Hybrid working and the more virtual organisation

Remote working, employee flexibility and new technology are no longer trends on the horizon for HR leaders, they’re real challenges which need to be addressed today. The events of the last 10 months have caused organisations to assess how and where they work, accelerating trends like transformation and remote working. But while many businesses are acting on the opportunity to shift to hybrid working and a more virtual organisation, it’s critical to understand the implications on key areas such as reward, workforce engagement and global mobility.

Megatrends shaping the shift towards hybrid working

Technology & agility

Rapid advances in technological innovation promoting agility and automation.

Demographic shifts

The changing distribution and age profile of the world’s population.

Impact of COVID-19

Has given rise to significant people, social and economic challenges on a global scale

Rise of the flexible career

Increasing demand for flexible working, work/life balance, and mobility.

Environmental awareness

Depleted fossil fuels, extreme weather, rising sea levels and water shortages are putting environmental and sustainability concerns high on the agenda.

More recent themes

Operating model change

COVID-19 has had a huge impact changing consumer demands.

Addressing ESG

Enhanced focus on addressing climate change and an increased social responsibility on organisations to address skills shortages in the market.

Fairness

The Black Lives Matter movement and impact of COVID-19 has pushed fairness and equality up the agenda.

Governance & regulation

Increased focus on customer, sustainability and reputation.

Cultural Change

Opportunity to create entrepreneurship and less hierarchical culture

Key considerations

Every decision around your future workplace will impact employee experience, inclusion, culture and ultimately the customer experience. Organisations need to consider and respond to employee and customer expectations as they build their future roadmap.

Are you able to align your future workforce strategy to what you can afford?

How virtual should your organisation be, what’s your optimum on-site/ off-site workforce mix and what might the tax implications be?

What do you need to consider in terms of employee wellbeing and nurturing a new company culture and EVP?
What real estate does a virtual organisation need?
Are there major legal or regulatory implications of becoming a more virtual organisation?
What is your new contract with employees and what does this do to your reward approach?

The first step is building the case for change

Trends

We have conducted a number of surveys to understand the realities of virtual working for organisations and trends in how companies are adapting to new ways of working.

Over recent months we’ve seen findings such as:

of employees feel able to perform their role just as effectively while working remotely. But

of employees missed human interaction when working from home.

What the data is showing us, is that there is a need for a hybrid way of working with a blend of remote and office based interaction.

Read the full insights

How to approach these challenges

We recently held a series of events to discuss the subject of the Virtual Organisation with HR leaders, covering some of the key challenges and areas which need to be considered. Take a look at some of the content from these sessions to help you explore these in more detail.