The Quiet Workplace Guide: Beyond the buzzwords of the day

If you haven’t been following the excellent workplace and future of work coverage from Digiday Media’s WorkLife, I recommend you dive into their recent Quiet Workplace Guide. The series examines why leaders need to look beyond the headlines and buzzwords of the day to the deeper human and organizational challenges beneath them in order to lead happy, successful and productive workforces.

I spoke with Managing Editor Jessica Davies for the article “Inside the Quiet Workplace phenomenon: What leaders need to know,” and shared what organizations need to do “to stay ahead of the employee disengagement trend and ensure it doesn’t spread further.”

We discussed how “the pandemic accelerated people-related challenges that were always there but can no longer be ignored in a talent shortage that isn’t going to change even with a recession. And in a work reality that has been fundamentally transformed, people don’t necessarily want to work the way they worked before.

“But they want to be invited into the thinking about the way an organization is going to operate going forward. And until we do that people are going to quiet quit and managers are not going to be able to get the most out of their workforce.”

Employees need to be part of the process on the front side, as leaders and teams first ask, “What we need to get done (and why)” and then together re-imagine the how, when and where work happens best.

I explained, “What we’ve experienced is a crisis-driven suboptimal execution of flexibility,” including remote/hybrid work models, which continue to be a struggle for so many organizations. Some of the problems I outlined included not consistently adopting technology for efficient communication, collaboration and coordination across different workplaces, as well as the fact that most have not figured out what we’re doing when we do come together in person.

The article also included data and perspectives from Dr. Jim Harter, chief scientist of workplace and well-being at Gallup; Peter Capelli, professor of management at the Wharton School; and Sarah Robb O’Hagan, CEO of corporate well-being consultancy Exos and a former Fortune 50 C-suite executive.

Read the full article here.

Clash of Context

Why can’t employers and employees seem to agree on how, when, and where work will get done most effectively going forward?

The illustration below tells the story.

 

This conflict is often portrayed as a “power” battle between employer and employee. However, that would require a level of awareness about the position you are choosing to hold in opposition to another.

This is more of a gap in understanding caused by circumstances — i.e., “context”:

On one side of the clash are many leaders who still genuinely believe, even after three years of working very differently, that work and performance happen best in the traditional, place-based work model. There may be some degree of flexibility AROUND it, but the traditional “9-to-5, in the office, M-F” model remains the central organizing core. That’s their default context.

On the other side of the clash are employees who genuinely believe they can work effectively OUTSIDE of the traditional work model, even though the flexible way they worked for three years was crisis-driven and not executed with thoughtful, coordinated intention, perhaps causing priorities like talent development and culture to suffer. But that’s their default context.

Leaders and employees need to be willing to move beyond their respective contexts.

Leaders have to acknowledge we aren’t going “back,” BUT also employees have to recognize that their pandemic-driven flexibility likely needs to be optimized to meet the needs of the business AND people.

Co-create a NEW context.

Take the best of what we learned over the past three years.

Recapture the best of what the traditional, place-based work model had to offer.

Then, together, define and experiment with how high performance and well-being will happen working flexibly going forward, recognizing one-size-will-NOT-fit-all.

Is this clash of contexts playing out in your organization?  Hit “REPLY” and share what you are seeing, because now that I’ve recognized it, I see it happening everywhere.

Please check out my LinkedIn and Instagram feeds and, if you haven’t done so already, check out our Work Flexibility Assessment.

 

Alternative Approach to RTO Mandates | Open Office Hours TOMORROW!

Looking forward to my first Open Office Hours in 2023! Join me tomorrow, Friday, 2/24 from, 12 to 12:30 pm EST.  Click the blue-button above for the Zoom link.

Open Office Hours are an informal opportunity for newsletter subscribers to ask questions, share insights, or just say “hi.”  If you are more comfortable sending questions in advance, please forward them to Alison Batten at alison@flexstrategygroup.com.  See you tomorrow!

Now to the most recent round of RTO mandates receiving headline-grabbing employee push back. What’s going on?  Why is it happening?  Is there a better way? Yes, there is.

What’s going on?

Two weeks ago, 2,300 employees signed a petition challenging Disney’s mandate to be in the office four days a week starting in March.  This week, 14,000 employees joined a Slack channel pushing back on Amazon’s mandate to be in the office at least three days a week.

And those are just the employees willing to publicly state dissatisfaction. There are likely more silent objectors behind them.

Why is it happening? 

Bottomline: After three years, we are emerging from a historic disruption of the traditional place-based operating model. Leaders, managers and employees need to get on the same page about work and performance–where it happens, when it happens or how it happens. Right now, they are not.

