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How many times has your company changed the work policy since the pandemic started almost two years ago? Many of us know that we need to come up with a sustainable work policy resilient to changes. To create such an environment, “digital workplace” is the keyword.Borrowing the words from Hewlett Packard, “a digital workplace is a virtualized form of the traditional, in-person office environment, where many elements of collaboration and productivity are performed through some combination of digital applications, cloud computing, and other technology.”https://www.hpe.com/us/en/what-is/digital-workplace.htmlMany people consider a digital workplace as a way of working that utilizes software and apps for communication, project management, etc.Even before the pandemic, when we were all in the office, companies benefited from the digital workplace. For example, some companies stopped using email as an internal communication method and switched to a business chat tool.Due to the pandemic, we came to depend on the digital workplace more than ever and will be this way because we now realize the efficiency and the convenience of the digital workplace.As we keep digitizing everything around our work process, we will need to connect the digital workplace and the physical workplace like actual offices and other workplaces.In the time when many of us work from home, the digital workplace can be like floating in the air. Still, once we proceed to hybrid working, which involves a real and physical workplace, the cloud needs to be tied to some parts of the physical workplace to keep everyone connected no matter where they are working.People tend to think a digital workplace is just what we need to connect us in a hybrid work environment. However, the linkage between digital and physical workplaces is becoming more critical in terms of connectivity, office design, collaboration, and employee engagement to minimize the friction between digital and physical work environments and maximize the use of each environment.1. Connectivity — Digital workplace is all about connectivity. Now you should connect all the office tools, too.The digital workplace’s value lies in its connectivity. Integrations among various software and services are the keys to creating a comfortable virtual workplace where everything is connected seamlessly.According to Deloitte, “By integrating the technologies that employees use (from e-mail, instant messaging and enterprise social media tools to HR applications and virtual meeting tools), the digital workplace breaks down communication barriers, positioning you to transform the employee experience by fostering efficiency, innovation and growth.”https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/mx/Documents/human-capital/The_digital_workplace.pdfAll the benefits of the digital workplace are enabled by the integration of digital tools. Without the connectivity, we wouldn’t appreciate the digital tools much, because they would simply add more stuff to do, such as typing the same information again and again in different tools. Instead, thanks to the integration and connection among the digital tools, we should be able to invite clients to a web meeting from a calendar screen where you can generate the meeting URL and send an invitation email at the same time.Now, imagine a day in the office. You go through the office gate using your ID, check where your team members are sitting by walking around the floor, and finally take your seat. You reserved a meeting room from a calendar, but the meeting room is occupied by somebody who didn’t reserve it, and you need to go find a new place to have a video call in. When your client arrives at the office, the reception staff walk around to look for you.Every step in this story features independent tools that are not connected to each other. However, all these office systems could be connected and be smarter, just like the digital workplace.For example, an employee ID badge could be replaced by facial recognition or a QR code on a smartphone app. You can check a coworker’s location or receive visitor notifications on the same smartphone app. And a meeting room device connected to a calendar will prevent double-booking.All these miscellaneous tasks you encounter when working in the physical office could be integrated into the digital workplace.2. Workplace design — The right combination of the digital and physical workplace improves productivity.Your company decided to build the digital workplace for better productivity and communication. However, what if all the tools are not used in a proper way? Tools could just make things more complicated.Here, I’d like to focus on the last one, “poor workplace design.” This report describes poor workplace design: “most companies have not yet revamped their workplaces to move on to an open workspace model. Which can significantly increase collaboration and spur innovation.” Even though this report was originally published in 2013, the same principle still exists now. If you want to design the digital workplace for productivity, the physical one should be designed for productivity, too.To design both the digital and physical workplaces to improve productivity, consider they are connected. In-office digital tools need to be embedded in the digital workplace you always use.For example, your office stopped assigned seating and adopted hot desking because not many people commute every day. Also, they reduced meeting rooms for groups and increased phone booths for web conferences. Now, you commute to the office twice a week, and you need to book your seat. You might forget to do so since you don’t have to do it when you work from home.However, if checking in is a daily step you need to follow when you work, you check in at your home when you work remotely, and you check in at your desk when you work in the office. Meeting room management can be done in the same way, just like you reserve or check-in at your desk, you can book a meeting room. Place management in a hybrid workplace can be this simple.3. Inclusiveness — An inclusive workplace promotes collaboration and employee engagement.Some people worry about the unfairness that hybrid work could cause. There is a tendency that employees who go to the office more often could be heard and valued more, and those working remotely could miss out on the important change in the organization.To make everyone count, knowing each one’s working style could be helpful. In Harvard Business Review’s article, “Making the Hybrid Workplace Fair,” they recommend managers to “create an accurate map of your team’s “hybridity configuration”: who is working where, and when.”https://hbr.org/2021/02/making-the-hybrid-workplace-fairIf digital and physical workplaces are integrated, letting others know about your workplace of the day would be more simple. Your check-in information will be shared by clicking the check-in button on your web tool, scanning a QR code on a desk, or simply going through a gate with your employee ID.Once you know who’s working where, it is easier to decide how to communicate with them. For example, you can talk to the team members who have checked in to the home office via voice chat, and, those who happen to be working in the office at the same time as you do, you can set up in-person meetings.Connecting digital and physical workplaces to make the hybrid environment inclusive and comfortable is crucial for employee engagement and team building.Now you have some ideas on connecting the digital workplace you elaborated on during the pandemic and the physical workplace where we go back to some extent. Let’s facilitate a comfortable, productive, and creative workplace for the new normal.

