The Overlooked Problem of Hybrid Work
Hybrid work is inevitable. 63% of employees want to work remote part time or full time according to a survey by McKinsey in April 2021. What’s more, organizations with flexible remote options unlock access to a massive pool of talent. But for all the pros of hybrid remote work, there’s a fair share of hurdles.
We’ve interviewed dozens of hybrid companies about their environment. None of them had good things to say about their meetings. Especially remote members. The in-office cross talk during meetings is often lost to them. This confusion leads them to not take part in any collaborative discussion. Hybrid meetings silence remote members.
According to one team lead: “the remote people don’t know what we’re talking about and just message me on Slack asking for meeting highlights afterwards.”
And they’re not ignored in just meetings. It’s easy to see the extra hours in-office employees put in. But nobody can directly see the extra time and effort remote members put in. Stanford research before the pandemic shows that while remote members were 13% more productive, they weren’t promoted at nearly the same rate as their in-person colleagues.
This ultimately creates an unfair environment for remote employees. Small wonder why Sid Sijbrandij, CEO of Gitlab, has said Hybrid is the “worst of both worlds”.
Leaders have to be thoughtful and inclusive of their remote employees. You want your whole team to feel a sense of belonging and purpose, not just the people you physically see.