Previous one-size-fits-all, policy mandates haven’t resulted in meaningful, coordinated in person interaction.

Why? There usually wasn’t an execution process behind the policy rollout to help operating units answer the questions:

  1. What will we do on the days we are together and on the days we aren’t,
  2. When are we doing it, and
  3. Why?
The coordination and planning were just supposed to happen. Sometimes it did, but often it didn’t.

That is not sustainable. At the same time, doubling down on RTO mandates that incite employee resistance is not the answer either.

Is there a better way? Yes, there is, but it takes more effort. Right now, that’s what both sides are resisting. 

The goal should be to define, experiment with and optimize flexibility that works for the business and people.

To do that, we have to stop leading with WHERE, or days remote or in the office. Instead, start with WHAT, or “what do we need to do?”

For example, in the case of Disney, the “what” seems to be the need to be “creative—connect, observe,” and “grow professionally.” THEN with those strategic priorities front and center, teams would determine how, when and where the activities that support creativity and growth happen most effectively, including with more in-person interaction.

Guided by a consistent process, my experience is Disney’s creative teams would decide what they will prioritize doing when they are in person on average “x” number of days and what they will prioritize doing when they are not together. They may determine the optimal number of days in person could be four, perhaps three or even two.

The point is that THEY, the people closest to the work, have decided how, when and where that creativity and growth happens best making it more likely to actually happen.

It can seem much more efficient and fair to say, “come in three or four days a week.” But back-to-office mandates short circuit what can be a powerful and engaging next-level work optimization process. It’s a missed opportunity for the business and workers.

Finally, people will continue to value flexibility as much or sometimes more than salary. And, ultimately, we will likely land somewhere between 2-3 days onsite for those jobs that support some level of remote work.

What if we skip the “mandate phase” of this evolution toward the inevitable? Instead, agree to work together and reimagine how, when and where work will happen next.

It may seem like it takes longer and requires more effort, but it gets you farther faster.

One place to begin is by defining “flexibility?” In our thought-starter for the week, we shared our definition. What’s yours?

HPF 2023 Update — Open Office Hours, Videos and Thought Starters!

Dear Friends,

It’s been a month since we launched HPF 2023. The goal is to close the massive gap between the 87% of leaders who say finding the right workplace model is important and the 24% who feel they’re very ready to do it.

So what have we done?

In addition to the Work Flexibility Assessment to help organizations identify what’s working and what isn’t, we are:

Hosting our first OPEN OFFICE HOURS — Join me LIVE on Friday, February 24 from 12:00 pm to 12:30 pm EST.  I will be available to answer your questions or share insights. Click the button below for the Zoom link.
You can also submit your questions in advance to Alison Batten at alison@flexstrategygroup.com.

High Performance Flexibility Open Office Hours!
We have:

Proposed that we ask a NEW question in 2023 instead of “how many days on site and how many days remote?” in this Flexibility Friday video. (above)

Encouraged first reimagining work in this thought starter (below), because I’m seeing too many work “redesigns” that are just trying to add more remote work around the edges of the traditional, pre-COVID, place-based work model with limited success.

Those efforts may address “where” work is done, but it puts the primary emphasis on the office without clarifying what’s happening there. And it ignores “how” (technology) and “when” (time), which are key considerations when optimizing flexibility.

Asked if when we say “in the office,” are we really talking about “in-person interactions?” There’s a difference as I noted on my recent trip to visit a client in Boston.
And, finally, offered the reminder that what we’ve experienced since March 2020 is NOT well-planned, intentional work flexibility. That’s what’s next.
Be sure to check out my LinkedIn and Instagram feeds each week to comment on future thought starters and videos.  If you haven’t done so already, check out the Work Flexibility Assessment and join me for the Open Office Hours on February 24th!

“How do you DO it?” High Performance Flexibility 2023

How does an organization execute and optimize a flexible operating model that works for the business and for people?

How do teams and individuals perform at high levels working across places, spaces and time, with coordinated intention?

How do people leverage the flexibility available to them to fit their work and life together to be their best on and off the job?

These are questions we, at the Flex+Strategy Group, help our clients answer every day. Yet according to a recent Deloitte survey of 10,000 leaders, including 1,500 C-Suite leaders and Directors, most organizations still don’t know how to implement a flexible work model:

“…boundaries that have traditionally governed the rules of work — the way jobs are organized, where work happens, and who qualifies for specific roles — are falling away. However, while many understand the need for new fundamentals in today’s world of work — 87% say finding the right workplace model is important to their organization’s success — only 24% feel their organizations are very ready to address this trend.”

