Make Hybrid Your Competitive Advantage
Here is an excellent article by Jason Jones and Paul Springer with Cresa. This article is published on www.siteselection.com from their workforce 2022 guide. Some highlights:
- According to EY’s Future Workplace Index released October 25, 60% of companies have not formalized their hybrid work strategy yet. “Though hybrid work is here to stay, the C-suite isn’t creating the policies necessary for long-term hybrid workplace success,” says EY Global Real Estate Leader Mark Grinis.
- Stop asking, “How do we get people back to the office?” and “How do we prevent losing people?” While these are valid concerns, they put you on the defensive and distract from your efforts to build the culture, onboarding, mentoring and training programs necessary for a successful hybrid work model.
- Seize the moment and make your hybrid work model a competitive advantage. Your employees — and business — will thank you.
- To ensure a successful hybrid work model, you need to align every department in your organization to support this initiative. Stakeholders from Human Resources, Information Technology, Security, Operations, Finance and Real Estate must collaborate to deliver the policies and tools necessary to support employees working both from home and in the office.
- Change starts at the top. Any organization undergoing a transformation needs to empower managers to lead the change. First, you must thoughtfully communicate the organization’s intent to support a hybrid work model, explaining its advantages and how it will affect leadership.
If you have questions about this article or would like to start a conversation on how to make your companies hybrid policy a competitive advantage, call me directly at 301-841-6542 or go to www.tenant-broker.com.
Make your hybrid policy a competitive
advantage.
Jason Jones (left), Managing Principal and
Paul Springer (right), Senior Vice President lead Hybrid Workforce Services at
Cresa, a commercial real estate company that exclusively represents tenants and
occupiers.
As companies confront the greatest workplace transformation
of our time, too many organizational leaders are slow to embrace the hybrid
work model — and they hesitate at their own peril. The pandemic has
provided companies a rare opportunity to rethink the way they work, and time is
of the essence. An unwillingness to evolve today may hinder your ability
to secure the right talent and clients in the future.
According to EY’s Future Workplace Index released October
25, 60% of companies have not formalized their hybrid work strategy yet.
“Though hybrid work is here to stay, the C-suite isn’t creating the policies
necessary for long-term hybrid workplace success,” says EY Global Real Estate
Leader Mark Grinis.
However, not all hybrid work models are created equal, and
you must be intentional about how you communicate and implement organizational
change. Today we’re offering three tips to help you get on the offensive and
create the hybrid work strategy that supports your people — and your business —
in this new era of work.
1. Change your mindset
Stop asking, “How do we get people back to the office?” and
“How do we prevent losing people?” While these are valid concerns, they put you
on the defensive and distract from your efforts to build the culture,
onboarding, mentoring and training programs necessary for a successful hybrid
work model. Instead, look to leverage the advantages of hybrid work and the
opportunity it offers to harness a key element of human nature — the innate
human desire for freedom.
Employees feel a spirit of freedom when they get to choose
where and when they accomplish goals.
Employees feel a spirit of freedom when they get to choose
where and when they accomplish goals. And they feel liberated while
blending their personal and work lives on their own terms. This powerful emotion
enhances employee engagement, which improves customer service, reduces customer
churn, increases productivity and creates better financial performance.
Ultimately, the organization is better able to accomplish its mission.
This is an opportunity for savvy employers to get ahead of
the curve, combining everything they learned about remote work during the
pandemic with the time-proven benefits of a collaborative workspace. Seize the
moment and make your hybrid work model a competitive advantage. Your employees
— and business — will thank you.
2. Be sequential to be successful
Okay, you’re convinced — you’re ready to embrace a hybrid
work model. Though it’s natural to start contemplating your new office layout,
it’s your organizational infrastructure that needs attention first.
To ensure a successful hybrid work model, you need to align
every department in your organization to support this initiative. Stakeholders
from Human Resources, Information Technology, Security, Operations, Finance and
Real Estate must collaborate to deliver the policies and tools necessary to
support employees working both from home and in the office. Outlined below are
three ways Human Resources can drive the development of your hybrid policy:
Onboarding — Recruiting and retaining top talent begins
with a compelling description of your company’s culture and values. Job
postings should highlight your hybrid work policy and communicate the degree of
flexibility offered for that specific role. Showcasing your hybrid work policy
makes you more attractive to prospective talent while setting the appropriate
expectations for the candidate. Once hired, it’s equally important to reinforce
expectations for hybrid work flexibility and provide training on tools that
support them when working remotely. This will reduce their “time to
impact/productivity” and promote seamless assimilation into your company
culture.
Mentoring — Progressive companies understand the
benefits of mentorship and should leverage software such as MentorcliQ and
PUSHfar to facilitate valuable 1:1 coaching in a hybrid environment.
Highlighting these capabilities during the interview process will make your
organization more attractive to emerging leaders. Investing in your talent is
critical to the long-term success of your organization and it should continue
to be a priority no matter where your employees work.
Training — Even long-time managers will need help
building the skills necessary to cultivate camaraderie with a team of hybrid
employees who are in the office one day and working remote the next. It is
imperative that all meetings be inclusive of digital participants and that
managers avoid bias toward employees whose preferred work styles align with
their own. Reinforcing cultural norms and providing skills-based training are
critical to ensure all employees are seen, heard and feel included.
3. Focus on leadership
Change starts at the top. Any organization undergoing a
transformation needs to empower managers to lead the change. First, you must thoughtfully
communicate the organization’s intent to support a hybrid work model,
explaining its advantages and how it will affect leadership.
Next, you should include leadership in the development of
relevant policies and the redesign of your workplace, as appropriate. By making
managers part of the process, you secure their buy-in, ignite their creativity
and minimize the uncertainty that so often undermines an organization’s
attempts to innovate.
Stop playing defense. The pandemic has presented an opportunity
to reassess and reinvent the way you work — a chance to craft a workforce
strategy and supporting real estate strategy uniquely suited to your team and
business. Now is the time to change your mindset and go on the offensive. Be
sequential to be successful as you develop your hybrid policy and avoid false
starts by aligning each department in your organization. Empower your leaders
to take the initiative and develop a workforce strategy that gives you a
competitive edge.
End of Article
If you have significant questions about your current real estate strategy, it may be time for a discussion. Once we have started our conversation, we can create a strategy to look at your business operations and current space and then craft up a plan to find something that is a great fit in the area. With the current vacancies and inventory, we will work with you to get the best deal. We represent tenants ONLY, so you can feel comfortable that we are working for your business 100%. If we can help you by being your tenant broker in the DC, Maryland, or Northern Virginia area, visit my website or call me at 301-841-6542. Make sure to follow all my social efforts by clicking on the links below.
I specialize in providing comprehensive real estate services,
exclusively representing corporate tenants on all commercial real estate needs.
Commercial Tenant Broker
2 Bethesda Metro Center, Suite 900
Bethesda, MD 20814
301-842-6542
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