Hybrid working has become the new priority for employers in response to employees' need to telework. Indeed, since the health crisis, teleworkers have taken a liking to this freedom, responsibility and trust.
As a result, managers have been faced with a new, emerging demand from their employees. Combining personal and professional life has become essential. With new management methods, employees have become active players in the company and are more than ever willing to listen.
However, this choice implies major changes and favors the emergence of energy sobriety in companies. Adjusting the supply of offices or buildings seems
to be a colossal challenge for today's companies.
A hybrid, healthy and energy-efficient work environment
Comfort at work is also expressed through the layout of premises and offices. A pleasant working environment means, for example, places to rest and exchange ideas, as well as decoration and plants.
All this contributes to productivity and improved team cohesion. In this sense, Microsoft and Opinion Way's 2021 study states that 37% of employees find their workplace unpleasant, an assertion corroborated by an analysis by real estate specialist JLL, which indicates that 43% of employees no longer consider their company a good place to work, and that 83% would like "more 13 human" offices. Find the JLL barometer on employees' new work preferences here.
This notion seems all the more important with the arrival of hybrid and flex office working. Employees need to be given the opportunity to work in calm, with bubbles, and in collaborative spaces to exchange ideas. Spaces need to be laid out in such a way that each employee finds the space he or she needs. At the same time, companies are taking an interest in the impact of energy consumption, particularly as a result of employees having to travel to and from work.
Take, for example, offices that are unnecessarily heated or lit when they're almost empty. Telecommuting has changed people's minds and encouraged energy savings. This is a real CSR issue, which is supported by employees and encouraged
by the French government. We have a very interesting case in point at Jooxter in terms of reorganization and work environment.
The ECOCERT approach s approach was to pay greater attention to the quality of life at work while moving to a flex office. To support them in this process, they decided to call on Jooxter. We recently interviewed them: "We're finding that spaces are being occupied more efficiently and are fuller than before.
Occupancy is achieved efficiently by employees who are relevant to each other, who occupy offices intelligently. The quality of office life has become essential. We're finding a little more human warmth and conviviality in the offices." - ECOCERT Group. Ecocert & JooxterIn 1 year, this means: 30% less m2 of office space, 100 T of CO2 saved and 9% more employees.
Hybrid working, for the benefit or or at the peril of corporate culture
Communication is essential for human beings. As Aristotle confirms in Nicomachean Ethics: "Man is a sociable being; nature made him to live with his fellows".
Team cohesion is therefore essential, and can sometimes be more difficult to maintain when certain employees are at a distance. Corporate culture is built on a number of levers: informal time, team building and opinion-forming. For example, at Gitlab, one of the first companies to adopt 100% telecommuting, employees regularly organize "breakout calls", i. e.informal meetings with their team to discuss subjects other than their work .
The company also offers to organize virtual cafés with people from the people from the company whom the employee has not not yet met, thanks to the Donut application. Find out more about the company's actions here. Now all you have to do is identify needs, organize a brainstorming session a brainstorming session with your teams to exchange ideas.
The choices are sports activities, afterworks, celebrations, etc. You limit exclusion and feelings of social of social isolation by developing a sense of well-being. After all, according to a 2019 Buffer report, 19% of
employees working remotely report that this is their number one problem.
According to a 2020 Igloo study, almost 60% of teleworkers say they don't have
certain information, because it was communicated in person. What's more, 55% report being excluded from meetings because they are not physically present. I invite you to visit our Jooxter page "News"to keep up to date with our
upcoming webinars dedicated to these topics.
The corporate culture to be developed for telecommuting and hybrid working
Today's employees are no longer just looking for a job, but for a corporate culture that's right for them. They need to feel integrated and fulfilled in their working environment to increase their motivation and
involvement.
In fact, 91% of employees believe there is a correlation between well-being at work and personal happiness (Microsoft and Opinion Way, 2021). You can find
details of the study here. In order to attract new employees, a well-being policy seems more than necessary, since it contributes to the professional fulfillment of employees. Communication, trust and respect are the key success factors of a good HR policy.
The survey also shows that 70% of employees feel that their company
is making significant progress in the area of well-being at work. They expect their organization to be genuinely committed to inclusion, and see this as a
differentiating factor.
Teleworking, minimizing psychosocial risks
It's important to involve employees in this organizational shift. To make them aware of the risks of telecommuting, organize discussion sessions to assess the uncertainties generated by this change.
