For all the talk about the importance of being agile and flexible, organizational leaders are learning that they did not apply these principles to the hybrid work model. Now that it is here to stay, an erosion of the corporate culture has become evident due to disengaged employees. - BY DAVE DESOUZA

There is an expression about “boiling the frog.” It sounds awful, but the expression refers to the fact that a frog placed in tepid water brought to a boil slowly will not recognize the rising temperature and its impending death. It is used as a metaphor in business to describe leadership’s slow recognition and unwillingness to react to threats. Is the hybrid workforce structure the “frog” causing the organizational culture to erode to one that is undesirable, because leaders have failed to adapt? An effective workplace culture supports employee engagement, diversity and inclusion, employee voice, and employee recognition, and all are based on core values of trust, empathy, and respect. Without exemplary leadership able to keep employees connected to the culture, the organizational culture is at risk. In many cases, organizational leaders have not responded in a way that supports the culture they worked to develop before hybrid work became common during the pandemic. Instead of embracing hybrid as a permanent workforce model, they continue to treat it as a temporary disruption. They fail to see hybrid work as an opportunity to build a culture that better fits the changing needs of the workforce.

TEPID WATERS OF LEADERSHIP

Companies that insisted their employees come back to the office full-time after the pandemic ended were surprised by the resistance they encountered. Some exceptions exist, but the hybrid work model is here to stay. Employees found their voice after adapting their lifestyles to fit the hybrid model, and now they do not want to disrupt their lives again. The challenge managers have to address is that they did not initially pay much attention to supporting the organizational culture, because the hybrid work schedule was not originally intended to be permanent. Now that it is permanent, and companies want to retain workers, leaving leaders to wonder if they already allowed the frog to boil. Did they let the hybrid employees disengage from the onsite workforce, fail to ensure employees working at home retained their voice in the organization, overlook qualified hybrid employees for development and promotion, and let employee-leadership interactions become random rather than routine? Did leaders give hybrid employees the impression that they believed they were taking advantage of the employer, and not working efficiently by allowing personal responsibilities to interfere? Did the CEO try to force employees to return to the office five days a week, creating conflict and giving the impression that employee well-being was unimportant?

These leadership actions are the “tepid water” that boils slowly, killing the organizational culture and leaving many leaders wondering what happened. Alex Cambon, the research director at Gartner’s HR practice and principal author of a 2022 global study, found that only 25% of hybrid or remote knowledge workers felt connected to the organization’s culture. But forcing employees to return to the office has proven difficult and almost impossible in many cases, so some companies have relented. He said, “I find it ironic when leaders say they must bring workers back to the office because of culture. They’re going to get the opposite of what they hope for.” He says culture is evaluated based on employee alignment with the culture and connectedness, meaning employees identify with the culture.

SEEING NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN THE HYBRID EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE

Many employees do not want to return full-time to the office, but this is how the frog is boiled – forcing them to do so, where they return disgruntled or quit. Instead, managers can look at hybrid work as an opportunity. For example, the Department of Labor reported in June 2023 that more women aged 25-54 are working than ever before. In April 2023, the participation rate reached a record high of 77.5%. Companies are getting access to qualified talent that was out of reach before hybrid work was allowed.

To maintain the organization’s culture, empathetic, trusting, and supportive leadership is a top priority in the hybrid workforce. Though these qualities are needed to lead in every workforce model successfully, managers and supervisors must adapt their approach to embrace hybrid workers. Employees want their organizations to prove they care about their well-being, not just productivity and structured attendance. There are various ways to achieve this goal. For example, leaders can create better work experiences by supporting an omni-connected experience that enables employees to have an equitable experience, nurtures cultural norms that prioritize psychological safety, prioritizes purpose, and empowers people to experiment through technology. People should feel better off because they feel a strong sense of belonging and inclusion, experience mental wellness and positive emotions, and feel they make a positive difference.

There are some leadership skills nuances that many managers are still overlooking. For example, Steph Donily is the head of corporate marketing at Zapier. She shifted her focus to results. “Rather than [basing someone’s] value on them sitting in their seat or saying the smart thing in the meeting, you have to manage differently. I have to make sure the team is delivering what they say they are delivering.” The nuance is that managers cannot be concerned if hybrid employees working at home decide, during the day, to run to the grocery store or do some housekeeping, as long as they produce the expected work results, including being available for online meetings. The CEO of Corel, Christa Quarles, says she had to change her leadership style by being intentional about creating opportunities and checking in with employees.

EMPHASIZING RESULTS INSTEAD OF LOCATION

At Gartner, Cambon recommends diffusing the culture through work instead of the office. Leaders can begin the shift by ensuring that the work processes support the desired culture. If a firm wants an innovative culture, its leaders cannot be bureaucratic and command-and-control decision-makers. Employees should see that their value comes from their work and role in the organization, not their location. He also recommends increasing employee connectedness by developing emotional proximity, instead of relying on physical proximity. Cambon describes emotional proximity as “feeling seen” and feeling important to others. Leaders support emotional proximity by helping hybrid employees understand both how their work connects to the company’s mission, and the value their work brings to the organization. Today’s leaders need empathy.

Managers who spend more time worrying about whether hybrid workers are at their desks during precise hours rather than their work results will see an erosion of organizational culture. Of course, some employees, like customer service representatives working from home, must be available. But when there are no calls, does it matter if the employee decides to do some chores? This is a bit of an extreme example, but a real-world situation. At the grocery store, an employee was shopping, holding her phone and answering and directing work calls with great skill. Should her manager care, as long as there is no background noise the customer can hear and she gets excellent customer reviews? Leaders of the hybrid workforce must re-evaluate their focus and place more emphasis on results, by supporting employees emotionally, and through new communication strategies while leading with empathy. It is how trust is built and strengthened.