Good news: The findings indicate we may have finally turned the corner on the leadership belief that we will be going back to the way we worked before the pandemic.

Not so good news: There is a crazy-wide 63% gap between leaders “knowing” they need to find the right workplace model and feeling very ready to “do” it.

Our goal for you in 2023 is to close that massive “knowing-doing” gap in your organization.

Each week we’ll share tips on the mindset, skills, and processes that help organizations execute and optimize high performance flexibility, or “HPF,” as it is often referred to by our clients.

Look for the following from us:

Mindset Mondays: I’ll share on LinkedIn and Instagram a thought-starter to consider as you approach the reimagining of how, when and where work is done.

Now & Next of Work Newsletter: In our weekly newsletter, we’ll continue to provide commentary on real-time work trends. And, we’ll provide insights into the challenges and key issues that can emerge as you pursue HPF, including:

  • Why leading with “what” (the work) is more effective than leading with “where” (how many days onsite and how many days remote).
  • What to do if you’re struggling with compliance for mandatory in-office days.
  • How to maintain fairness when one-size doesn’t fit all.
  • How to offer inclusive flexibility regardless of where someone works (or if they have a desk or not 😉).
  • What to measure to gauge success.

Those are just a few of the topics. What else interests you or keeps you up at night?  Share your thoughts. I love hearing from you. Email me at cali@flexstrategygroup.com and we will add them to the queue.

Flexibility Friday Videos: Periodically, I’ll share a short video with real-time thoughts on what I’m seeing from the front lines as we execute strategic work flexibility.

Quarterly Office Hours: For subscribers who receive this newsletter each week in their inbox, join me quarterly for live office hours starting Friday, February 24 from 12:30 to 1 pm EST.  We’ll prompt you for questions two weeks prior.

Let’s partner to close the “knowing-doing” gap in 2023.

Let’s take the best of what worked during and before the pandemic and re-define how, when and where your organization will operate next.

The Next Wave of Business Travel

While economic considerations have eclipsed pandemic concerns, new data from the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) finds business travel is on the rise. Over three-fourths of travel managers surveyed for GBTA’s latest industry poll expect the number of business trips taken by employees at their company will be higher or much higher in 2023 versus 2022.

But, as I discussed with Tariro Mzezewa for her recent Conde Nast Traveler story, “Both employers and employees need to understand that business travel today is not like it was before the pandemic—and there is no going back.

“A lot of things can be done perhaps remotely still, but there are certain things that we do enjoy and that have more impact when we’re together, so we have to remember that there’s a purpose now to why you’re on the road, but we also have to accept that travel is different.”

Like all things work-related, it starts with the what – what do we need to get done and how, when and where we do it best. And that includes deciding when and why to travel for business.

“There’s going to be a transition period and it’s just going to be weird the first couple of times you do it and it’s important that we let each other be in the weird. Recognizing some of the less positive aspects of all this right now and doing what you can as an employer to help support that transition, recognizing there’s good stuff that’s going to come from this, but there are some real things that need to be facilitated and supported as we transition through to what’s going to be next.”

Currently, those surveyed by GBTA don’t expect flexible work to significantly change business travel plans. Nearly 90% of respondents are offering some form of hybrid/remote work. But among them, 72% do not expect that flexibility will impact the number of business trips taken by their employees. And, while 14% expect it will lead to more business travel, an identical percent expect it will lead to less.  We will see.

In the meantime, have you traveled for business recently?  If yes, what was it like?  For me, travel is starting to pick up again, and I do love it.  But there is a definite purpose to it and more time, on either end, to allow for airline delays or cancellations. I continue to adapt and ease my way back in, enjoying what’s familiar and letting go of what’s less than optimal.

“What keeps you up at night?” My interview on UC Berkeley Extension’s The Future of Work podcast

“What keeps you up at night?”  That’s one of the thought-provoking questions the host of UC Berkeley Extension’s The Future of Work podcast, Jill Finlayson, asked during my recent appearance. Finlayson is also the Director of EDGE (Expanding Diversity and Gender Equity) in Tech Initiative at UC, and the monthly podcast she hosts focuses on the changing evolution of the workforce and the skills needed to stay competitive.

In this episode, The Humanizing of Flexible Work, we discuss the costs and benefits of flexibility, the impacts as more employees work a hybrid schedule, and who might get left behind or forgotten.

But we started our conversation with a question I’ve never been asked before: what keeps me up at night?

First, I am constantly thinking about how can I share with organizations, leaders, and individual employees what I’ve learned over nearly three decades actually transforming work so they don’t feel so overwhelmed. There is a proven path. How can I help them be as excited as I am about the possibilities of a well-executed flexible work strategy? I’ve seen the results and benefits that I call “the spark.”

