“One of the secret benefits of using remote workers is that the work itself becomes the yardstick to judge someone’s performance.” – Jason Fried
Hybrid working is here to stay, and businesses need to appreciate the diversities in their teams to promote a culture of collaboration and inclusivity. The leadership team needs to handle the new normal sensitively to mitigate any risks arising out of unconscious bias that could result in social imbalance and glaring inequalities in the workplace. Let’s look at some of the ways by which organizations can remediate this transition smoothly without distorting the employee morale and workplace equilibrium.
Large part of the workforce has gone through a turbulent phase due to COVID-19 pandemic and they have gone through multiple bouts of emotional and psychological stress. The management team listens to fears and anxieties of their employees so that they can address their pain points in the best possible manner. Giving advance information about the date of return to office would provide sufficient time for the employees to have a proper plan for returning to work. It would also help them respond to their personal obligations adequately and be willing to take up the responsibilities at work. The HR personnel need to align with the safety recommendations and ensure that staff who need to be relocated are provided proper accommodation as per the existing guidelines.
Due consideration needs to be given to employees who face challenges due to physical disabilities and special challenges. Organizations need you to weigh their options and review the pros and cons, before making an open call for re-onboarding all their staff. It requires prudent judgement and effective decision making on part of the leadership team for handling the situation effectively based on their operational requirements. Businesses need to have a risk based approach that would not jeopardize the health and safety of their staff. Any callous decisions made due to negligence and oversight could result in regulatory breach and legal implications.
Leaders need to create a well defined strategic framework for hybrid working that can be institutionalised across the organizations. The objective of this policy is to build a culture of collaborative leadership by empowering people and achieving the business goals. Creating focus groups and generating creative ideas would help in innovation and identifying top talent. Understanding the requirements of the staff and keeping them motivated through regular interactions would help in achieving better team bonding and higher productivity. Allowing flexible routines and work schedules would help in giving people more freedom to operate based on the requirements without compromising on service delivery.
Reinforce racial gender equality to ensure that all the staff get a free and fair share of their opportunities for career progression and development. Schedule meetings during core hours to invoke participation from all staff and pay undivided attention to all the team members involved. Meetings need to be carefully scheduled so that all the team members who support different time zones can participate actively without being left out. Demonstrate an empathetic understanding of the staff requirements and accept diversities within the team.
Conclusion
We at Newlineinfo Corp are people oriented and always willing to go the extra mile to help our staff during difficult times. We treat people fairly and provide equal opportunities to everyone in the team and ensure distributional equity for their growth and development.