Photo by Celpax on UnsplashMany of us know that the hybrid working model will stay here, even after the pandemic. However, not many of us have figured out what type of hybrid work is the best for each organization. Many companies have their hybrid work practices. It could be “three days in office, two days from home,” “Sales team goes to the office every day, but the engineering team has to go in only twice a month,” or “you decide when you go to the office.” But all these practices could be temporary due to the ever-changing pandemic situations.Both employers and employees want to settle on some kind of long-term agreement on their work styles. Not many people feel comfortable being in this unstable situation where companies keep pushing the return-to-office date behind every time a new variant of the virus threatens us.Resilience to ChangeHow can we find peace in the never-ending change in workstyles?The ideal is to facilitate a hybrid work policy that is resilient to change. How can we develop such a work policy?A key to the answer is to close the gap between employers and employees. In many companies, employers want their employees to be back in the office. However, employees want the flexibility they are now used to in the two-year experience of WFH. (Also, flexibility could answer the resilience to change.)How can we close the gap? Firstly, employers need to be aware of what their people are thinking. Listen to their voices. This article will introduce three ways to ask employees about their work styles.1. Conduct surveysWhen employers start thinking about a new work style for their companies, ask questions in a survey format to get the general idea of how employees feel about their current work styles. The questions could be about the experience in a two-year experiment of working from home, work-life balance, well-being, productivity, and so on.If a company or team has many people, questions with multiple answers would be easier to analyze the results of opinions that summarize the company or team’s idea.If employers have already started planning specific changes in their flexible work guidelines, they can ask questions about the before-after comparison of the new change. Ask questions to employees to observe the difference in their feelings and thoughts.Example survey questionsWhere do you think you are most productive working? (office, home, co-working spaces, cafe, etc.)Which workplace can you focus on your work better, at the office or home?How do you think your well-being has changed since you started working from home? (better, worse, about the same)Do you feel your work-life balance has improved since you started working from home?What kind of tools do you find helpful when communicating with your team members remotely?Do you feel distant from your team members compared to before covid?2. 1 on 1 meetingEmployee surveys are to understand the general idea of what employees are feeling and thinking. However, we will never know what each employee might be experiencing in detail. To understand the stories behind their survey answers, 1 on 1 meeting can be helpful.Since people started working from home, the border between work and life got blurred. To fully understand what employees want, hearing about their work and life will be valuable to make decisions. It could be about their productivity at home, career plans, difficulties they faced during the pandemic, and family matters. Listen to the stories the employees are willing to share.Example interview questionsWhat are the good things you experienced during working from home?What are the challenges you encountered during working from home?How would you plan your week if you could decide your work schedule?What kind of hybrid work policy do you find suitable for you and your team?Do you think flexible working will help achieve your career goal? How?3. Collect work dataWhat we can get from employee surveys and 1 on 1 meetings are all subjective, which are from the employees’ perspectives. Of course, what they feel, think, and want is essential. However, something we can measure is also important to make decisions on some issues.Before further discussing work data, it is crucial to understand that this is not monitoring the employees. The work data is based on the information and activities employees agree to share.Those data could be employees’ check-in data on how long they work, where they work (office or remote), which area or seat they used (hot-desking or hoteling), how many hours they spend for meetings each week (face-to-face or online). By analyzing the correlation between check-in data and achievements, we might understand what a company needs in your workplace for your employees to perform in the best possible way.For example, when you decide your next office plan, check the desk usage data to identify how many hot desks you need. Or, if you look at the meeting room usage, you might be able to tell if you need meeting rooms for people to gather in the space physically or phone booths for employees to join the web meeting individually.Since you can utilize the work data measurement system in many possible ways in the flexible working model, this could be the first thing employers might need to invest in for the future of work. As long as companies can have the work data, it is much easier to optimize their workplaces.Examples of work dataEmployee check-in data (where they work)How long do employees workWell-being scores on each workplaceHours spent in meetings per week/month (face-to-face, web meeting)Meeting room usage (hours and occupancy rate)We are facing a significant change in how we work, and a flexible work style will be something many employees will want for the future. In order to constantly be aware of what employees want, it is time to facilitate the process to get their voices heard. Periodical surveys, 1 on 1 meetings, and storing work data are some examples of the process. Why don’t we make the most out of this change that we were initially forced to make into something beneficial and sustainable for the better?

