Hybrid working: shifting to the new normal

Our online event began with insight from Dr Liz Campbell, sector lead for Consumer Products and Retail at EY Lane4, which recently published Hybrid working: shifting to the new normal, a white paper containing practical ‘how to’ advice on hybrid working. One illuminating research finding from the paper is that people are connecting more within teams but there’s less connection between teams, which could have a negative impact on culture, creativity and broader understanding of what’s happening in the business.

To overcome disruption, Liz advises, organisations must develop healthy hybrid habits, including levelling the playing field for everyone, given that there can be advantages in both working from home and being in the office.

“It is a case of how do you create a situation where you’re in the right environment to be able to do the work?” says Liz.

“But it’s also important to explore it in a way that gets a win-win-win because this isn’t just about an individual and their own personal choices, this is about what is right for the team and what is right for the organisation.”

Leaders must not only be able to lead in a hybrid environment but should also be able to help their people develop the right skills for hybrid working. Among the practical tips Liz offers are: let teams of people create their own “hybrid teams charters”; notice the assumptions being made about colleagues who can or cannot take part in hybrid working, and encourage conversations around that; focus on creating a culture of support that allows people to bring their best selves to work.

Andrew Bush, Chief People Officer at leading pub company and brewer Greene King has faced fresh challenges since pubs have been allowed to reopen. Greene King has roughly 40,000 employees, around 38,000 in pubs and 800 in breweries and the supply chain, with the balance of around 1,200 spread across two head offices and the field teams.

“When we think about hybrid working it does only apply to a small percentage of our workforce and there is some discomfort at that,” says Andrew. “What we have noticed over the last couple of months as we have been trading again is that many of our teams in pubs are starting to reset their expectations around flexibility; what hours they are and are not prepared to work. And clearly, to do your role in a pub you need to be there at the time of your shift.”

Nevertheless, Greene King has taken the position that hybrid working for its office teams is “reality” and, with attraction and retention in mind, it must enable people to work in a more agile way.

This led to a new Agile Working policy which comes into effect from September when offices are back to the “new normal”. It sets the expectation that 50% of people’s time, on average, should be in the company of colleagues. Although that can be in Greene King’s pubs and hotels as much as in the office.

Andrew believes the policy is easy to understand, with the move to Agile positioned as “face to face is necessary to sustain, grow and develop the culture”. There has been lots of Comms to distinguish Agile from flexible working, “and we have also made it clear that if you are expecting Agile Working to allow you to do something at 10 o’clock every Wednesday morning, that’s probably not the policy for you. If the business needs you to be in a certain place at a certain time, it’s legitimate for us to ask you to do that.”

Aaron Lamers, Human Resources Director, Northern Europe of General Mills, owner of food and drink brands including Old El Paso, Haagen-Dazs, Green Giant and Yoplait, says that while employees had the right technology to work well virtually, that wasn’t the whole story.

“The more we looked into it and as time went on, we saw an element of decay in people’s ability to navigate, to read the politics, to get things done.” This was especially apparent among newcomers, who represent around 20% of the workforce.

In early summer 2020, General Mills developed a programme called Team Flex, based on engagement survey results showing people are most connected to their team and direct manager. This seeks to find a balance between encouraging managers to give their teams more freedom, i.e. managing by outcomes, while also acknowledging why time in the office matters. “The office is for four Cs – to Connect, Create, Collaborate and Celebrate.”

Other than to say around half your time in the office is about right, there is no guidance from the top. Instead the decision making onus is devolved to team level. “If someone wants to work from the beach five days a week, they put it to the team – which will instantly calibrate that and come to a conclusion,” says Lamers.

Food retailer Iceland employs 30,000 people, of which under 800 are office based. Nevertheless, during the pandemic the Deeside head office team has grown to support the requirements of the shift to online business – to the point where “we don’t all fit” says Iceland’s Human Resources Director Helen Tindle, making an element of home working essential.

Helen refers to the business wanting “the best of both worlds” recognising that work is best performed in a balanced way, to the benefit of the colleague and the business.

The amount of flexibility offered is determined by the nature of the role. However, Iceland does see home working as a “colleague choice” and as such is not investing in it, preferring to spend money on improving the office environment. Colleagues wanted clarity, says Helen. “We have started conversations to allow variation to contract so that people are really clear about what the role requires, where the place of work is and the level of flexibility afforded to them.”

Although operating in different sectors, Greene King, General Mills and Iceland face the common challenge of meeting the expectations of a workforce split between office and frontline/production staff. Countless organisations are wrestling with the same issue right now.

Going forward, there’s a fine line to tread in giving individuals and teams greater autonomy while ensuring the needs of the business are well served. Organisations that succeed in this will be better placed to grow and prosper.