The great debate about hybrid work and whether to continue allowing employees to work some days remotely has persisted. Is your company caught in this tug of war between employees wanting to hold onto this flexibility, and senior leadership demanding people be in office as much as possible?
As an early pioneer on remote leadership, I’ve been researching, consulting, writing and speaking on this topic for two decades. Alongside many changes impacting workplaces, I’m certain that remote work has fundamentally shifted the landscape of our work and lives.
The Latest Trends
Hybrid work is widespread, despite media reports of companies bringing everyone back to office. According to Gallup (May 2024), 27% of remote-capable full-time employees work from home, while 53% work in a hybrid model. Less than 10% of employees with remote-capable jobs would prefer to work fully on-site (Gallup 2024).
On average, employees prefer to be in office 2-3 days per week (Gallup 2023). This doesn’t surprise me, as our research 15 years ago on personality and remote work determined the key traits of an effective teleworker (O’Neill et al. 2009), and over time we found that most people are a moderate fit to work fully remote, equating to 2-3 days in the office and the remaining days remote. The minority prefer fully in office, and this varies across industries. People who prefer in office do best with the structure, routine and social connections of a physical office environment.
Retaining Talent
There’s no doubt that cancelling the ability to work any remote days will lose talent. In an economy where jobs are scarce and employers’ do not have to worry as much about losing people, talent retention may not be top of mind. However, rest assured that when tides shift, such as the Great Resignation of 2021 (when employees resigned en masse from their organizations), employers who provide trust and flexibility will attract the best people.
Given the generational shifts in workplaces, it’s also important to understand that those ages 24 to 35 are most likely to work remotely, and only 12.5% of this age group did not want to work remotely when offered (McKinsey 2022). Again, it’s the minority who want to be in office full-time.
It’s also important to note that women prefer hybrid and remote work (79%) more than men (64%) (Gallup 2023), due to the ability to manage work and life responsibilities, which still fall more on women. As employers continue to focus on diversity and inclusion, and retaining talent across genders and generations, hybrid work provides the best of both worlds. Although, it’s not a one-size-fits-all, and in my experience it really depends on the person, the job, the team and the employer.
Levelling Up Hybrid Leaders
Leaders need continual support and development around managing in this hybrid context. It’s not easy and requires intentionality and purpose. Unfortunately, 80% of hybrid workers overall (including leaders) have not received any training on how to best work and manage in these arrangements (Gallup 2023). Instead, it’s left to chance, resulting in poor communication, inefficient collaboration and assumptions that lead to pulling everyone back to the office. The sentiment of pulling people back is “if I can see you, you’re working”, but what this message really says is “I don’t trust you.” A lack of trust damages relationships, cultures and overall company performance.
In Conclusion
I have much to share around the best practices, tools and habits organizations need to retain and engage talent in the hybrid workplace. I’m honored to be speaking at SHRM Northern California on September 30, 2024 on this topic. I will continue to speak about hybrid and remote work and leadership on my podcast, Where Work Meets Life™ (see relevant episodes below) and on my LinkedIn community to help organizations make hybrid work!
Dr. Laura Hambley is a thought leader on Career and Workplace Psychology, passionate about career development. She founded Canada Career Counselling in 2009, however has specialized in career development since 1999 through her Master’s research and counselling in different settings, including outplacement and career transition firms in Alberta.
Dr. Laura learned early on that effective career planning enhances wellbeing, confidence, and clarity in one’s work and life. Combining the expertise of Psychology with Career Counselling is what she sought to do as she founded and evolved Canada Career Counselling from Calgary to Toronto, Victoria, and Halifax, providing Career Counselling and Career Coaching to thousands of clients over many years.
Dr. Laura enjoys her work as a Career Counsellor and Career Coach to professionals who are in mid- or senior stages of their career, helping them navigate complex career decisions and pivots. Her extensive experience as an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, enables her to understand and address the challenges faced by individuals, leaders, teams, and organizational cultures. Having consulted to a wide range of organizations since the late 1990s, and becoming a future of work thought leader, has enabled her to help individuals and organizations navigate the latest trends impacting today’s organizations.
Dr. Laura fulfilled her dream of having her own podcast in 2020, called Where Work Meets Life™, where she interviews experts globally on topics around career fulfillment and thriving humans and organizations. She is a sought-after keynote speaker for organizations, associations, conferences, and events.
In addition to her Master’s in Counselling Psychology (1999), Laura holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (2005) from the University of Calgary. She is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists, as well as a member of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta and the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). She also contributes to teaching, supervision, and research as an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Calgary.
For more resources, look into Dr. Laura’s organizations:
