Flexible vs Hybrid Work: What they mean and why it matters

Where we work — or how we structure the working week — is back in the news. Four years after the pandemic, organisations are still feeling their way around flexible and hybrid work arrangements.

From return to the office orders for public servants, to Tabcorp and Amazon calling time on hybrid, the media coverage of this modern management dilemma shows no signs of abating.

It’s not hard to find compelling reasons for a return to the office or the case for this ‘great social experiment’ of working from home, to be allowed to run its course. Yet, without a defined culture, none of these approaches will deliver what leaders are looking for.

As a culture consultant who’s seen it all, I can tell you that getting this right is crucial in maintaining not only morale, but also a sense of belonging that’s required to deliver successful results for your organisation. But first, let’s clear up the confusion between these two terms that are being bandied around.

Flexible work is all about when and how work gets done. It’s giving your people the freedom to adjust their hours, compress their work week, or even job share. Hybrid work, on the other hand, is primarily focused on where work happens — a mix of in-office and remote (for those privileged enough to have the choice).

Flexible vs Hybrid Work: What they mean and why it matters

Why does this distinction matter? Because one size definitely doesn’t fit all when it comes to work arrangements. Understanding the nuances is key when it comes to deliberately creating a culture (more about that shortly) where everyone can bring their A-game and that collaboration occurs in a way that generates results.

So, what should senior leaders and managers be considering when deciding on work arrangements? Having worked with over a dozen organisations on their hybrid/flexible cultures, here is my take:

1. Trust your people: If you’ve hired right, your team knows how to get the job done. Give them the autonomy to choose what works best for them.
2. Focus on outputs, not hours: Who cares if someone logs off at 3 pm if they’re smashing their targets?
3. Use technology correctly: Nothing kills productivity faster than clunky collaboration tools or people that don’t know how to use them properly!
4. Prioritise connection: Whether it’s virtual coffee catch-ups or regular in-person meet ups, make sure your team still feels like a team and values their time together.
5. Celebrate success stories: Share examples of teams and individuals thriving in different work arrangements to inspire others.

In this tight labour market, high potential people have options. If they feel their needs aren’t being met, they’ll walk — straight into the arms of your competitors who are offering greater flexibility. On the flip side, if you want to make the move back to people being full-time in the office, then this could help you as you look to hire people who are looking to do just that.

So, how can organisations strike a balance between culture and individual needs?

Here are some strategies I’ve collaborated on, all of which have worked for those that employed them:

• Co-create your policy: Involve your people in the decision-making process. Run surveys, hold focus groups, and really listen to what they need.
• Pilot different approaches: Don’t be afraid to experiment. Try out different models and see what works best for your organisation. Remember we’ve never done this before, so it’ll take time
• Regular check-ins: This isn’t a “set it and forget it” situation. Regularly pulse check your people to see how the arrangements are working.
• Lead by example: If you’re a leader preaching flexibility but never leave the office (or spend five days at home), your actions are drowning out your words.
• Retrain managers and measure outputs: Most managers don’t have the skills to manage virtual teams and most companies aren’t measuring outputs, so the potential for failure is high.

But here’s the rub. No matter which approach you choose to take, its success or failure will depend on the culture that you choose to build. The organisations that have thrived during and post-COVID are those that recognised that the way teams work had changed and therefore the culture had to be redefined.

If you’re such a company that doesn’t want to return to the old ways of working, but are facing pressure to increase productivity to pre-pandemic levels, then the simple answer is to redefine what it means to belong and deliver in this new way of working.

All the policies and statements that you may make about flexible or hybrid work are useless unless you bring people together to talk about how they’ll bring it to life.

At the end of the day, it’s about creating a culture where your people can do their best work, wherever and whenever that may be. Get that right, and you’ll have a workforce that’s not just productive, but truly engaged and committed to your organisation’s success.

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