The world of work is undergoing a seismic shift, with the rise of hybrid and remote work models taking center stage. To understand the intricacies of this transformation, I engaged in enlightening discussions with three distinguished professionals: Justin Tomlin, Global Lead of Flexible Work at NetApp, Stephanie Ross, Senior Manager, Global Workplace Strategy, formerly at Twitch, and Massella Dukuly, Head of Workplace Strategy at Charter. Their rich experiences and perspectives illuminate the promises and challenges of these evolving models, providing a comprehensive roadmap for organizations navigating this new terrain. I’ll be using their insights in conversations with my own client organizations who I am helping figure out their hybrid work models.
Synthesizing the Benefits
The discussions with Ross, Dukuly, and Tomlin offered profound insights into the benefits of hybrid and remote work models. Each executive outlined specific advantages, providing a comprehensive overview that organizations can leverage as they navigate this evolving landscape.
Justin Tomlin at NetApp, in describing their unique approach to flexible work, “Thrive Everywhere,” identifies three key benefits. Firstly, he mentions talent attraction, retention, and engagement. By removing traditional geographical barriers, NetApp can access a broader, more diverse talent pool. Second, Tomlin highlights the importance of a diversity of perspectives in spurring innovation and making better decisions. Lastly, he talks about employee well-being, emphasizing a whole-person approach where employees are given the flexibility to manage their personal lives alongside their professional commitments.
Stephanie Ross at Twitch speaks about the three principal advantages of hybrid and remote work at her company: flexibility, effective space management, and recruitment opportunities. The flexibility allowed by these work models has brought remarkable benefits for the employees. Ross highlights how fluid work hours and reduced commute days have empowered parents and caretakers to be more actively present for their families. She also points out how overcrowding at offices, a significant issue due to the rapid headcount growth at Twitch, has been aptly addressed by this flexibility. Finally, she discusses the exciting prospect of recruiting talent from a more extensive, decentralized pool, offering a solution to the limitations of regional hiring.
Massella Dukuly at Charter brings forth her own triad of benefits: flexibility, gender equality, and cost savings. She echoes Ross’s sentiment about flexibility, emphasizing that a hybrid or remote model enables employees to balance their professional and personal lives more effectively. Dukuly also discusses how such work models could significantly enhance gender equality. She reveals the potential for these models to address the underrepresentation of women and marginalized genders in the workplace, and even bring about more gender equality at home. Lastly, Dukuly outlines the substantial cost savings that hybrid and remote work offers both employees and employers—from reducing office space expenses to minimizing daily work-related costs.
In essence, these three perspectives underscore the undeniable benefits of hybrid and remote work models: flexibility that empowers employees, the potential for greater equality, cost savings, enhanced talent management, and an emphasis on holistic well-being.
Tackling the Challenges
While the benefits of hybrid and remote work are clear, it’s equally important to address the challenges. Ross, Dukuly, and Tomlin offer their unique perspectives on the main obstacles their organizations face and strategies they’re implementing to overcome them.
Massella Dukuly at Charter identifies inequity and bias, connection, and mentorship as the main challenges. She highlights the risk of hybrid/remote work inadvertently perpetuating bias and inequity if not implemented with intentionality and structure. She also discusses the need for connection, which, while possible in a remote or hybrid organization, can feel less natural without intentional strategies. Lastly, Dukuly points out the importance of mentorship in the workplace, which she believes can be successfully achieved remotely with the right structure and support.
Stephanie Ross pinpoints three primary challenges at Twitch: maintaining culture and belonging, rightsizing their real estate footprint, and leveraging technology to support diverse work styles. She particularly emphasizes the importance of culture and belonging, which took a hit when employees transitioned to remote work, leading to a loss of identity and inspiration that previously thrived in hallway conversations. Ross also underscores the difficulties in managing a variable and irregular office occupancy, especially on low-occupancy days. Lastly, she addresses the need for technology that supports both dedicated desk models and flexible seating arrangements, along with the challenge of maintaining communication equity between in-person and remote participants.