As part of this dynamic, set up training courses, involve health professionals or provide practical information sheets. For change to be effective, employees must be at the heart of the process, and involved at their level. It is essential to actively listen to their needs, in order to enhance social ties and encourage the integration of new arrivals in particular.
Psychosocial risks can be part and parcel of a teleworking policy. These are real obstacles to employee fulfillment, and so psychological support is sometimes necessary. In parallel, collective surveys or individual assessments are ideal for "taking the temperature" on the employee side via managers, in order to readjust management.
Generally speaking, it's important to allow a certain amount of autonomy and to create a relationship of trust with teleworkers, in order to encourage productivity and creativity.
Making hybrid work sustainable a regulatory framework
Internal company rules or "codes" are essential to keep
employees focused and motivated. This is why management needs to provide a framework for
employees, notably through telecommuting agreements.
In this case, employees are entitled to a certain number of teleworking days and must restrict themselves to them. According to the Malakoff Humanis teleworking barometer of 2022, 82% of employees (who are eligible to telework) want to adopt this way of working, and 63% of managers think it will continue to grow.
Managers are also there to regulate the risk of outbursts. They
need to be trained. Alongside the teleworking charter, the company can offer interactive written guides to good teleworking practices. After all, telecommuting has been a blessing for employees, but some of them are finding it
difficult to find their new bearings at home.
As a result, these little tools can be real helpers for employees. Corporate social networks and internal communications are real vectors for disseminating information and fostering a sense of belonging to the company, even from a distance.
In conclusion, all these actions are directly linked to the well-being of employees wherever they work. Adaptability and flexibility are key adjectives for a viable company in today's world.
The importance of HR and managers in the organization
According to the second survey by the French HRD Association (ANDRH), published in March 2022, more than three out of four HRDs say that "offering hybrid work is important, if not essential" to make the company attractive and retain employees.
93% of those questioned said that this flexible way of working is changing the role of management. Management has to adapt to new working methods. As a result, managers and HR staff need to be involved and inventive. They play a crucial role in motivating employees and creating meaning within the organization. They help limit the risks of employee disengagement or demotivation.
Agility and flexibility are the key to creating a reliable, sustainable organization. This means that managers need to be able to change their role from that of leaders to that of coaches. It's even common to question the word management, which no longer defines today's companies. Young professionals find the job complex and unattractive as a way of starting out in the professional world.
The job needs to be upgraded, given the increasing responsibilities of
managers. HR, for its part, leads the transition to change and sets an example. Their role is therefore central. In particular, they provide support to managers.
Their workload is amplified, but if well executed, they can become
leaders of change. Hybrid working is set to become the norm, stabilizing at
by 2025. Around 2 days a week of teleworking on average: this is the
conviction of 46% of HR managers questioned in February 2022 for the ANDRH survey.
Successfully implement hybrid working to Benefit from its advantages
In conclusion, it seems beneficial for everyone to adopt hybrid working within companies. As with any change in business, it will take time.
That's why it's important to establish short, medium and long-term objectives with a clear HR policy.
You won't be disappointed if you haven't already adopted it! It's essential to take concrete action to cultivate the pleasure of working. This requires a commitment on the part of employers and executives, as well as managers.
First and foremost, communication is essential. Gathering feedback from employees on problematic work situations or sources of tension is essential. What's more, good upward communication helps
to resolve internal problems quickly and intelligently. As a result, a positive working climate and trust are naturally established at
.
In addition, informal time and extra-professional activities have become a major factor in the creation of bonds between employees, creating a convivial atmosphere where productivity is at its peak. A happy employee
is a productive employee.
What's more, choosing a hybrid mode will enable you to develop your CSR through lower energy expenditure. In fact, the implementation of hybrid working will enable you to readjust your office space offer in line with employees' new
needs. As your on-site workforce is smaller, you'll be able to reduce
your energy bills and comply with the new ecological standards in place.
In conclusion, the risks associated with telecommuting are certainly present, but as with any
change, you have to take them... So it's important that you make your own experience of hybrid working. There will always be time to readjust your organization, and your employees will understand this anyway. Mistakes
are human, and allow us to improve.
So let yourself be tempted by new ways of working, with the aim of stimulating
productivity, creativity, commitment, trust and autonomy within your company.
