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Must Flexible Work be Hybrid?

Over the past couple of months, I have been helping clients develop strategies and plans for the “Return to Work”(RTW) or “Return to Office” (RTO). Many employers want their employees to return to the office, believing the office environment is an integral part of their cultures. However, more than half of employees want to work from home three days per week, and recent research indicates that employers may very well lose those employees if they don’t provide flexible, hybrid work. [Read more…]

Zoomed Out? A Meeting Strategy for Hybrid Work

I think it’s safe to say that many of us are still “Zoomed out” from the pandemic. I certainly am. And I cannot begin to count the number of times in the last year when I heard someone say, “that Zoom meeting could have been an email” or “that meeting should have been a phone call.” As many organizations develop and implement hybrid plans as part of the “Return to Work,” we have an opportunity to re-set–to plan and implement meeting strategies that respect employees’ time and energy.

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3 Guiding Principles for Making Hybrid Work

As we continue to emerge from COVID, employers are planning their employees’ return to work. Many employers have already opened their doors for the return of employees, but how they return to the office and the flexibility provided by employers will determine the degree of success in the Return to Work. How important is creating an effective plan for hybrid work? Very important. Most employees want to work from home at least three days per week, and a large percentage of them will evaluate whether they stay with their current employers based upon their employer’s plan. There are three guiding principles that form the foundation for a successful Return to Work Plan. [Read more…]

8 Key Steps to Plan for Hybrid Work

8 Key Steps to Plan for Hybrid Work

Different experts predict that roughly 80-90 percent of employers plan to have their workforces return to the office during Q3 of this year, most with hybrid work, and employees are feeling anxious about it. There are three reasons. Part of the anxiety stems from burnout from the entire COVID work-from-home experience, with employees feeling as if they must be “on” all the time. Second, there is the stress and uncertainty over the culture shock of going back to an environment where employees have not been for 15 months. Third, employees are reporting that their employers have not communicated the vision for the return to work/hybrid work, much less the details.

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Strategy for the Next Normal: 3 Questions Leaders Should be Asking

Last year, many organizations made significant changes to keep their businesses afloat–from going after different markets and launching new products and services to implementing across-the-board Work from Home or Work from Anywhere for their employees. By now, most organizations have the data to determine what market and product changes are sustainable for the new economy we are entering, and now is the ideal time to re-think and fine-tune your organization to determine the best strategy, structure, and work design. [Read more…]

Return to Work: 5 Questions Leaders Should be Asking

If your inbox looks anything like mine, you’re being inundated with articles and advice about return to work, the new reality of work, how to do hybrid well, etc. With good reason. While most organizations were learning that our employees are more productive and less in need of oversight than we thought, our employees were learning that two hours of commute time each day is wasted effort. Experts keep telling us we cannot go back to the workplace of the past. So if we can’t go back, where do we go from here? As we design how work will get done—hybrid, remote, or return to the office—there are several questions we should be asking. [Read more…]

How to Make Your Organization Ready for Its New Normal

Over the past year, many leaders re-envisioned their organizations to overcome the downturn, serve their customers differently, and sometimes launch into new markets entirely. As organizations view a more optimistic future, what framework can they use to plan and solidify their “new normal.” Where to start? [Read more…]

What’s Behind all the Interest in Company Purpose Statements?

I saw a Patagonia label on a friend’s jacket last fall, and it caused me to think about Patagonia and about corporate purpose. Patagonia is definitely an organization that reframed its corporate purpose effectively, with remarkable results–from more devoted customers and stakeholders to dedicated employees. Why has Patagonia become a brand so closely aligned with doing good? How did they do that?

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Does kinder, gentler leadership abdicate accountability?

Does kinder, gentler leadership abdicate accountability?

Our experiences in 2020 and 2021 have taught us that leading others has taken on added dimensions requiring the use of stronger soft skills while also managing remotely. Researchers and experts are telling us that a kinder, gentler leader is here to stay. In watching your inbox over the past year, you saw many articles about the need for compassionate and caring leadership and management through times of turmoil. If your career has seen a lot of forceful, dominant, invincible leaders (or if you are one), this new, more compassionate type of leadership may be unfamiliar territory. [Read more…]

The litmus test for leadership for 2021 and beyond

The litmus test for leadership for 2021 and beyond

I received an email this week from McKinsey, and the first paragraph stated, “But while the global pandemic made last year a bleak descent into existential risk, loss, and grief, this year begins with at least the promise of an ascent to recovery and a more positive reality. Demonstrating sincere care for teams and employees will still be the leader’s test, as will having the soft skills required to lead well.” This litmus test for leadership was not just for 2020; it was not temporary. It’s a skill set we vitally need to develop as leaders.

Demonstrating sincere care for teams and individuals. Exactly how do we do this, especially if it’s not a natural part of your past management or leadership style? [Read more…]

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8 Key Steps to Plan for Hybrid Work