The saying, ‘The only constant in life is change’ has been apt for the modern workplace since the onset of the global pandemic. Companies have realized that there’s very little possibility of a return to the way things were, as workers globally navigate a new culture and a rapidly evolving workplace. Currently, as organizations are opening their doors to welcome employees ‘back to work’, amidst continued uncertainty relating to the COVID-19 and other variants, the shift to a hybrid workforce model is inevitable.

It’s now time to ask some important questions: “What’s the purpose of the office, anyway? If millions have proven they can do remarkable, innovative work outside of a typical office atmosphere—even the ones stocked with snacks, water coolers, coffee and ping pong—what’s the point of having the physical office space?”

“Would teams continue to work from anywhere and look at their office as a hub where they can visit only for specific purposes (say, an important meeting or a collaboration session) or a space only to tackle a particular challenging problem? In that sense, is the workplace a resource and comes to play only when teams need it, but not a requirement to get work done?” At this stage, a lot of these questions and more are still ambiguous or are left unanswered. Without a well thought-out plan, the hybrid workplace will create confusion for employees and frustration for management. Hence, CXOToday reaches out to business decision makers, analysts and industry experts to understand how companies should begin rethinking the future of work, and as 2021 comes to a close, how the conversations around hybrid workplace and the new hybrid work experience can be made more real and meaningful. Here’s what they have to say about the future of hybrid work in 2022 and beyond.

Satya Sharma, CHRO at TO THE NEW, says, “Employees are expecting an extremely flexible and hybrid workspace in this post-pandemic world. If a company insists on returning to full-time onsite work, they might risk losing good talent. In this hybrid world, I believe companies will reimagine and focus on 2 major areas – Hiring & Retention.

Post COVID, several employees have shifted to remote locations or Tier 2 cities with their families. Employers need to redesign their entire hiring cycle to include remote hiring and tap into this talent. Meanwhile, the well-being of existing employees is equally essential for a successful hybrid work model. HRs need to prevent virtual exhaustion among employees and help them set a healthy work-life balance. This would require the leadership to set a healthy precedent since it counters business goals that would benefit from those extra working hours. Ultimately, employee feedback needs to be critically monitored to make sure the hybrid model is working. One-on-one manager conversations, team meetings, or HR Connect will be crucial during this time.” –

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