Our Workplaces Changed So Fast Leaders Need a New Set of Norms to Manage It
It's time to start rethinking how work should work
I feel like post-Covid-lockdowns has left a mix of work configurations in it’s wake and it’s time to think about how we go forward from here. We’ve had to do this when work transitioned from the farm to the factory, and from factory work to knowledge work, and now from everyone being co-located to a matrix of locations and interaction types.
The mixed environments of today means that folks on the same teams, collaborating on the same project, could be in a mix of different environments; both virtual and co-located as well as across timezones. Some of this is not new of course, but I think the twist is that now even the “in-office” folks are often virtual from their local coworkers. Sometimes the majority of the week.
It feels to me that we still operate with work norms from the days where we’d all be in the same place at the same time. We relied on those norms to keep everything running smoothly. That doesn’t work anymore - I think it’s time to evolve the norms of work.
Until I come up with a better way to talk about this “new mix”, where some employees are hybrid (in office 2-3 days a week and virtually the rest) and others virtual 100% of the time, I’m going to call it mixed-hybrid or a composite-environment. If there’s an established term for this please let me know.
For now, I’d like to write about how I think leaders in an org can make their teams’s day-to-day better by defining how they want to work.
Last week I wrote about ways people can support each other. The reality is that this type of systemic change is really hard to do bottom up, so I wanted to highlight some things that leaders can do in our new mixed up, muddled up, shook up world (🎸).
How did we get here?
Not that I think anyone has forgotten the salad days of Covid, but it’s interesting to revisit in order to frame why we’re in this clumsy transition.
Companies that were a 100% in-office culture were forced, basically overnight, into a 100% virtual work style. This switch was not part of a well considered company strategy to move 100% Remote. There were no working groups or cross-functional meetings. No employee experience team making the case why this was the way forward for the company.
One day they were in-office, the next day they weren’t. (For those of us who were in the small group that were already remote in an org like that, not much changed… except it leveled the playing field - it made work life much, much easier for me during that period.)
The companies that made the switch and then switched “back to normal” are in a particular pickle. In some cases it felt like the CEO declared we’re an “in office company again!” but the actual work adapting to this new composite-environment hadn’t really been figured out yet.
The abruptness of the change to virtual, followed by the urgency to head back into the office, is what’s driving some of the issues I think. These kinds of transformations take years and years. We’re physically in one work configuration but our company cultures aren’t caught up yet.
Although there are companies that will continue to operate in an 100% in person environment - a hybrid or full remote setup won’t work for all companies, jobs or roles - I don’t think we’ll ever get back to where were were.
Always forward, never back. This is our new normal.
The benefits of virtual and remote work became apparent. A significant part of the workforce decided it wasn’t going back. The writing is on the wall. The norms of the work need to be consciously updated to acknowledge, and allow for, all the different flavors we have today.
We can’t expect these new norms to only be defined by HR, or the People Team, or the Exec Suite.
I’ve heard (tall tales) that some companies have got this really nailed. From what I’m experiencing and hearing about, most don’t. If you’re at a company that has figured out this mixed-hybrid environment please comment. I’d like to know what’s working!
On a company wide level this is very, very hard. There’s a lot of moving parts. I’m not going to pretend I know what the answers are. (Plus it feels like enough of a different topic to cover separately.)
Follow the leader
Not all managers are leaders and not all leaders are managers. I can’t find the source, but there’s a saying that has stuck with me, “To be a leader all you need is a follower”.
This post is aimed at managers and directors and “senior leaders” because of their influence in an org. Even if you’re leading a meeting and not leading a company it’s worth keeping this in mind. If you’re not a manager+ you likely can’t influence large scale changes, but keep in mind that everyone’s behavior helps shape norms. Following the right leader counts.
Ok… 👇
5 Things Leaders Can Do Today to Help Create New Office Norms for Their Mixed-Hybrid Team(s)
Think about which work is best to do in-person and what is best to do virtually
Different types of work benefit from different types of work environments. There’s big thinking strategy work. There’s collaborative workshop work. There’s heads-down deep focus work. There’s hands-on-keyboard knocking tasks off a punch list work. Etc…
Each one of those can have a mix of in person and virtual configurations that support the work and the preferences of the people doing it.
