Embracing the workplace of the future is a topic that continues to be debated. At the heart and center of the conversation is whether staff should be in the office on a full-time basis, allowed to work full-time remotely, or a mix of the two – a hybrid work environment. The right solution is varied in many ways and requires a much more thoughtful, intentional answer.
The reality is that people accomplish work in many different ways. For some it requires them to get up and go into a physical office every day. For others it means doing work in a location other than a physical office. People have various needs in their ideal work environment. If leaders don’t take time to understand and remedy those needs, organizations could find themselves tackling a costly issue – employees leaving the organization. A recent trend called “quiet quitting” reveals that some employees are only doing the minimum required of their jobs. Interesting enough, according to a survey conducted by Gallup, the reason for quiet quitting can be contributed to clarity of expectations, opportunities to learn and grow, feeling cared about, and a connection to the organization’s mission or purpose — signaling a growing disconnect between employees and their employers. It appears that where we work is not the immediate pressing concerns as much as how we are working. Currently, according to Gallup, only 32% of employees are engaged.
The first way to get at the issues of disengaged workers is to start with your managers. Whether the staff member is located in the same physical space as their manager or not, managers should be held accountable to connecting with their employees on a regular basis. These intentional check-ins could happen during regularly scheduled weekly meetings or could be a separate event. The point is that these meetings are a way to check-in on staff and provide an opportunity to intervene if needed. Managers can also serve as the bridge between the individual and the team. One may falsely believe having people in the office would have this happen organically, but that’s blindly assuming that everyone is comfortable with making in-person connections. There are many people who physically come into an office and feel more disconnected from their colleagues than those who have never met their colleagues in person. What does this suggest? That we have to be more intentional about the connections we make.
Where the work should be accomplished is something that leaders are continuously working through, but a more thoughtful place to start is how do we keep our staff connected regardless of where they are located. Making a commitment to intentionally engage with employees is a way to address concerns of burnout or disconnectedness. Let’s focus less on where our staff is and focus more on how we connect with staff.