, you received no further detail, you had not been involved in the discussions and decisions leading up to this moment. The desired outcome and indicators of success have not been mentioned. You have no access to the reasons why the change is happening, nor what will be required of you. Due to this reality, it is likely your confidence levels would decrease when it comes to leading others through the change.

Organizational Culture can be a great source of resistance if this description typifies the way a company operates, and seems beyond the sphere of influence of middle managers.

2. Lack of Awareness and Knowledge about the Change

Adults are babies in big bodies. We know that a child will always ask ‘why’; so too an adult, as this provides the reasons for the need to change and also the consequences of not changing. Through receiving that information, a middle manager would also understand more about the nature of the change. Yet, even with Awareness (the ‘why’ of change), there is still a need for greater depth to Knowledge (the ‘how to’ of change). 

• Imagine a Chef who has been told to change the pie menu, yet not given the recipe nor an understanding of why the prior item is ‘off the menu’.
• Imagine an Accountant who has been informed by the CFO the accounting system is currently outdated and must change, yet provided no insights into its failings and what is required to close the gaps.
• Imagine the IT Officer’s app has just been scrapped, with no reasons being shared, and no idea or direction as to how to evolve to a higher standard.
• Imagine the HR Officer receiving a directive to change the company’s uniform with no understanding of the what, why or new priorities.

The ‘why’ and ‘how to’ of change is imperative for a middle manager as it will fill in the blanks, opening the pathway to clarity, and further action.

Lack of Buy-In

We’re back to middle managers being real people, with real human needs first and foremost. You are a real person too, and consciously or unconsciously filter any change requests through your values, opinions, background experiences, history and credibility of the sender, and the list goes on. When something does not align to your realm of reality, why would you accept to adopt any change?

A middle manager is almost superhuman, stuck between those above (often out of touch with what’s really happening on the ground) and those below (who depend heavily on the one closest to them for support). Being there for both parties is a balancing act for any middle manager – how long could you continue to serve all those around you, compromising the very core of what matters most to yourself? 

Many moons ago, my mentor taught me to behold resistance, grab it and serve it; after all, it is only showing up to be heard. It simply wants attention, answers and opportunity for  alignment. 

If you lead a middle manager:

• Anticipate, and provide for the needs of the manager during change, before resistance shows up.
• Provide the what, why and how of change, so the puzzle is as complete as possible. 
• Allow time for the manager to process and explore the WIFM (What’s In It For Me) factor.
• Walk alongside the middle manager during change, providing consistent and relevant support.

The post The Top Three Reasons why Middle Managers struggle with Change @ Work appeared first on business en motion.

Leaders are always curios about the need for Change Management. To appreciate the below insights, it would help to have full understanding of what Change Management is. 

• According to Prosci®, on a project level, Change Management is the application of a structured process and set of tools to achieve a desired outcome. On an enterprise level, Change Management is a leadership competency and strategic enabler. 
• According to APMG®, Change Management is an emergent profession and organizational capability. It is a business discipline focused on navigating change by exploring key questions which will influence the adoption and acceptance of change.
• According to a mentor, Change Management is a business profession that impacts business as usual.

Why structured?

• Structure holds things together. It provides strength. It arranges positioning for all elements to excel. 

Why a set of tools?

• Tools build items which cannot otherwise exist. Tools enable action. 

Why desired outcomes?

• Desired outcomes are what we aim for. They provide direction and make us feel great once reached. Desired outcomes are best when tangible and measurable.

Why 'the people side of things'?

• People are not machines that can be programmed, but rather are bodies of emotions that will create willingness and desire against their own criteria.

Why a competency? 

• Competencies provide evidence of performance, with strong capability, belief and conviction.

Why a business discipline?

• Discipline maintains consistency, demonstrating a degree of conviction to action. Business disciplines provide efficiency and effectiveness. In the case of change, this translates into 'faster and better' adoption of usage.

Is the need now clear? Without structure to hold change up or connect its elements, without tools to enable change, without desired outcomes setting a clear set of priorities, without discipline and conviction, people can and will take different paths, hold different priorities, work in different ways and drive the organization towards different destinations.

