A friend recently asked me for advice: “The remote option isn’t working, what is the best hybrid formula to get everyone back in the office?”

I suggested starting with two questions: WHY? and HOW?

WHY?
If the goal is “fixing culture,” be honest:
–  Will simply sharing space rebuild it?
–  Could candid conversations strengthen culture without forcing everyone to make the commute?
–  What could great remote culture look like?

If hybrid is the answer, make sure to use in-person time intentionally, not just cubicles and Zoom calls.

HOW?
Flexible work arrangements are a HUGE benefit for most employees. Once you start monkeying around with that benefit, your workforce will get ticked. Guaranteed.

Instead:
– Build trust by inviting employees into the process.
– Let teams co-create solutions to ACTUAL culture challenges.
–  Give everyone a voice in shaping the new workplace. Not everyone can get their way, but being invited into the problem-solving process will build trust from the very beginning.

Top-down decrees rarely solve hybrid challenges, but collaborative processes often do.

So when my friend asked about the best hybrid formula, the answer wasn’t a policy, it was a process to build trust.

hashtag#hybrid hashtag#remoteculture hashtag#RTO hashtag#remoteleadership hashtag#trust hashtag#trustatadistance Berrett-Koehler Publishers