Hybrid working ... days in and out of the office, is the total counter to a ridiculously named but deadly recent Storm Bert, when staff are set up to work from home or anywhere else and can switch in an instant.
However, while I tend to agree that initially production goes up when employees have either employment option, happier employees, same money, less travelling, why are the larger corporations who were all for their staff working from home, now calling their people back to HQ?
I feel that the initial increase in productivity doesn't last, there's a negative mutual out of site out of mind to some degree, possibly where promotions are concerned also. On those days when attendance in the office is required, opportunistic meetings can now make catching up a problem. Agile management is required at a level we haven't really experienced before, no matter what size the company. Some people are never going to be able to produce unsupervised and very soon they will be able to try from day one of their employment. Good idea? Maybe not!
Friday has now become more of a difficult day to get anything meaningful done, rather than the last hour or so and for our business, this is reflected in the incoming email count, half the other weekday's largely unwanted 200 or so haul but more of a confirmation of the way Friday is going.
The other worrying thing is that I find myself reacting to a perceived dilution of Friday as a working day, borne out of wasted time trying to contact people who may be working from home or not working at all. Countering this early weekend feeling can be a struggle and I see it in other friends and business contacts also. On the plus side I have noticed for older employees, the four-day working week is acting as a staged retirement process. Totally OK with that though one of my friends enjoyed the change so much he now works three days a week. There doesn't seem to be any going back from a shortened working week easily I feel.
I am not at all against hybrid working. Recently I worked in an unfamiliar office first time for a long period and I sadly realised how much I missed the interaction with other people, office banter, a chat in the pub, (I am old school) or politically correct venue at lunch time but didn't miss at all standing on a train to get there.
Offices are also relationship hubs. I met my wife as we worked for the same employer, though that was before she realised her eyes needed ophthalmic attention. Team projects at work and team events or games outside, all help keep staff happy and given the current focus on drink spiking, there is a certain benefit from socialising with people you trust.
If any employers would like to comment good or bad, on their current working practices, we will try and fit them in the Spring 25 issue of New Business magazine due out at the end of February.
Any comments please to editor@newbusiness.co.uk