From pyjamas to productivity
To most people who were familiar with working in an office, the traditional pre-COVID workstyle is but a distant memory. The regular nine to five gave real meaning to an office job. An early commute, dressed in formal attire that was not only an expectation; it was a requirement.
Then lockdown hit and we were working remotely (from our beds) with ambiguous hours, and business casual meant a comfortable pair of pants with the most decent looking shirt or blouse you could find five minutes before your Zoom call.
Work from home became a comfortable norm. However, voluntarily social distancing at the dinner table made it glaringly obvious that we needed to reintegrate into society with regular human interaction.
With major businesses such as Amazon, Meta and Zoom requiring employees to return to the office, the art of flexibility is a skill many businesses have come to learn. You would assume that these businesses are ideally suited for remote work, and yet they have been at the forefront in emphasizing the importance of face-to-face time with colleagues. This shift in strategy raises an important multi-faceted question: how does this change affect aspects of culture, collaboration, and learning?
In this blog, we explore some of the prevailing trends we’re observing around the future of hybrid working.
Evolving culture
A core reason that global giants have been encouraging this shift to in-person office strategies is to nurture a sense of team spirit and embed a deep-rooted culture in the workforce.
Culture, which we see as the collective heartbeat of a business, encompasses a shared vision, values, and traditions. While remote workstyles have shown that productivity is not necessarily linked to office work, it has demonstrated the flaws in maintaining and growing a rich company culture.
To us, in-person interactions equal quality team time. This allows each individual to immerse themselves in the business, creating a deep sense of belonging. Adventures to find a quaint coffeeshop, casual watercooler conversations and friendly team-building activities (with a hint of competition) all contribute to nurturing an authentic company culture that cannot truly be replicated in a virtual world.
Facilitating collaboration
Effective collaboration is considered to be the cornerstone of innovation, creativity, and productivity. While video conferencing platforms and tools have evolved and proven to be invaluable during the pandemic, they truly cannot be replaced with the spontaneity and value of in-person discussions and brainstorming.
Physical presence allows teams to challenge ideas, spark ideation and push the boundaries of innovation through brainstorming, collective problem solving and knowledge sharing. Collaboration does not necessarily take the form of 30-minute diarized meetings. In fact, the most unplanned collaborative sessions can lead to a long-awaited breakthrough in solutions.
Continuous learning
In-person interactions have proven to support on-the-job learning and development in ways that remote work cannot match. Individuals have the opportunity to observe and directly engage with their peers on projects in ways that have been limited by remote working.
Mentorship and professional development are easier to facilitate in an in-person environment, allowing those involved to thrive in their new-found skills. Physical presence also allows for real-time encouragement, feedback, and celebration during the development process.
While remote work offered flexibility and efficiency, it’s the essential benefits of the new-found balance between the past and the future – as well as evolving employee expectations - that draws industry leaders to the hybrid life. As we continue to adapt to evolving work dynamics, it’s clear that the power of face-to-face interactions remains irreplaceable in the modern workspace, paving a new era of formal flexibility.