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Working from Home (WFH) is here to stay. How is your organisation responding to that? <\/p>\n
Leafing through the FT in the summer sunshine this weekend we came across an<\/span> article prompted by a dinner<\/span><\/a> the author had recently been at with some leading CEOs in the US. To her surprise the most emotive topic that emerged in the conversations was around working from home. These CEOs, it seems, are not a fan of the concept and very much aspire to a rapid return to what they see as \u201cbusiness as usual\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n Perhaps they need to be careful. Another story currently circulating <\/span>concerns the account <\/span><\/a>of a mid level manager at an IT company who had to communicate a ruling from their boss that the companies working from home policy would soon be ending with a complete return to the office. Within the next few days approximately 45% of their team resigned, in most cases to take up jobs with competitors who had enthusiastically embraced working from home and the improvements in morale, wellbeing and productivity it had clearly delivered. <\/span><\/p>\n In both these cases the divisions between a workforce enthusiastically embracing working from home and leadership teams with disdain for the practice seem in some ways to be based on misunderstandings and cultural differences between the two groups. <\/span><\/p>\n The US CEOs enthusiasm for office only working seems in part rooted in their own career development having been entirely office based. Along with an inability to understand how their more digitally native employees are able to achieve goals that they perceive to be only achievable in an office, such as mentoring and self development, by using digital channels and practices. <\/span><\/p>\n The manager watching his employees depart to his competitors had to have the everyday benefits of home working explained to them and seemed to have not considered how the extra time and saved money would impact on both employee wellbeing and organisational productivity. <\/span><\/p>\n So what would our advice be for any business leaders considering translating their personal opinions on WFH into an immediate back to the office policy? <\/span><\/p>\n Firstly to gain a <\/span>deeper understanding<\/span><\/a> of their employees. A recent research project by McKinsey showed a worrying gap between what employers think their employees want from work and what they actually want. <\/span><\/p>\n Secondly to make sure you understand what <\/span>makes people stay<\/span><\/a> as well as why they might leave. The key drivers are often expression, connection, purpose and personal growth – using these as the foundations of hybrid working policies that get the most out of home working and time in the office may be more relevant than the locations themselves. <\/span><\/p>\n Thirdly, <\/span>consciously shape a hybrid working strategy<\/span><\/a> rather than simply letting it evolve. By involving employees in the shaping of the approach and actively considering how key needs are met hybrid working can be a driver of organisational development rather than simply a response to changed circumstances. <\/span><\/p>\n Fourthly, rather than assume that \u201ccertain things can only happen in the office\u201d, actively seek to ensure that they are delivered in new, positive ways as part of shaping hybrid working. The informal practices of \u201cseeing how others work\u201d might be delivered more effectively with <\/span>external mentoring <\/span><\/a>combined with self reflection on how the insights may be applied within the organisation. <\/span> <\/p>\n And finally to establish more trust in their employees by <\/span>changing the model of leadership within the organisation<\/span><\/a>. In these two examples there is an implicit and explicit sense that leadership teams can be trusted to work from home whilst other employees can\u2019t. By consciously developing a leadership organisation where everyone is supported to lead rather than a smaller group, the increased trust can also leader to much greater innovation and organisational development. <\/span><\/p>\n We think hybrid working is here to stay and rather than being a disruption to \u201cbusiness as usual\u201d is far more effectively seen as an opportunity to evolve and develop the organisation. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Wellbeing CTA – AUDIT” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”rgba(205,194,192,0.3)” saved_tabs=”all” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Do you want to create a leadership organisation? If your organisation is aiming to be in the vanguard of putting Mental Fitness at the heart of organisational development and you\u2019d like help to gain a deeper understanding of your employees, we\u2019d love to talk. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,1_4,1_4,1_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”READ” _builder_version=”4.17.6″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Check out <\/span>our post on building a wellbeing strategy in your organisation<\/span><\/a>. <\/span> <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”COACH” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n If you work in HR or People Management, experience Transformational Coaching for yourself with a FREE 1 hour coaching session<\/span><\/a> with one of our highly experienced Coaches.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”AUDIT” _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\nImpact on career development<\/h2>\n
So what is our advice?<\/h2>\n
Want to take this further?<\/b><\/h3>\n