Second, I still don’t think leaders truly understand that we’re not going back to the old ways of working. Without senior leader buy-in and sponsorship, a broad flexible reimagining of work is much more difficult.

And third, we are still too hyper-focused on where we work. Instead of leading with the work – purpose, values, and also job tasks – and THEN, determining together not just where, but how and when that work is done best.

It’s not that where doesn’t matter. It’s just not the most effective place to start. For example, what leads to a better outcome–setting “anchor days” and then figuring out what you’re going to do on those days onsite together, or looking first at what you need to do and then deciding if anchor days make sense and, if they do, what would the best anchor day or days be?

Yes, change is scary.  But I’ve seen what happens when work is the focal point. You start to ask “How can we do this better?  How can we do this more effectively?” That’s innovation in action.

Take the best of how we worked during the pandemic, and add back what was missing. That’s how you move forward to the best of what’s next and unlock new levels of performance and well-being.

But it requires a consistent process to guide that decision-making and a new set of skills for both leaders and employees. It also requires us to expand beyond hybrid and remote work, which are just two possible ways to work flexibly, and exclude nearly half of the workforce that needs to be onsite for their jobs. To fully seize the beneficial outcomes of high performance flexibility, organizations need to consider the full continuum of how, when, and where work can be done across the entire talent base.

We discuss this and much more, including my look ahead at how, when, and where I believe we’ll be working 10 to 25 years from now. Listen to the full episode.

Moving Past the Office Occupancy Scorecard

While there may have been a Labor Day bump in return to office occupancy, rates have remained steady, and a variety of data indicate “where” we work patterns appear to be stabilizing somewhat. Hopefully, we can now move beyond RTO/hybrid limbo and start to answer these important questions:

  • How are team-based decisions about “where” people will work best being made?
  • Is the work (what we need to do) or the where/location leading these decisions?
  • Do these decisions reflect the core values of the organization? (Read last week’s newsletter on why this matters.)
  • When (hours) are employees working?
  • How are they using technology to enable efficient communication, coordination and collaboration while working flexibly?
  • And, have processes, such as meetings, scheduling and onboarding, been reimagined and updated to support, or be supported by, new work patterns?
  • Do managers and teams have the skills and tools needed to flexibly work with strategic, coordinated intention?
  • Do individuals have the skills and tools they need to flexibly fit their work and life together in a way that considers their needs and the needs of the business?

“The office” is a location. It’s ONE enabler of work, and will continue to play an important, albeit reimagined, role, but it’s not the work itself.

 

Optimizing flexibility to achieve high levels of performance and well-being requires three stages that leaders, managers, and employees need to be trained to execute:

Stage 1 – Define: Use of a CONSISTENT PROCESS (not a policy) to define the unique “how, when, and where” guardrails within which the organization as a whole and individual teams will operate based on the work that needs to get done.

Stage 2 – Operate: Actively plan and coordinate the work, day-to-day, within those flexible operating guardrails.

Stage 3 – Review and Recalibrate: Evolve the guardrails and flexible way of operating as realities and needs change. Because flexibility is never “done.” It’s a continuous loop of improvement and innovation.

More on the role of the office and occupancy rates

Just as work has as fundamentally changed since the start of the pandemic, so has the role of the office. This was a topic I explored with Ryan Anderson, VP Global Research and Insights at MillerKnoll on a recent “Looking Forward” podcast episode (link includes audio and transcript links). Give it a listen or a read if you haven’t yet.

Understandably so, there’s a lot of interest in office occupancy data. But we must remember, pre-pandemic office occupancy was not 100%. Check out my twitter feed for this interesting exchange as Nick Bloom and I try to understand the 100% occupancy on the ‘Y” axis of the often-cited Kastle occupancy barometer:

Our Flex+Strategy Group research found that as far back as nearly a decade ago, one-third of full-time U.S. employees did most of their work from a remote location other than their employers’ office. This aligns with average pre-COVID occupancy rates that ranged between 60%-70% (we have confirmed this pre-pandemic rate with reputable commercial real estate sources).

While occupancy data is important and helpful, if organizations continue to look to it as a scorecard of who’s winning and losing the RTO tug of war, they’ll remain stuck where they are – trying to force an outdated work style that was disappearing even before the pandemic and is no longer valued or understood by most employees.

Hopefully, now that there’s more clarity about the “where” we work, we can focus on:

  • What it will take to work (and live) across workplaces, space AND time successfully and flexibly, and
  • How to make it a win for the business and employees?

The good news is there is answer, and it lies beyond “where.”