Does everyone in your company go to the office? work fully remote? or do the hybrid model? No matter what your answer is, autonomy is always essential in work.According to Harvard Business Review,autonomy is an indispensable component of motivation and a key driver of performance and well-being.https://hbr.org/2021/10/forget-flexibility-your-employees-want-autonomyAutonomy is the key to improving performance and well-being. Companies can encourage employees’ autonomy by adopting hybrid or remote work. In terms of well-being, a study saysThose employees who are engaged in telework are happier, healthier and experience less stress if they are given a substantial degree of autonomy regarding where, when and how they work.https://oxfordre.com/psychology/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.001.0001/acrefore-9780190236557-e-850Hybrid work and having control over choosing workplaces is the key to autonomy. However, employers and managers would not let everyone in the company go hybrid because they have to care about the company’s performance, the safety of their employees, and various other reasons.If a company wants to go hybrid, setting guidelines to enhance autonomy will help maintain the balances among performance, employee well-being, management, etc. We will cover three key points on setting such guidelines.Guidelines are not policiesGuidelines are like principles and recommendations. Showing the employees what is recommended makes it easier to understand the employer’s message. Plus, guidelines do not usually come with punishments. The sense of “it’s all up to you” is what employees want to know. On the other hand, policies are more specific requirements accompanied by punishments.Here is an example provided by Harvard Business Review,In a shift from policies to principles, “minimum three days in the office per week” may become “there is inherent value in both the physical office and remote locations — we strongly encourage employees to consider which locations best enable them to most effectively carry out certain tasks.” This sets a guideline for best practices without stepping on the toes of any employees for whom a minimum number of days in-office policy may be seen as restrictive or outright impossible for them to fit into the balance of their life. If communicated correctly, principles can be just as effective as policies, while creating room to explore new ways of working.https://hbr.org/2021/10/forget-flexibility-your-employees-want-autonomyAs we can learn from this example, policies would not nurture employees’ autonomy, but guidelines would by having them think about the best practices.Jabra’s SVP, Holger Reisinger states,Generally, people appreciate clear guidelines. If it’s only about policies, you are missing a human element. But if you have guiding principles, you are communicating that you trust people to do what is best. When leaders are very strict on saying what people should not do, employees get more concerned and have a higher need for reassurance, which stalls productivity. Having too many strict rules makes things complicated and frustrates people. People can really deal very well with autonomy, and they appreciate the flexibility.https://www.jabra.jp/hybridworkIf everyone can work autonomously according to the guidelines, building trust between employers and employees is easier.Focus on the outcomesWhen people are working autonomously, what they do during the day will vary. You cannot measure their performance in input- or output-based management, such as how many calls a salesperson makes, how many tickets customer support resolves, and how many new features engineers release.What matters most is the outcomes. Managers need to share specific ideas of wanted outcomes.In Accenture’s blog, senior managing director David Hole shares about their practices.I believe that my colleagues, clients and myself have joined the overall trend of defining work success in a new way, based on results. This trend has accelerated during the pandemic and is here to stay. As long as people are accountable for delivering transparent client/customer-focused, outcome-based results, they deserve the opportunity to thrive and choose a lifestyle in which they control how, when and where they work.Companies own results — not calendars or time — and that means leaders need to be clear about what those results should be. This is the conversation that my team and I are having with current clients, as they are thinking about and planning for the future of work.https://www.accenture.com/us-en/blogs/business-functions-blog/future-work-modelAnd some companies work in the same way. For example, when Amazon announced letting teams decide their workstyles, the announcement included the following sentence.The decisions should be guided by what will be most effective for our customers; and not surprisingly, we will all continue to be evaluated by how we deliver for customers, regardless of where the work is performed.https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/workplace/amazon-offering-teams-more-flexibility-as-we-return-to-officeNot too much autonomyWhen autonomy is too much, it could be an intense stressor. If employers put too much emphasis on autonomy and independence, it could result in the opposite direction. There is a study explaining the concept of the autonomy paradox.autonomy turns from being an asset into a liability resulting in workaholic behavior, higher stress levels, and lower job satisfaction. The work-life balance at home may be disturbed, and interpersonal relations in the workplace loosen, resulting in isolation.https://oxfordre.com/psychology/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.001.0001/acrefore-9780190236557-e-850How much freedom and control employees have and how many choices they have to make is the question. It is why guidelines are necessary to set the balance of autonomy and dependency in the workplace.The same study talks about the common misunderstanding about remote work.One essential question for work motivation is to what extent the choice of working place and time is autonomous. