With the recurring nightmare of the cold weather ramp up of COVID-19 infections, it’s clear that we are going to continue to ping-pong between in-person and remote everything. In addition, over the past 18 months (and less intensively for years before that), we have taught ourselves that office work can be done successfully and profitably without all the bodies in one place. That has led to a big bag of changed expectations that don’t always align.
That’s why dealing with a hybrid office environment is now the most requested topic in my Fully Alive Leadership workshops and keynotes.
Here’s the bad news: I’m not an expert at hybrid. The worse news is that nobody is an expert at hybrid. We’re all trying to figure this out.
Okay, I do have some guidelines for hybrid – here are three pieces.
- The Great Resignation is happening for a lot of reasons. A big one is that workers know they can make more money elsewhere – and they’re right. Wages are up over 4%, which makes a huge difference to low- and middle-income people.
- The magic word is “flexibility.” People want flexibility in where they work, when they work and how they work.
- Ten million job opportunities tell workers that they don’t have to work for a boss who’s a jerk.
What That Means To You
First, pay your people at more than competitive rates if you want to keep them.
Second, forget about wanting everyone in the office, even if you still believe that’s the only way creativity is sparked or that you have to look over people’s shoulders to keep them productive.
Third, treat people right. Don’t behave in a way that allows your people to say they work for a jerk. Like looking over their shoulders.
Invite Jack to Speak!
Whether it's a keynote presentation for your annual meeting or the industry convention, or the workshop for your leadership team, Jack delivers actionable content that goes down easy and delivers great value. Check into the possitilities here.
