What Should Your Hybrid Look Like?
The reality of “return to work” is swiftly gaining momentum. In speaking with many clients over the past few weeks it is apparent this looming transition has some looking towards it with eager anticipation and others with sheer anxiety. In the meantime, “hybrid” has entered our vernacular at a never imagined rate. Most organizations have come to the realization that productivity did not suffer while working from home, and flexibility and balance will be critical in retaining happy, committed employees.
How Do You Determine The Right Balance Between Work and Lifestyle?
With so much planning, speculation and anticipation whirling around how companies will structure their work policies, now is the time to consider what this will mean for you going forward. How will you determine the right balance between work and lifestyle? There are a number of things to think about as you ponder what your hybrid should look like.
Until COVID, many of us assumed our work-life schedule had to be what it was. The amount of time spent in the office was often worn as a badge of honor, and a sign of dedication, work ethic, and level of responsibility. While some were able to earn hard fought concessions for working from home one day a week, there was often an undercurrent that if you weren’t physically in the office, you could not possibly be producing at an acceptable level. The overwhelming evidence offered by the work from home experience of COVID clearly challenged that perception. With the prospect of returning to the office more feasible, if you can work in the office every day, will you? Should you? How do you define your own value system around work ethic and office time? Considering this and developing new thought patterns will be critical if your goal is to maintain a level of flexibility going forward.
The Irreplaceable Energy That Emerges When People Gather
Another consideration in determining what hybrid means to you is to think about what other benefits you derive from going to the office. Even the most ardent defenders of staying remote recognize a key aspect to a traditional work environment is the social value of work. This does not just mean the light-hearted water cooler conversations that create a sense of belonging, but also the social networking of meeting people who would never appear on your zoom calls. Sometimes it is these relationships that unlock a never thought of career direction, insight on an issue or contact that creates opportunities down the road. How much do you thrive on the energy that emerges when people gather? Innovation, connectivity and creativity can be spurred by impromptu discussions, brainstorming sessions, and coming together in a way that is difficult to replicate virtually. How do you plan these needs into your schedule, so they are targeted, thoughtful, and effective?
Determining What Boundaries You Now Need
As we all wait to see how the next phase of this process unfolds, considering these questions in the context of cost versus benefit is critical. What is the cost of going into the office? I have spoken to so many parents who realize how much they have missed by logging in long hours at their desk and in trains, planes, automobiles, and hotels. I have spoken with others who talk about how changes to healthy eating and regular work outs have been transformative. What are you willing to do or not do to maintain the connection the last year has given you to your children, partner, or your own needs of self-care? What are the boundaries you need to put in place to ensure you retain the benefits the past year has offered?
Preventing The Risk of Falling Back Into Old Habits
It is so important to take time out now to consider what you want this to look like going forward. Without an intentional plan you run the risk of falling back into what you knew for so many years before COVID. Old habits die hard, even with a year off. Now is the time to consider what you want your work life to look like. The reality is that if you cannot imagine it, plan for it and work towards it – you cannot possibly achieve it.
If COVID has taught us anything it is that we all have the capacity to adapt to new ways of working, thinking, and living. It has taught us that life is unpredictable and has showed us where our priorities lie. Now in returning to work with all you have learned, what should your hybrid look like? Before you answer that, remember this: You only have one life. How do you want to live it?
As a first step in thinking about this, consider these questions - What have you learned about where joy comes from in your life? What is the number one thing you realized during COVID about what gives you joy in your work?
That’s where to start the process. I’m here to help if you need more.