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, “forced remote work” started to become the new normal as employees often were not allowed access their workplaces and were obliged to work remotely. In this sense, it reduced autonomy.https://oxfordre.com/psychology/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.001.0001/acrefore-9780190236557-e-850ConclusionThere is no one-size-fits-all solution for hybrid work. However, if we look closely at what companies need to thrive in hybrid work, companies can adopt common concepts and tips to some extent. Setting guidelines to encourage employees’ autonomy would be one of them.Setting effective guidelines following the three points above could provide managers and employees with the chance to consider their vision, mission, and values and build stronger trust and relationships.

Image by Mylene2401 from PixabaySome of us have experienced your home being a workplace for parents and a school for kids. If your kids are small, you have to watch them while working from home. Balancing between work and child care is one of the benefits you can get from working remotely.Due to the pandemic, many companies tried new work styles, such as remote work and hybrid work. Some of the new workstyles will stay here after the pandemic. I found some articles about childcare and working from home. Some people are happy about it, and some are not, which means some companies plan to set a rule about childcare while working from home.Remote work for child careMany parents, especially mothers, are seeking jobs that offer remote work options. Many companies agree with employees’ balancing childcare and work while working remotely.To many companies, offering remote working jobs is essential for hiring and retaining employees. Many people quit their jobs because companies don’t allow them to work remotely.When it comes to childcare, women tend to be more responsible, which affects their career decisions. (I talked more about this in the previous article https://medium.com/@WorkstyleOS/will-hybrid-work-widen-the-gender-gap-514191c63c7e).To engage more female workers, companies need to offer flexible work conditions to balance childcare and work.Some don’t accept childcare during workSome companies want to set a rule about remote work. The rule is that children have to be taken care of by somebody else during work hours. (https://www.bloombergquint.com/business/work-from-home-forever-means-no-more-kids-on-office-zoom-calls)This decision seems to come from the concerns over productivity while working from home and the employee well-being for those who work double shifts of work and parenting.The pandemic was an emergency, so we could not have avoided having kids around us while working.However, it will be different once the situation changes and companies adopt remote work or hybrid work as permanent options. It is natural to have some voices saying that we need childcare guidelines while working from home.Then, new problems such as access to childcare will arise, too.What companies can do for employees with childrenWe see only a few companies setting strict rules on remote working and childcare. In order to make an inclusive workplace, what can companies do for parents?Hybrid work and flexible scheduleHybrid work allows employees to choose between remote and office work. The flextime system will enable employees to set their working hours. By allowing the parents to design time for work and childcare, they will be able to maintain productivity and quality work. Working can be more flexible, allowing people to work at home and in public places, such as before and after picking up children or while waiting for lessons.CommunityHaving people in the company with who you can share the same concerns can be a big help. For example, a Slack channel where people can talk about parenting would be easy to start.A culture of leaving work on timeHave you felt sorry for leaving work early to pick up your kids? In a corporate culture where working overtime is the norm, you may feel that way. However, if you work at a company where leaving work on time is the norm (which is how it should be), employees may find a balance between work and private life more comfortably.Employee benefits related to childcareIf a company plans to provide an environment where employees can concentrate on their work, arranging childcare allowances and daycare centers could be the option. (Reference: https://hbr.org/2021/04/childcare-is-a-business-issue)There are many ways to balance work and parenting, depending on the company’s business, culture, and way of thinking. It is necessary to have a working style that can cover various workstyles and situations, including an emergency like when a child becomes ill.In addition, in an aging society, it is expected that similar discussions will become more active not only in childcare but also in elderly care.The future of work is expected to allow workers to switch on and off when they need to maintain their work-life balance.