Any and all successful change outcomes are linked to a dependency on people’s adoption and usage. How does your P&L line reflect your need and priority for Change Management? How can your leadership survive without its capability?

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Refreshingly-retro or adaptively-now? We say ‘both’.  Engaging intention or intriguingly-impactful? We say ‘both’.  

The Leadership Challenge® Suite leads in so many ways, through equally as many channels. Workshops are just one of many – what! In 2022, still a workshop! Oh yes indeed, workshops with a difference; we keep them relevant for today’s 70-20-10 learning rule.

Imagine the difference in ‘adaptively-now’, ‘intriguingly-impactful’ workshops. Embedding the 20 into the workshop suite, the social learning, the social media, the social experience, the social communities, the social support groups, the social networking, alongside the 70 of experiential reality, team and relationship application and solution-making makes for a winning combo in 2022.

The Leadership Challenge® Workshop, facilitated by Certified Master, Debbie Nicol

• astoundingly simple to apply the practices and behaviors
• meet yourself from where you are
• data-driven information steers your decisions
• highly dynamic and interactive, online or face-to-face  

The Leadership Challenge® Facilitator Workshop, facilitated by Certified Master, Debbie Nicol

• co-creating resources and pathways that suit differing needs
• find yourself in the methodology, while becoming the methodology
• emerge ‘with title’, while understanding the responsibility you now carry
• create the future with others; digitalize the experience 

The LPI® Coach Training Workshop, facilitated by Certified Master, Debbie Nicol

• short, sharp, indisputable results
• correlations for depth
• a toolbox for coaching

Be the change that keeps workshops (in any format, in any structure, using any mode) alive, dynamic and relevant. Is that your challenge – your leadership challenge?

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Have you ever…

• Had a conference participant unable to write key points on a chart during a meeting?
  • We have!
    • He had not physically written for many years; keyboard strokes are the only language he ‘speaks’ right now.
• Had a person convince you to employ them through providing a business case, with an invitation to you to mold it as desired?
  • We have!
    • They knew exactly how their portfolio of skills would benefit as a step to their next accomplishment
• Spent time with a mind you don’t understand initially, only to discover it has a super-power that would bring such value to existing resources?
  • We have!
    • We continue to seek more perspectives as an avenue to open our own mind wider.

 …..and that’s why we surround ourselves with this new generation. We learn so much from them! As we move businesses and leaders ahead through change, they equally lead us, ourselves, through change. This allows us to co-create, fully, together, alongside difference.

•  Who are you surrounding yourself with currently?

• Who else would you like to be surrounded by?
• How will you attract that into your business ecosystem?

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Change is our business.

Change applying a process-based approach, change driven through behavioral aspects, change powered by systems philosophy are all in our mix……and now so too, change at the speed of thought! Proactively of course, not reactively.

Agility at its best – each time a thought appears, is it an opportunity for micro-change. Change direction, change the questions we ask, change the lens we use. Change the vocabulary, mindset and rituals. Change the limitations around. Even change the true definition of agile approaches to Change Management, sprints and scrum masters.

Could ‘change at the speed of thought’ be the new agile?

• How is your organization awake and responsive to collecting and collating external changes?
• What is the level of drive to create change that is in alignment with real need?
• How open are you to ‘change at the speed of thought’?
• What would you do to land ‘change at the speed of thought’, if you did see it
  relevant to your competitiveness?

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How far can a leader travel alone in business?

Separateness – feel its energy. It is alone, it is segregated and it can be limiting.

Solidarity – feel its energy. It is connected, it is converging, it is together.

When change is thriving, which energy will be exuding?

Separateness – feel its energy. It is alone, it is segregated and it can be limiting. 

Solidarity – feel its energy. It is connected, it is converging, it is together.

When business is succeeding, which energy will be exuding?

Separateness – feel its energy. It is alone, it is segregated and it can be limiting.

Solidarity – feel its energy. It is connected, it is converging, it is together.

When growth is occurring, which energy will be exuding?

Will a business even have a chance of existence when in a state of isolation?

• Can solidarity apply to business other than in people?
• What specifics does your intent for solidarity seek to benefit from?

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