May 12, 2022

Getting Hybrid Work Right: Hybrid Work Potpourri - 5/12

The Getting Hybrid Work Right call series has become a well-attended and wide-ranging discussion for HR leaders on all aspects of hybrid work. On this week's call, Senior Research Analyst Tom Stone facilitated a conversation on a range hybrid work related topics. Here are some highlights from the call:

  • Stone reviewed some of the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), including overall employment data but also the latest JOLTS (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey). The quit rate fell in the US during 2020 due to job insecurity regarding the pandemic, then surged in 2021 in part due to delayed quits that would have otherwise occurred the year before. But at this point, the data is indicating that the quit rate is continuing at record high levels, and beyond what a reversal of 2020 can explain. A lot of hiring is also happening, but job openings and the job opening rate are at record levels. The BLS website is a useful resource for getting historical data in these areas, dating back to the year 2000.
  • Given this very competitive talent market, i4cp recently asked in a survey what elements of EVP (Employee Value Proposition) are most important for your organization to offer in the coming year? Survey participants could choose up to three elements, and the clear top response was flexibility in work arrangements (where, when, and how employees work). Participants on the call agreed this was a significant factor, and mentioned additional elements that echoed the survey's results, including:
    • Having a revamped and strong onboarding process
    • A continued emphasis on employee well-being
    • A strong or renewed culture
    • Surveying employees regularly, really listening to them, and then taking action
    • Ongoing development opportunities
  • Several call participants emphasized that because there are now so many critical elements to the employee value proposition, the details can sometimes get lost. So their organizations have made an effort to package together information across all the elements to make clear to employees and candidates all of the ways the organization is supporting them.
  • Stone shared a couple of recent news items, including one from Fortune about how Salesforce is now indicating time zones rather than specific city locations on their job postings. Focusing on time zones helps to maximize collaboration and teamwork even while allowing for a significant degree of remote work.
  • The other was a recent press release from AirBnB that outlined their approach to remote and hybrid work, which in summary is:
    • You can work from home or the office—whatever works best for you.
    • You can move anywhere in the country, like from San Francisco to Nashville, and your compensation won't change.
    • You have the flexibility to live and work in 170 countries for up to 90 days a year in each location.
    • We'll meet up regularly for team gatherings. Most employees will connect in person every quarter for about a week at a time (some more frequently).
    • To pull this off, we'll operate off of a multi-year roadmap with two major product releases a year, which will keep us working in a highly coordinated way.
  • Several call participants shared how they, like AirBnB, are intentionally designing in-person events and meetings in a way to maximize the unique value such events can provide. One mentioned holding periodic "culture days," another "collaboration days," and another described how they've created a toolkit for managers to help them brainstorm when and how to conduct meaningful on-site gatherings for otherwise remote or mostly-remote teams.
  • Pivoting to some of the tensions that are or might soon be arising with hybrid and flexible work arrangements, we asked call participants the following poll question: "Which of the following describe tensions that you are seeing arise around flexible or hybrid work? (Select all that apply)"
    • 51% - Rigid hybrid models (3x2, 2x3, 4x1, etc.) vs. true flexibility
    • 20% - Employees vs. managers
    • 45% - Employees + managers vs. senior leaders
    • 29% - “Laptop workers” vs. must-be-on-site workers
    • 6% - Other
    • 11% - All good… we aren’t experiencing any significant tensions so far
  • Regarding the issue of hybrid/remote workers vs. must-be-on-site workers, one call participant noted that they've created a working group to come up with ways to help the latter group of employees with more flexible work hours. Another participant noted that fairness is not sameness, so offer more flex with shift options, and as much customization as possible. Some organizations are using mobile phone apps to allow employees to self-schedule or re-schedule, lessening the involvement of the manager in the process.
  • Also, as noted above, there are many important elements to the overall employee value proposition, so for on-site workers extra attention to areas aside from flexibility can go a long way (e.g., more time off, same-day pay, day care support, wellness support, etc.)
  • Stone noted a recent i4cp case study of Zillow's approach to being a remote-first organization. One key element has been the creation of a new role, the senior manager of flexible work, and the hiring of a  team of five dedicated to the successful implementation of flexible work.
  • We asked the following poll question of call participants: "What is your organization doing to formalize a role or group to lead flexible and hybrid work practices and policies?"
    • 12% - We have created a new leadership position dedicated to flexible / hybrid work.
    • 1% - We are considering creating a new leadership position dedicated to flexible / hybrid work.
    • 28% - We have or soon will have a council or committee that is leading our approach.
    • 34% - We do not plan to formalize a role or council/committee for this.
    • 21% - Not sure
    • 5% - Other
  • Several call participants shared specifics about the new roles that have been created, or who is included in the committees or councils:
    • "We just created a Director of Listening and Future of Work. Reports into HR Talent Learning & Insights."
    • "We have created a position within the HR department (reports to HR director) but we are still recruiting, haven't filled the position yet"
    • "Future of Work team includes HR, IT, Legal, Safety, Facilities, Finance - and is led by Director of Org. Dev. & Culture"
    • "We have created a role that reports into the Sr. Director Wellbeing in HR. The role is Director level."
    • "Our CHRO assembled a group of leaders from across the business (all departments represented) to work on the implementation of hybrid work at our corporate office. The group is meeting just during launch.  We have a second group (includes HR leaders, Legal, EEO, Talent Leader) working on accommodation requests."
    • "We have a Future of Work committee, members are HR leaders including: VP People and Culture, Director Employee Experience, Dir. HR ops, and  HR leaders from the different  divisions."
    • "Manager role with three team members located in HR. Team name is Enterprise People Strategies."
  • The last topic discussed was how are organizations measuring, or planning to measure, success with their approach to hybrid work? What kind of yellow or red flags would lead an organization to consider making changes in the approach taken? Some metrics that participants raised on the call and that i4cp has seen recently include:
    • Retention and attrition trends
    • Applicant and new hire data trends
    • Productivity measures
    • Employee engagement survey and pulse data
    • Manager survey and pulse data
  • One participant noted that "With flex type now on employee personal file, we will be able to look at trends/differences for flex, remote, on-site when it comes to EE Experience Survey, exits, etc. - and identify where we want to dig in and learn more."

Links to i4cp resources shared on the call: