Last week Teamraderie hosted a live event about hybrid work with Harvard Business School’s Tsedal Neeley and Stanford’s Bob Sutton. 800+ executives (CEOs, CMOs, CROs) and People leaders (CHROs, VP People) participated in this event.
Participants completed a 10-question survey that captured intentions, concerns, and opportunities for the future of work. Companies contributing to the hybrid work survey include:
The hybrid work survey results are in and here are the top five learnings from this survey:
1. 80%+ teams anticipate some kind of “hybrid work”
Centralized teams are JUST AS LIKELY to prefer hybrid as distributed teams
2. Leaders are aware of observable issues on teams
But less concerned about longer-term implications, e.g., upcoming uptick in attrition
According to recent studies, 2021 attrition rates may range from 25-50% at companies, a 2X+ increase (the average turnover rate in the U.S. is typically 12-15% annually, according to the U.S. Bureau of Statistics). Leaders should not overlook this issue.
3. Leaders of centralized teams have the largest burden
Centralized teams note multiple issues and need to develop new hybrid/remote muscle
4. Global team leaders are more ‘accustomed’ for modern work
‘Connection and trust’ is the only area of stronger than average concern
5. Most teams will have option to return to office in Sept. 2021
We expect new issues to surface then
What Is the Importance of Understanding the Hybrid Work Survey Results?
First, you can find out what other teams are discussing and see how that matches your own experiences. On top of that, you can get a gauge of potential pain points for your team before they happen. However, the best reason to understand the results of the hybrid work survey is that it comes chockfull of predictions about hybrid working. Learn more about what may happen in the future so you’re fully prepared moving forward.
Things to Consider for Your Team Based on Survey Results
Based on the survey results, one of the most important things to consider in a hybrid team is connection. Most team members are going to be excited about going hybrid or fully remote but that doesn’t mean there are no challenges. Building trust and connection can take even more work when people aren’t all in the office together.
The good news is that all you need to do is put a bit of work in to nurture the connection you want. For example, try Coffee and Tea Tasting Jumpstart for Your Team to get everyone talking about something fun. It can be held on video conferencing and give everyone a chance to chat, have fun, and build trust in each other.
Or try an experience like Design a Team Ritual – Game to Improve Hybrid Work. You can learn more about how to create rituals that boost trust for virtual workers through this experience. Up to 30 people can attend from home to brush up on the basics of human connection, especially in hybrid environments.
You also want to be sure you provide equity and fairness for all your workers. Everyone matters and that needs to be clear to every team member. Putting into place features that ensure that’s a priority is well worth it based on the survey results.
Finally, look into how you’re doing employee onboarding in a remote workplace. Make sure things work for that environment. It isn’t always as simple as adapting your in-person onboarding. Own the hybrid workplace and make changes to ensure all employees are taken care of and have what they need.
Important Insights from the Hybrid Work Survey
There are five important insights to be aware of from the hybrid work survey. The first is that over 80% of teams anticipate utilizing some sort of hybrid work in the future. Both distributed and centralized teams are interested in moving to hybrid instead of in-office work.
The second is that leaders are well aware of the observable issues on teams. However, many are less concerned about the long-term implications of them. For instance, time might be well spent thinking about those things, which can include an upcoming increase in attrition.
Leaders of centralized teams will often have the most work to do. Centralized teams are often more challenging to work with on a hybrid basis. There are often several issues to work through. There’s also more to do to develop robust remote and hybrid teams.
Next, global team leaders tend to have more experience with modern work. Most of the issues do not apply here. However, connection and trust do rank as a higher than average concern so it’s something to consider.
Finally, most teams will provide at least an option to return to the office by September 2021. New issues may present themselves at that time. This is why it’s essential to keep abreast of news and make sure your team is prepared for what is to come.
To learn more about our hybrid work survey results (including charts), visit our full survey results page: Teamraderie Hybrid Work Survey Results