Image by Pexels from PixabayThe pandemic has led to rapid changes in the way we work. It is important to look at easy-to-understand changes, such as systems and tools. Still, we also need to think about the unseen effects workers feel.Hybrid work is considered to be the popular way of working during and after the pandemic. It is a way of working that combines office and remote work. People who started hybrid work have initiated discussions about its concerns and how to solve them.Many articles talk about the theme of “fairness and equality in the workplace.” In some countries, there are different arguments.For examples, asimilar argument in Japan is “inequality in the home.” This topic argues that female workers tend to bear the housework and childcare compared to male counterparts when both spouses work from home. While it is important to think about roles within the household, it is also necessary to consider gender inequality and equality in the workplace to improve our work style.It’s also a topic that is very relevant to SDGs No.5, “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.”Hybrid and remote work can lead to equal employment opportunities for men and women.Working from home, remote work, and hybrid work will ease the restrictions on location and time. It also means offering more options for working can make it easier for women to work.When employment opportunities get closer to equality, the next thing we need to consider is equal opportunities for work environment and performance. Even if it is easier to get a job regardless of gender, we also need equal opportunities to perform adequately and be appropriately evaluated.Point 1: Equality in hybrid and remote environmentsIn the U.S., researchers have pointed out that in hybrid workplaces, there is a difference in career advancement potential depending on whether the employee chooses to work in the office or remotely. Research has shown that employees who work in the office regularly are more likely to be promoted than those who work remotely. (https://www.wsj.com/articles/hybrid-workplace-marginalized-groups-11632331018)So far, it is not about gender differences but whether an individual chooses to work in an office or remotely.However, what complicates this issue is that women are more likely to choose to work remotely. A survey found that women are 30% more likely than men to want to work fully remote.(https://www.wsj.com/articles/hybrid-workplace-marginalized-groups-11632331018)Why is it that a higher percentage of women prefer to work fully remote?Point 2: Choose remote work for housework and childcareThere are various reasons why a higher percentage of women prefer to work fully remote, but balancing work with housework and childcare is particularly significant.Especially when parents do not have access to daycare, mothers tend to be responsible for taking care of children at home.Point 3: It may lead to giving up on career development or resignation.It’s great that there is an option for remote work to balance work with housework and childcare. However, we can’t ignore the fact that women who choose to work remotely end up working multiple shifts of housework, childcare, and full-time employment.People may give up career advancement or resign to get out of the physically and mentally demanding double work status. According to a survey, one in four people is considering such a choice due to the pandemic. (https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/women-in-the-workplace)You could say, “we cannot do anything about it because it’s all up to individuals.” Still, we need to improve the situation if social issues cause those individuals’ choices.What does the loss of opportunity for women lead to?Here is a summary of the three points mentioned above.Remote workers may be disadvantaged in career advancement.Many women want to work remotely to take care of family and childcare.Some women will give up their careers to get out of the double work situation.The combination of these issues raises concerns about the loss of opportunities in women’s careers. There is a fear that the gender gap in the workplace may widen again, which has been improved by various efforts in many years.If this happens, it is expected that diversity in society and companies will be compromised. To solve these problems, it is necessary to take action at the corporate, governmental, and social levels. First of all, companies need to create a system that not only eliminates gender differences but also allows for fair evaluation regardless of whether employees work in the office or remotely.It is wonderful to have choices in where and how to work. However, it is essential to avoid situations in which the worker’s choice or traits (gender, married or unmarried, with or without children, etc.) result in difficulty working or a lack of proper evaluation.