NeoCon 2023

You might wonder why we’re talking about ‘beyond’ hybrid when so many companies are still trying to figure it out and make it work for them. Hybrid will continue to evolve, but some patterns are emerging that might surprise you.

For example, most people globally — 70% — are working in the office, three or more days a week. But that average varies dramatically depending on where you live, what you do and who you work for. We’re all having different experiences and feelings about how hybrid is going. One thing is universal though: How we work has changed dramatically, regardless of where you work and on which days.

In the midst of all of this change we need to have empathy because people are really struggling. As we enter the fourth year of adapting to life with COVID, our research shows work-life balance has dropped and people feel less connected to company culture. Productivity has also suffered and all of this is making them more likely to leave their jobs. Leaders are worried. Dropping productivity hits a nerve when organizations are under pressure to deliver results.

So let’s talk about why it’s happening. There are many variables when measuring productivity. We can, and should, debate it – but we can’t ignore it. Because people want to feel good about their work and be productive too.

Organizations are hearing conflicting messages and have to try and figure out how to balance everything. It’s complicated – but it’s also an opportunity to experiment and engage people in the process of figuring out potential solutions. We call this experiment ‘hybrid’ today because it still feels new and novel forsome. But as we learn and adapt, soon it will just be called…work.

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