Many of the world’s most successfully companies are shifting to long-term hybrid work. Here, we’re sharing a few of their ideas that can be implemented in businesses of any size, to make a more effective, less disruptive transition to a hybrid working model.
Many business leaders see the shift to a hybrid working model as inevitable. For a majority of knowledge workers, it has been an extremely welcome change. However, it’s certainly not without its challenges.
Research by Microsoft[1] points to an overworked workforce, digital overload, siloed teams and flagging morale, as many businesses struggled to make the sudden shift to hybrid or fully remote work without the time to plan carefully.
Now, with the world of work tentatively opening again, we have a bit of breathing space. Perhaps this might be a good moment to take a step back and have a look at what some of the world’s top businesses are doing to make the hybrid model work for them.
1. HubSpot: Embracing diversity
HubSpot pride themselves on being a company “dedicated to diversity, inclusion and belonging.” Their focus has been on taking advantage of the hybrid model to broaden their talent pool, creating job opportunities for a more diverse candidate community[2]:
“We believe access to a career in tech shouldn’t be determined by your zip code. We’re excited about the possibilities remote work opens up for folks in rural areas who historically haven’t had the option to pursue a job they love from where they are.”
HubSpot have gone with a simple hybrid working model. Employees can choose between full-time office work, flexible work (up to 2 days in the office, with a hot desk) or full-time working from home. To keep things fair, they’ve switched up their benefits program to make sure that all perks are now “location-agnostic.”
2. Dropbox: Data-led decision
For Dropbox, the decision to go hybrid was easy. They conducted a large-scale research project, which clearly shows that workers at home were more focused, happier, and no less productive than their in-office counterparts[3]. Dropbox started with five clear goals in mind:
“Support the company mission, give employees freedom and flexibility, preserve human connection and company culture, sustain the long-term health of our company, and retain a learning mindset.”
To avoid the two-tier culture that is a frequent pitfall for hybrid companies , Dropbox decided to become “Virtual First.” In other words, all People processes are delivered digitally and employees can choose their geographic location - but an office space will be made available to all.
For an in-depth review of best practice when transitioning to hybrid work, click here to download our latest white paper.
3. Spotify: Promoting productivity
The shift to the hybrid model is all about performance for Spotify. Their argument is that hybrid work will boost employee effectiveness, encourage more efficient ways of working, and better support work life balance.
Like HubSpot, employees will be offered a choice between full-time at home, in the office, or a combination of the two - but they will need to coordinate this decision with their line manager.
Employees will be able to choose where they live (within certain parameters) - and those who are too far from a Spotify office will receive optional membership to a co-working space[4]. After all, as Spotify puts it on their blog,
“Work isn’t something you come to the office for, it’s something you do.”
For more ideas from high-growth businesses on how to handle the transition to hybrid, check out our new white paper, “Moving to a hybrid workplace: A practical guide.”
Inside, you’ll find best practice tips and techniques on everything you need to know to build a thriving hybrid company, from communications to culture, from policies to logistics, and much more!
Resources:
[1] https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/hybrid-work?ocid=eml_pg266450_gdc_comm_dt&mkt_tok=MTU3LUdRRS0zODIAAAF82vt74e0UMWFb309BjdtrRcIuiKOLu8K0Ur4ERYQYFk0jq1g7grg8hSG1SGvS-SnZzJ2tnJ1DzkRsM5I0RIuTQ8JQhlVKy0h4JOlSKyeuPK7xDR7S03OPHx5w
[2] https://www.hubspot.com/careers-blog/future-of-work-hybrid
[3] https://blog.dropbox.com/topics/company/dropbox-goes-virtual-first
[4] https://hrblog.spotify.com/2021/02/12/introducing-working-from-anywhere/