In the Boardroom and Why Values are Foundational to High Performance Flexibility

Produced by BDO’s Center for Corporate Governance, BDO in the Boardroom is a podcast for board of directors and those charged with governance. I joined Amy Rojik, Managing Partner, Corporate Governance, on a recent episode to address whether today’s directors truly comprehend the new reality of work and how it’s fundamentally changed.

We discussed why the successful execution of high performance flexibility requires full C-suite participation, organization-wide training, and a willingness to experiment. I shared how the boards and leadership teams that have instilled a strong set of core values and a culture of innovation have more success evolving and optimizing the flexible way their organization operates. 
 
When organizations align their work with their values and live those values, they’re leading with what they need to do. They lead with the work first and in service of the work, then they determine how, when, and where they do that best. Using your office building is not a value, but it can certainly enable connection and culture – those are values. (Yep — Return to office mandates, I’m talking to you.)
 
Whether it’s supporting colleagues or serving customers or communities, when work and values align, that’s what increases productivity and moves organizations forward.
 
Listen to the full BDO In the Boardroom episode. And for a refresher and further insights into why flexibility matters to corporate boards and governance execs, look to my July 26 newsletter on the topic.
 
A bit about my relationship with BDO. The professional services firm is a long-term Flex+Strategy Group client. High performance flexibility serves as a critical business driver for the firm, which continues to take its flexible work strategy to the next level as an integral part of its culture and operations.  
 
“Together, We Thrive” was the theme of their recent partner meeting where I gave a keynote that included stories and insights from the three partners — Meredith Pilaro, Ayoub Sunna, and Daniel Kramer — who champion the national effort. (That’s us illuminated by the backstage lights after we presented.)

The keynote served as a force multiplier kick-off. The goal was to ensure the firm’s 800 partners are poised to lead from a shared understanding and consistent approach as they continue to optimize how, when, and where their offices and teams are working to meet emerging employee and client needs.

This leveling-up execution includes the launch of a new Flex Success training series to provide professionals at all levels the skills and tools to partner with each other to define and execute the flexibility that will work for the unique needs of the firm and its employees. 
 
What is your organization doing to involve, engage and prepare every level for flex success and how can we help? Let me know.

Building Community in a Flexible, Dynamic Organization

I recently appeared on CareerCast, a University of Chicago Booth School of Business podcast. Host Anita Brick, Director, Career Advancement Programs, and I talked about an important topic: how to build community in a flexible, dynamic organization.

We talked about the five steps an organization can follow, as a community, to answer the foundational question “what do we need to do, and how, when and where do we do it best?” together:

Step 1: Start with full C-suite alignment around the organizational why and their need to champion flexibility because the CHRO can only do so much. Real flexibility happens in the business, in the way we work every day.

Step 2: Lead with “what,” not “where.” Bring teams together to answer “what do we need to do?” The answer will vary based on the team’s unique work realities, but the process of coming up with the answer together is a powerful community-building exercise that aligns understanding, attitudes, interests, and goals.

Important note–defining the what is not just a list of job tasks. It’s also about elevated, higher-order considerations like strategic priorities, purpose and the culture you want to build.

Step 3: THEN, answer “where, when and how do we do our work best?”  Where and when are important but also focus on “how” the work gets done: How do our core work processes (e.g. approvals, meeting planning, training, onboarding, etc.) need to adapt? How do we use technology?

Step 4: Train and introduce managers, teams and individual employees to the skills they need to play their respective, and collective, roles in flexible work success.

Step 5: Continue to experiment with and recalibrate the flexible way your team operates as realities change…which they will!


Sadly, I see very few organizations go through all five steps. Most are stuck at the where with a narrow focus on hybrid work, which is just one aspect of flexibility and leaves out about 45% to 60% of the workforce whose jobs require them to be on-site. Everyone must be part of the flexibility conversation for it to work and for the sense of community to happen.

We also talked about:

  • Leading teams – leading communities in flexible organizations will require managers to be more thoughtful and intentional about how they communicate and develop employees regardless of where they’re working and whether they’re in person, or not.
  • Managers need to be clear about how they measure performance, how they set priorities and make sure they’re comfortable communicating and collaborating across technology platforms. These are skills that need practice.
  • A few client examples of how managers connect with their teams regardless of location and how clients intentionally create community-building experiences when bringing employees together onsite, and
  • Considerations to ponder before leaving your current job to seek better flexibility elsewhere. And, if you decide to do so, questions to ask to gauge a prospective employer’s flexibility commitment, and maturity.

And so much more!

What are some of the ways you are building community in your organization across workplaces, spaces and time? I’d love to hear what you are doing and seeing!

Listen to the full episode.