For some work sitting around a big conference table, whiteboard markers (and maybe laptops) out, is the way to go. Other times the work benefits from multiple monitors, full size keyboards, workspace ergonomics, and creature comforts.
The beauty of this new composite-environment is we get to use all the ways. We get the benefit of in person collaboration time AND solo focus in the zone time. Take advantage of it. Provide guidance and open discussion on how the team might want to approach the work that you’re laying out for this month, quarter or year. Support (and mentor) your staff to do so as well.
Support the co-workers supporting co-workers
Last week I talked about few ways that co-workers can help co-workers. This included things like non-agenda meetings and matching environments.
Whole post is 👇
Support your employees who are trying things like that. Talk about non agenda meetings for remote teammates - make it a team norm. Have a “sound check” meeting where there’s an opportunity for people to get feedback about their setup. I’ve heard about no meeting days and everyone in the office days - how about everyone NOT in the office days - especially for teams with a mix of remote and hybrid staff? (And not mixed with “no meeting days”)
Demonstrate best practices yourself. It’s hard for an individual to push against culture and talk about new ways of working. Bring up these topics with your team and get some ideas out in the open.
Create a plan for remote workers to come into the office
Have a conversation (preferably when hiring) about the preferences of the employee and the expectations of the company when it comes to in-office time.
Just because someone works remotely doesn’t mean they don’t want to come to the office or are against travel. I’m finding that if you are a remote employee at a company that’s default in-office there’s a lot of focus on you not coming in.
Is that on purpose or because these discussions aren’t being had and folks are misaligned?
Look at taking the budget that would have gone to in-office support for an employee and see if it can be used to support a travel budget.
Personally, I’d love a 3-5 day visit to an office every 6 weeks or so. I know others who wouldn’t want to travel that much. Talk to your people.
Get the band back together
Depending on what you can control and what works for the team see if you can plan everyone getting together every 2 to 3 months. This feels like enough to get the benefits of in person interaction while allowing for the benefits of remote work along with it.
If that’s too much maybe synchronize office visits with some of your remote folks. Try to line up the virtual → in-office time too so as much of the team is together as possible.
Keep travel days in mind for those remote workers. A period of at least 3 full office days on those trips is helpful. I feel that allows enough time for chatter and informal catching up as well as heads in the same room solving big problems time. Packing everything into a “one day onsite” puts a lot of pressure on 8 hours. Your mileage may vary — figure out what works.
If that’s too frequent for your staff (or your budget) have a gathering of everyone every 4 months. Or 6. I’ve heard of remote-only businesses (like Automattic and YNAB) having once or twice a year company gatherings.
Understand the reality of how budget and travel works at the company you’re at, then make a plan to get your team together. Don’t think the whole problem has to be solved to make progress.
Keep in mind that Remote and WFH are not the same
Create a remote friendly culture if you’re going to have remote staff.
When the team is hybrid - you can get everyone together because they’re all in commuting distance of the office. It’s just that sometimes they don’t commute in. The next in person visit is often a day or two away.
Remote work is different.
I feel lots of the activities for building team culture are trying to replicate in person socialization… just online. Most of the time I don’t think it works. A slack channel doesn’t replicate the serendipity of running into someone at the coffee machine. A virtual happy hour doesn’t replace an in person one.
Virtual tools like chat and video conferencing were built to supplement in person interactions, not replace them.
Norm(s)!
As this trend continues, leaders need a new set of rules and guidelines to support how hybrid of physical, virtual and remote workers can operate together. In the same way that in-person allows for things you don’t get virtually, virtual allows for things in-person can’t do. We need to come up with new norms. Let’s figure those out and create a new day-to-day that works for everyone, no matter how they’re showing up “at” work that day.
Hopefully some of what I wrote is helpful for leaders (and maybe even companies!)
Leave a comment. Contact me. I want to hear what you think!
If it resonates with you, please share.
Till next time.
👋