FEATURE : HYBRID WORK
Employees who have now experienced hybrid working are not eager to work for companies mandating strict office-only policies and therein lies the challenge for organisations says Ian Jansen van Rensburg at VMware SSA . mandating strict office-only policies and therein lies the challenge for organisations . For example , out of two companies that offer the same role and similar salaries and benefits , it is the one with flexible working as standard that will be more favourable to join .
What is the future of the office , or as I believe , the physical workplace which then encompasses all our workforce ?
Is hybrid culture becoming , well , less hybrid ? Deciding whether to keep the workforce flexible regarding working location is under discussion , given upcoming office lease renewals and business leaders battling tough investment decisions in today ’ s economic situation . Should they revive the inoffice mandate to justify the expense of their real state and leases , then risk employee dissatisfaction ?
Or should they continue to pursue long-term hybrid or anywhere work policies , thus downsizing office space but maybe affecting collaboration , innovation and , controversially , productivity in some eyes ?
Flexible working hours are becoming more normalised as shown by the UK government ’ s new legislation to protect a diverse workforce and the BBC reports flexible working trends are on the rise as new data suggests the four-day work week will be the new normal .
However , with the C-suites at Twitter and Starbucks damning work from home and enforcing the strict return to the office mandates this year , the case for hybrid appears somewhat under threat . Particularly when businesses are constantly managing new tensions of hybrid work like remote surveillance , team culture and workplace innovation .
Yet , employees who have now experienced hybrid working are not eager to work for companies
With empty office space doubling across organisations in the last three years , as per CBRE Investment Management , business leaders find themselves at a crossroad , should they renew or terminate their big city leases ?
Creativity
Many hybrid working policies are being dictated by this decision to rethink organisational real estate . Some have already made their decision . Research shows that since the pandemic , one in ten businesses in EMEA have completely gotten rid of their physical office , and more than half have reduced office space . But what about the rest ? What should business leaders consider before making their renewal decision ?
The hybrid model is designed as a compromise to support a distributed workforce while still recognising the value of in-person connections . However , VMware data shows that flexible working policies negatively impact an organisation ’ s ability to innovate successfully . Employees expect a culture of freedom , but if this is at the expense of commercial gains , is hybrid perhaps failing the modern business ?
The innovation conundrum builds a case for renewing real estate leases with almost two thirds of respondents saying their work is more innovative if they are in their employer ’ s buildings . Whilst this may not be what home workers want to hear , these findings reveal a harsh truth that businesses must address .
Is hybrid work boosting or blocking enterprise innovation ?
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