John RiceSustainment Engineer| Lockheed MartinHarmony, Fl, United States
Recently, I discussed with a senior manager who does not like telecommuting or even a hybrid work schedule. Pre-pandemic believed in going to the office, but during the pandemic, I learned I was more productive. Grzegorczyk, Mariniello, Nurski, and Schraepen (2021) discovered that remote work is not new, although it was never performed on this scale before. According to Eurostat, in 2019, about 3 percent of the EU workforce usually worked from home, and 8 percent of workers sometimes worked from home. Still, almost nine out of ten employees never worked from home. Hilberath and Woolsey (2020) state that COVID-19 has pushed organizations into an unprecedented and unplanned experiment in remote and hybrid work. Even when the experiment ends, following the mass deployment of a vaccine or treatment, the key findings of this experiment will endure. Grzegorczyk et al. (2021) point out that the pandemic has opened an opportunity for significant value creation. The forced lock-down experiment, which pushed masses of workers to work remotely simultaneously, has reduced information asymmetries between them and their employers. Bloom, Han, and Liang's (2022) research found that employees highly valued the hybrid on average, reducing attrition by 33% and improving job satisfaction. Thus, forced lockdowns have shown that more coordination, improved working relationships, and efficiency gains are possible. Hybrid reduced working hours on home days and increased them on office days and weekends, altering the structure of the working week (Bloom et al., 2022). With the right conditions, matching increased supply and demand for flexible jobs can lead to a new economic equilibrium in which general welfare is higher (Grzegorczyk et al., 2021). Grzegorczyk et al. (2021) argue that The Framework Agreement on Hybrid Work plays a crucial role. It should not dictate employers’ internal work organization or workers’ choice. Instead, it should facilitate the implementation of flexible working conditions, ensure minimum protection levels for on-site and hybrid workers alike, foster harmonization within the EU single market, and unlock workers’ geographical mobility. Hybrid increased messaging and video calls, even when all employees were in the office, reflecting a move towards more electronic communication (Bloom et al., 2022). Organizations that create a level playing field for all workers, regardless of their location, empower frontline leaders and continue to make caring for employees their highest priority can holistically re-create their work model—not only structurally but also in terms of workspaces and culture—to win the future of work (Hilberath et al., 2020). Bloom et al. (2022) finalized two points: significant differences in hybrid valuations between managers and non-managers. Non-managers were likelier to volunteer for the hybrid experiment, work from home on eligible days, predict positive productivity impacts, and reduce their attrition under the hybrid. In contrast, managers were less likely to volunteer, less likely to work from home on eligible days, predicted a negative average impact of hybrid on productivity, and saw increased attrition rates under hybrid (Bloom et al., 2022). As Hilberath et al. (2020) concluded, hybrid work is here to stay. These new models have real challenges, but so are the opportunities to reduce real estate costs, supercharge productivity and engagement, and develop a new level of customer intimacy. Bloom et al. (2022) findings highlight how hybrid WFH is typically beneficial for both employees and firms but is usually underappreciated in advance, particularly by managers. This was a shared experience in the US and Europe during the pandemic when WFH went from being rare to mainstream and is now a permanent feature for most graduate employees.
What your thoughts?
References: Bloom, N., Han, R., & Liang, J. (2022). How hybrid working from home works out (No. w30292). National Bureau of Economic Research. Hilberath, C., Kilmann, J., Lovich, D., Tzanetti, T., Bailey, A., Beck, S., & Woolsey, K. (2020). Hybrid work is the new remote work. Melbourne: Boston Consulting Group. Grzegorczyk, M., Mariniello, M., Nurski, L., & Schraepen, T. (2021). Blending the physical and virtual: a hybrid model for the future of work (No. 14/2021). Bruegel Policy Contribution.
Online Community Specialist| PMINewtown Square, Pa, United States
Hello John - thanks for posing this to the community. Here is an interesting article from one of our community members that may offer another perspective as well - https://www.projectmanagement.com/articles...s-here-to-stay. Saving Changes...
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
John, most organisations these day do adopt a Hybrid Approach and in my opinion, this will help them thrive and survive in this rapidly evolving world. Saving Changes...
I think it is very dependent on the situation. In my prior job which was software focused, I found it asinine that I was expected to commute 2-3 hours per day to an office where none of my project team worked, and conduct all my business online and by phone with the distraction of others in my work area trying to talk over one another while they too ran online meetings. In my current job which is hardware focused, I pick up on many important things by being close to where the physical work is being performed, overhearing conversations relevant to my job, and I can walk into my director's office when he doesn't look busy instead of writing a very carefully worded email.
Many functional managers are also very poor at actually managing people. They only know MBWA (management by walking around) and consider bodies in chairs a sign of productivity. They are completely lost when their people are working remotely, and opt for the appearance of productivity over performance itself. Our executive team erred in a very comical way when they announced how much more productive we were now that everyone was working 3+ days in the office again, but we actually weren't because that directive was never passed down to the workers, and we were all still remote but apparently very productive nonetheless.
Some companies are also returning to the office for very different reasons than actual job performance. It shocked many when Zoom employees were required to return since they are a pioneering company in remote communication. As it turns out, that was a cost effective means of reducing staff without layoffs. They knew many people would quit which helped reduce their staffing levels without the cost of severance packages. Saving Changes...
