Hybriding the Return to Work, Post-Pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be nearing its end, with a worldwide rollout of vaccines, a sense of neo-normality seems to be returning to our lives. A fundamental change the world saw was the rapid adaption of work from home (WFH). With more and more organizations adapting to this model, it raises a concern about the future of working in an organization.
An approach that companies could follow is the Citigroup (insert ticker) approach. Albeit, not revolutionary, Citigroup has decided to implement a hybrid approach when it comes to bringing back it's employees. Being one of the larger cross-continental institutions, it's quite clear that many other organizations will follow in Citigroup's footsteps. 

According to Microsoft, this will cause a great disruption. In their World Trend Index 2021 report, they identified 7 trends. In a snapshot, they recognized that flexible work is here to stay and companies need to be more innovative in improving authentic connections within the now virtual workplace. Furthermore, WFH has largely changed how we perceive the talent pool. With the added benefit of being able to spend more time with family and being able to decide whether or when to commute to work, remote work seems more and more appealing. However, there are challenges as well. Although these benefits may lead to higher productivity, Microsoft pointed out that this is "masking an exhausted workforce". This is due to the flexibility (albeit, disorganization) in work schedules, increased meeting times & work-related chats, and more importantly, an increased digital intensity of the workplace. The pandemic has opened our eyes to the dangers of accelerated transitions to WFH. Hybrid work may be a step back but it can ease the growing pains. The reality is the same: remote work, like Thanos, is inevitable. 

Of course, to curb this, you need a holistic approach. The advantage we have is that we were forced to WFH and now know understand the particular challenges that can arise. There's no guesswork here. Furthermore, with the absence of a pandemic, this predicament is perceived more as an opportunity rather than a challenge.  Of course, there needs to be a better organizational structure in terms of scheduling and communication. There will be emphasis on maintaining a particular culture and this will start at the top. Leaders have to set the tone. They have a significant role to play in the innovation process. 

Read More:

https://www.wsj.com/articles/citigroup-plans-for-hybrid-workforce-post-pandemic-11616519476

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work