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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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.

Research by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner branded as The Leadership Challenge® indicates that everyone can be a leader. It’s not about whether you were born or made a leader, but rather leadership is about ‘what you do with what you have’.

Let’s dig further into those words: ‘it’s what you do with what you have’. Whether you have an abundance or lack of resources, both can be used or applied. Let’s drill down into the word ‘resources’, as that often is interpreted as purchasable items. Could resources also be ‘˜ideas’, those little nudges I call life force that pop into your mind when you least expect them? What do you do with those – jump into action (make that call, read that book, speak to that person) to use those ideas or let them fade away and become forgotten? Could resources also be your personality or behavioral preferences. What do you do with those- use them to their fullest allowing them to bring results for your desired outcomes? Could resources also include the dreams that will offer more hope than the reality you currently face? What do you do with those – see them as something to wait for, or opportunities to step into?

Let’s take a practical example where success has come from taking the first step, any step into an unknown because you believe in a change, yet have no idea how to make it happen.
Rania desperately watched on as her company colleagues were handed redundancies in waves of 100’s. It was unacceptable to her to see the damage this caused, seeing people no longer wanting to get out of bed and falling into the depths of depression. While understanding that when a company met economic hardship there really was no other option, she also believed fervently that everyone deserved hope in their life. She intended to reconnect these people to hope even though she had absolutely no idea how to achieve that. So, she simply took a step, just one step, by picking up her phone and sending an SOS message out to anyone in her phone list. She asked everyone to consider what they may be able to offer that might give these people hope. She then put down the phone and walked away. Within minutes the messages started flowing in from consultants, coaches, and trainers, offering free-of-charge motivational talks, webinars, techniques. Rania then set up a timetable and infrastructure from which these people could serve.

Was Rania a leader – you bet! She’s an ordinary person who has made a difference to thousands of people, by taking one step into the unknown because it was just unacceptable any other way. It was the choice to take a step which made the difference.
Nothing in the leadership research cited above hints that leaders should be perfect. Leaders are not saints. They are human beings full of flaws and failings, and make mistakes too. Yet the key is their intention for greater hope and a better world, be that in a household, in the community, in the organization or in the country. They are real people like you and me doing something with whatever it is they have. Does that present any opportunity for you?

Debbie Nicol, MD of ‘business en motion’, a business consultancy and learning organization moves businesses and leaders ahead through change. Operating across the GCC for over 15 years, she achieves this through the services of training, coaching and solutions services, specializing in strategy, leadership and change.

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According to the leadership research of Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, co-authors of ‘The Leadership Challenge’, 94% of direct reports are willing to work hard when leaders very frequently or most always challenge them to try out new and innovative ways to do their work, compared to 5% of direct reports when leaders almost never or rarely challenge people. ‘By responding to the challenge, people feel a greater sense of accomplishment and are more willing to act on opportunities to take initiative and stretch themselves’, cite Kouzes and Posner.

Willingness to work hard is one aspect of engagement, and tends to also facilitate people’s desire to put in longer hours. Engagement is all about a heightened emotional connection, one that drives focus, motivation, positivity and energy, while also preparing them mentally, physically and emotionally to face challenge.

In the words of Claudio Lucero, the leader of the first all-South American team to climb to the top of Mt Everest: ‘People are not trained to face danger; in fact, they are trained to avoid it.’

Workplace challenges can represent danger to some as new methods will be needed, which will come with no guarantees of success. Increased possibility of negative factors such as stress, risk of error, lack of confidence, burnout can all occur. Yet people’s personal best emerges when they are stretched by challenge. ‘Leaders are not probability thinkers, but possibility thinkers’, say Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner.

A ‘figurative ladder’ in a workplace will help everyone to reach new heights, guiding the journey one step at a time, allowing breaths to be taken, small rewards to be gained and regrouping to occur! Any first attempt at navigating a ladder may result in a slipped foot, or a misplaced step completely, yet with each progression comes new ideas to ensure mistakes are minimized and learning is maximized.

Leaders have others willingly co-creating a future, notwithstanding the degree of danger and challenge. When trust prevails in both the messenger and the message, the process has an opportunity to become a shared learning experience rather than a daunting work task. Which would you prefer to see present in your changing corporate landscape?

view supporting data on slide 8

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I want to work for a responsible company. These are the words of many a person today, when reflecting on corporate opportunities. A few years ago the words were slightly different ‘I want to work in social enterprise’ or ‘ want to make a difference’.

An evolution of the word ‘sustainability’ is under way – thankfully. Was ‘sustainability’ ever truly about minimizing the use of a resource, ensuring that a resource will exist beyond our own lifetime, or that a practice can simply keep on keeping on? Not really – it was always about the responsibility we can all accept, and when that responsibility is embedded into all that we do and say, it facilitates trust and engagement.

People today are seeking opportunities to trust their leader, a brand, a government, and even intentions, and until they believe the level of trust, engagement will be limited.

According to a senior official of Emirates Foundation, recently interviewed on Dubai Eye Radio, sustainability is about managing non-technical risk. Poorly-managed technical risk brings uncertainty and fluctuations, peaks and troughs to any market, whereas poorly managed non-technical risk could flatline or wipe out an entire bourse overnight, demonstrating the dangers of lost trust.

Responsible companies are responsible ‘in entirety’. What they intend, say and do are in alignment with all stakeholders, ensuring that the result of decisions and behavior is not only an increase in their performance but also in the collective standard of well-being, living and shared ‘wealth’.

Let’s hear it from responsible companies! Is this really an evolution in the interpretation of the word ‘sustainability’ or could it be a revolution of epic change proportions?

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