Where one works is a good example of the need to tailor one's approach to the context of a given project or project situation. If you have to communicate bad news to a client, assuming there is the ability to do so, a face-to-face meeting might be more effective and impactful than a Zoom call. But if the weather is bad in the local region, forcing team members to come in to work when they can be just as effective working from home is not great for team morale.
Kiron Saving Changes...
Claudeen PierreSenior Program ManagerDallas, TX, United States
Hybrid models have been around long before the pandemic, so I think it's safe to say that it is here to stay. On the other hand, WFH has proven to be beneficial and desirable for many in the workforce and should still be widely offered, imo. Saving Changes...
Product Operations Program ManagerBarcelona, Cataluña, Spain
Browsing PM jobs on LinkedIn one can clearly notice that most of them (I do not have actual figures) are on a hybrid basis. In addition, fully remote roles are less frequent and depend heavily on the type of industry.
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1 reply by John Rice
Apr 27, 2024 12:52 PM
John Rice
...
Eduard.
I agree and it dopes depend employees' roles and responsibilites, work evirnoment, and employees' work ethics. I equate to distant learning; some students thrive in academia learning while other perfer the personal connection. Of course, the position requires hands-on applications, which demands on-site attendance.
The two years during COVID-19 were such a positive experience in my job that I saved 2 hours per day traveling to the office without sacrificing my work quality. As a result, I was not as exhausted at the end of the day, which, over time, meant I was more focused in the proceeding months.
What bothers me is when managers feel their team members have to be in the office to be productive, but then I observe the side conversations and the interactions not contributing to the final output.
I agree with Goerge Freemn, "So, as long as “verifiable productivity” reigns supreme coupled with budgets being met, the hybrid workforce is here to stay."
Saving Changes...
George FreemanThought Leader | Author | Architect| Florida, United States
John,
Suppose a given operating unit and/or organization is meeting its budgeted profit numbers and, at the minimum, maintaining market share. In that case, the Covid-induced hybrid work arrangements/schedules are palatable for most enterprises.
However, if the enterprise starts trending to the red in both these areas and belt-tightening measures have already been implemented, then “hybrid work” becomes the prime scapegoat for profits and market share demise.
So, as long as “verifiable productivity” reigns supreme coupled with budgets being met, the hybrid workforce is here to stay. Saving Changes...
Darryl AndersonProgram Manager| Innovative Management Concepts, IncFredericksburg, Va, United States
I think it depends on the situation. In my experience, My team and I tend to be more productive. With that said, it has introduced leadership challenges, such as ensuring that your team is working on the task at hand during the core hours etc. I have had to let several employees go because they decided to try to work the system to their advantage and have multiple jobs and did not coordinate their efforts well, where they would not be available when I needed them to be. Saving Changes...
John RiceSustainment Engineer| Lockheed MartinHarmony, Fl, United States
Apr 22, 2024 9:56 AM
Replying to Eduard Hernandez
...
Browsing PM jobs on LinkedIn one can clearly notice that most of them (I do not have actual figures) are on a hybrid basis. In addition, fully remote roles are less frequent and depend heavily on the type of industry.
Eduard.
I agree and it dopes depend employees' roles and responsibilites, work evirnoment, and employees' work ethics. I equate to distant learning; some students thrive in academia learning while other perfer the personal connection. Of course, the position requires hands-on applications, which demands on-site attendance.
The two years during COVID-19 were such a positive experience in my job that I saved 2 hours per day traveling to the office without sacrificing my work quality. As a result, I was not as exhausted at the end of the day, which, over time, meant I was more focused in the proceeding months.
What bothers me is when managers feel their team members have to be in the office to be productive, but then I observe the side conversations and the interactions not contributing to the final output.
I agree with Goerge Freemn, "So, as long as “verifiable productivity” reigns supreme coupled with budgets being met, the hybrid workforce is here to stay."
...
1 reply by Eduard Hernandez
Apr 29, 2024 9:23 AM
Eduard Hernandez
...
Fully agree!
In Spain, for example, remote or hybrid roles are scarce. The work culture there values people to be on site, even if just to "warm up the chair". It is slowly changing, though.
100% agree with George Freeman views in the topic.
Product Operations Program ManagerBarcelona, Cataluña, Spain
Apr 27, 2024 12:52 PM
Replying to John Rice
...
Eduard.
I agree and it dopes depend employees' roles and responsibilites, work evirnoment, and employees' work ethics. I equate to distant learning; some students thrive in academia learning while other perfer the personal connection. Of course, the position requires hands-on applications, which demands on-site attendance.
The two years during COVID-19 were such a positive experience in my job that I saved 2 hours per day traveling to the office without sacrificing my work quality. As a result, I was not as exhausted at the end of the day, which, over time, meant I was more focused in the proceeding months.
What bothers me is when managers feel their team members have to be in the office to be productive, but then I observe the side conversations and the interactions not contributing to the final output.
I agree with Goerge Freemn, "So, as long as “verifiable productivity” reigns supreme coupled with budgets being met, the hybrid workforce is here to stay."
Fully agree!
In Spain, for example, remote or hybrid roles are scarce. The work culture there values people to be on site, even if just to "warm up the chair". It is slowly changing, though.
100% agree with George Freeman views in the topic. Saving Changes...
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