Justin Tomlin from NetApp focuses on connection, collaboration, and the necessary mindset, behavior, and skillset shifts. He notes the challenge of connection, echoing Dukuly’s point about the need for intentional strategies to foster meaningful relationships. He also emphasizes the challenge of aligning different collaboration preferences within teams and across functions. Finally, Tomlin brings attention to the need for a significant shift in mindset, behaviors, and skillsets to align with the new ways of working.
These insights offer a valuable roadmap for organizations navigating the challenges of hybrid and remote work. By understanding and addressing these hurdles proactively, companies can create more effective and inclusive work environments.
Solutions: A Blend of Internal and External Interventions
The experts point out that resolving the challenges of hybrid and remote work will require a combination of internal adjustments and external assistance. They each provide their insights on this complex, yet vital, task.
Justin Tomlin at NetApp proposes that a mix of internal and external solutions will be needed for all the challenges. He emphasizes the importance of partnership, both within the organization and with external experts, to successfully navigate the evolving landscape of hybrid and remote work. Tomlin also sees the potential for external experts to help internal leaders keep up with the rapid pace of change and to address specific business needs.
Stephanie Ross of Twitch believes the challenge of culture needs to be solved from within. She emphasizes the role of communities themselves in fostering a sense of connection and belonging, highlighting the importance of human interaction in drawing people to the office. She also outlines Twitch’s strategy of implementing ‘neighborhoods’ in their main offices, creating dedicated spaces for teams to foster a deeper sense of community. Ross acknowledges that external solutions can aid in rightsizing office spaces, such as leveraging co-working models. She also discusses the need for more versatile analytical software, hinting at the potential for external tech solutions to enhance space management.
Massella Dukuly from Charter suggests that team norms and diverse voices need to be addressed internally, creating buy-in by involving the team in the exploration and definition stages. She sees external support as being useful in helping to define the process of exploration with the team and implementing strategies at scale. Dukuly believes that the rapidly changing world of work requires HR leaders to stay abreast of the most recent data, research, and insights, which can be supplied by external experts.
These leaders highlight the need for a balanced approach to overcoming the challenges of hybrid and remote work. By leveraging both internal strengths and external expertise, organizations can create a work environment that is adaptable, resilient, and inclusive.
Envisioning the Future
The evolution of hybrid and remote work is a topic these experts are closely monitoring. Each offers a unique vision for the future based on their experiences and the specific needs of their organizations.
Justin Tomlin at NetApp speaks about their “Thrive Everywhere” approach, which they plan to continually adapt and evolve based on employee feedback and data. He emphasizes the importance of experimentation and adoption of best practices as they transform the way they work. Furthermore, Tomlin discusses the potential for evolution in the roles related to hybrid and remote work, both in their titles and placements within the organization. He suggests these decisions depend on the specific needs and maturity of each organization and will help ensure the roles achieve the impact they strive to make
Stephanie Ross of Twitch foresees the potential for a shift towards in-office work as a response to recent layoffs and a need to rebuild a sense of community. While the company has maintained that there will be no mandate to return to the office, Ross predicts that morale and productivity may be better supported by in-person collaboration and connection.
Massella Dukuly from Charter emphasizes the crucial role of hybrid and remote work in the face of an impending talent crisis. She believes these flexible work models will be key in sourcing talent and enabling the creation of new roles. Furthermore, Dukuly predicts that advancements in AI will revolutionize communication and collaboration, making remote and hybrid work more accessible and paving the way for increased creativity.
These predictions highlight the dynamic and evolving nature of hybrid and remote work. As we move forward, organizations will need to be flexible and responsive to these changes, continually adapting their strategies to support their employees and their business in the evolving landscape of work.
In Conclusion
As the realm of hybrid and remote work continues to expand, insights from leaders like Ross, Dukuly, and Tomlin are invaluable. They offer a multi-faceted view of the opportunities and challenges ahead, ensuring organizations are equipped to chart a course through this transformative era.
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