The Top 8 Leadership Trends of 2024: #5 Hybrid Work
You can download the full PDF of the top 8 leadership trends of 2024 here.
Post pandemic we have seen an ongoing duel between employees who don’t want to return to the office and leaders of organizations who are telling employees that they have to. As I’ve said for many years now, the best approach is a hybrid approach which is neither full-time at home nor full-time in the office. Based on the research that Stanford Professor and researcher Dr. Nicholas Bloom has done, 3 days in the office and 2 days at home seems to be the ideal mix.
The hybrid work model is gaining prominence, driven by the pandemic’s enduring impact, evolving employee expectations, and the changing dynamics of work itself. Leaders are increasingly recognizing the importance of this model for several reasons, including its potential to enhance employee well-being and work-life integration, access to a broader talent pool, cost savings, and maintaining or even improving productivity and performance.
To effectively navigate and implement this model, leaders are encouraged to develop clear policies and expectations around hybrid work, invest in necessary technology and infrastructure to support seamless collaboration, foster a strong organizational culture that bridges the physical and virtual divide, equip leaders with the skills to lead hybrid teams, and maintain a flexible approach by regularly reviewing and adapting policies. By addressing these key areas, leaders can ensure their organizations are well-positioned to thrive in a hybrid work environment, benefiting from the flexibility it offers while mitigating potential challenges.
This requires rethinking communication channels, performance metrics, and team-building activities to accommodate a distributed workforce. The hybrid work trend calls for a reevaluation of traditional office norms and an embrace of flexibility and adaptability as core leadership qualities.
What you should do:
- Set clear guidelines and expectations for your flexible work programs.
- Understand the goals and aspirations of your employees. For example those who aspire for more senior leadership roles will likely need to spend more time in the office where they can get the best training possible.
- Invest in the right tools and technologies to make sure your team can work remotely effectively.
- Offer training around leading and managing remote teams including communication, collaboration, and team dynamics.
Stay tuned for the sixth leadership trend, AI & Technology that I will share with you next week!
Leadership is changing dramatically and there are 8 trends you need to know about if you want to lead effectively in 2024 and beyond. I put together a PDF that not only walks you through what these 8 trends are, but it also gives you action items for each one. This will be an invaluable resource for your leadership journey in 2024 and beyond. Click to download the free pdf!
