Blog Post
Tips for executives in a hybrid environment
The landscape of work has changed during the past few years. While workers often reported being enthusiastic about a hybrid work schedule, executives seem to have contrasting opinions.
For example, a survey demonstrated that 29% of employees would switch employers would their current company require them to work on-site, full-time again. Leaders, instead, feel like they have limited visibility into workloads and processes, fewer chances for spontaneous two-way conversations, and, more broadly, less control over their workforce due to the new working conditions.
In addition, Future Forum's latest report shows how employees feel more productive by 29% and focused by 53% compared to the previous year's report, thanks to a flexible schedule. However, executives' satisfaction has dropped by 15% over the past year. Furthermore, stress, anxiety, and burnout are on the rise for them, and women seem to be affected by the latter more than males.
Inevitably, one wonders what leaders can do to manage their business in a hybrid environment.
As suggested by McKinsey&Company, first, performance should now be measured in terms of outcome and impact orientation. In addition, employees should determine how they get to and take full ownership of outcomes, which cannot be done without clear goals and targets, and continuous periodic assessment.
Second, because meeting in person does not happen so frequently anymore, trust and togetherness must be built in alternative ways. Therefore, executives should stick to regular check-ins, remove roadblocks, motivate everyone to speak up during meetings, establish rules for participative decision-making, and organize recurring events (i.e., monthly team lunches).
On the same wave, meetings should follow precise rules, like having cameras, for example. Further, they should be kept short and relevant and should encourage the usage of tools like chats, polls, informal competitions, etc.
Finally, problem-solving should be more interactive, and executives should engage personally, mobilize resources, and link teams up.
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