The "Revenge" of the Office
Plus, Ryan Anderson weighs in on whether hybrid work is the right approach to workplace flexibility
👋 Happy Tuesday! Is Amazon's full return-to-office policy the beginning of a larger trend? While McKinsey has recently contemplated increasing its office presence, Microsoft has stated they’ll hold firm on hybrid work. As CEOs across industries reassess their stance, will flexible work arrangements become a thing of the past?
In this week’s edition:
🥊 The Battle Over Hybrid Work
🙂 Flexibility & Employee Sentiment
💭 Is Hybrid the Right Approach?
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THIS WEEK’S FLEX FOCUS 🔍
Revenge of the Office
Four years post-pandemic, you'd think the remote work battle had reached a peaceful settlement by now. Yet Amazon's recent mandate for a full-time office return, coupled with a recent KPMG survey showing 79% of CEOs want employees back in the office within three years, suggests the fight is far from over.
While some studies, like one on a Fortune 500 company, show proximity increases feedback and code quality, others reveal the benefits of hybrid models. A Stanford study on Trip.com found hybrid workers were as likely to be promoted as in-office staff and more likely to retain their positions.
The outcome will likely depend on a variety of factors, including employee demands, company culture, industry needs, and evolving technology for remote collaboration. As the situation develops, companies must balance business needs with employee preferences to maintain productivity and innovation while attracting and retaining top talent.
FLEX WORK QUICK HITS 💥
Stay ahead of the curve with our curated roundup of the trending flexible work stories making waves right now. Here's what you need to know 👇
Yahoo Finance: A UK study debunks remote work worsens inequality, challenging employer arguments for office returns and revealing economic trade-offs for remote and in-office workers.
Fortune: WholeFoods CEO addresses Amazon's five-day RTO mandate, promising to incentivize rather than enforce attendance and pledging flexibility within the new policy.
Tech.Co: McKinsey & Co is reviewing its remote work approach for North American staff, emphasizing in-person benefits amid a broader corporate debate on post-pandemic work models.
Entrepreneur: Google reaffirms its flexible hybrid work policy with a three-day office requirement, contrasting with Amazon's recent mandate for full-time office return.
STAT OF THE WEEK 📈
Do Office Requirements Impact Employee Sentiment?
In partnership with Boston Consulting Group, we examined approximately 450,000 Glassdoor ratings across 554 public companies to investigate how employee sentiment correlates with workplace flexibility.
On Glassdoor, employees can rate their employer from 1-5 on several dimensions; each finding presented here is statistically significant at a minimum 95% confidence level.
On average, Structured Hybrid and Fully Flexible public companies outperform their Full Time In Office peers on employee sentiment. While a 0.13-0.14 score difference might not seem like a lot, across hundreds of thousands of Glassdoor surveys, it represents a material difference in perspective on employers.
FLEXPERT INSIGHTS 🧠
Was Hybrid the Wrong Approach to Workplace Flexibility?
In a Forbes opinion piece, Ryan Anderson questions the limitations of hybrid work policies and advocates for a more comprehensive approach to workplace flexibility.
Anderson argues that hybrid models are widespread but often fall short of meeting employees' needs. He notes that schedule flexibility is typically more valued than location flexibility.
Instead, Ryan recommends that companies explore a more comprehensive range of options to address these shortcomings. These include empathetic management, employee-controlled schedules, policies to prevent after-hours work, and shifts tailored for working parents.
FLEX PERSPECTIVES 🎙️
ICYMI: The Impact Of Offsite on Async Collaboration | Raj Choudhury
In this throwback Flex Perspectives episode, Rob Sadow is joined by Raj Choudhury, the Lumry Family Associate Professor at Harvard Business School. Raj's groundbreaking research on the "geography of work" has garnered attention from major publications such as Harvard Business Review, NPR, and the New York Times.
Listen in as Rob and Raj discuss:
How hybrid and remote work are addressing longstanding work-related migration challenges.
The benefits of structured group interactions for remote teams, especially among dissimilar team members.
Practical strategies for executives to consider when determining the frequency, timing, location, and purpose of in-person meetings.
Also available on Apple Podcasts.
COMPANY SPOTLIGHT ✨
Bealls, founded in 1915 and headquartered in Bradenton, Florida, is a privately held company rich in tradition, still owned by the founding family. While the corporate policy is Full Time In Office, Bealls offers corporate associates the flexibility of hybrid work schedules, with variations by department. Candidates are encouraged to explore specifics with the hiring manager during the interview process.
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