Picture this. You’re assembling a piece of furniture from a box, but the instruction manual is missing. You have all the tools, all the parts, but you’re at a loss about where to start. This is what a hybrid work model without proper documentation feels like. It’s like being in a spaceship without a navigation system. Recent research conducted by McKinsey has shown that a whopping 68% of companies lack a structured ‘playbook’ to guide their hybrid work model. I... Read more
Just as a skilled tango dancer weaves their body with the rhythm of the music, you can waltz with the tempo of your productivity. And the secret lies in unlocking the riddle of your chronotype. A chronotype, in the simplest terms, is your body’s unique melody. It’s a biological rhythm, pulsating with your propensity to be most alert and active either in the morning, evening, or somewhere in between. The digital symphony of today’s flexible work environment invites us to... Read more
Gone are the days when financial professionals were as much a part of the office landscape as cubicles, conference rooms, and coffee machines. Today, they’re pushing back against the shackles of conventional workspace dynamics, underscoring the paramount importance of flexibility. In the face of office attendance mandates as rigid as a trapeze wire, financial professionals are raising their voices in a chorus of defiance. The ultimatum they deliver is as clear as a well-audited balance sheet – adapt to flexible... Read more
The challenges that many companies are facing in their hard-line, inflexible approach to returning to the office highlight deeper issues of broken culture, social contract, and trust in these companies. For instance, recent reports reveal that Apple has been threatening action against employees who refuse to come back to the office by tracking employee attendance and threatening action against those who don’t work from the office at least three days a week. Similarly, Twitter has been dealing with its own... Read more
A groundbreaking study by IWG reveals that hybrid workers are exercising more, sleeping longer, and eating better than ever before, resulting in a healthier workforce. This paradigm shift in work culture has profound implications for businesses aiming to promote employee wellbeing and productivity. When I do similar surveys in helping companies transition to hybrid and remote work, I find broadly similar results. The Health Benefits of Hybrid Work: A Closer Look The IWG study, conducted among over 2,000 hybrid workers,... Read more
Managers often complain about hybrid employee procrastination resulting in missing deadlines and task delays, when compared to their in-office colleagues. Research by Microsoft, which surveyed 20,000 people and analyzed trillions of Microsoft 365 productivity signals, finds that 85% of leaders believe the shift to hybrid work has made it challenging to have confidence that employees are being productive. As a result, many managers resent having to meet the desires of employees for flexibility in this tight labor market; as companies... Read more
A new study by Logitech of 3,000 employees and 1,000 IT hardware decision makers in large organizations found that 89% struggle with video and 85% with audio in their work from home office. Less than 40% received accessories other than mice and keyboards from their organizations. While these results are concerning, I didn’t find them surprising. When working with client organizations to help them figure out the best hybrid work arrangements, I invariably get pushback when I bring up investing... Read more
As companies continue to navigate the challenges of remote work, hybrid meetings have emerged as a critical solution for successful collaboration between in-person and remote teams. A hybrid meeting combines in-person and remote attendees and allows for face-to-face interaction between all participants, regardless of their location. And with the right technology and facilitation, hybrid meetings can provide the best of both worlds: the benefits of in-person meetings, such as nonverbal communication and spontaneous collaboration, combined with the convenience and cost-effectiveness... Read more
The massive shift to remote and hybrid work was seen as a revolution, but two years later, not much has really changed in how most people collaborate day-to-day. Despite having access to powerful tools like Microsoft 365, large swaths of the workforce are stuck in outdated habits, leading to inefficiencies and frustration. According to SWOOP Analytics’ 2023 M365 & Microsoft Teams Benchmarking Report, analyzing over 266,000 employees across 19 large organizations, the commonly held belief that the move to remote... Read more
Picture this: A stage where the drama of work unfolds, with actors struggling to find their parts, cues missing, and directors constantly changing the script. This is the current scene for many employees amidst the Return to Office (RTO) movement, according to a recent report by Appspace. Just like actors, employees are searching for their “lines”, the cues to perform in a hybrid or remote work environment. However, the script is constantly changing and 93% of employees report their companies... Read more
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