What: Hybrid work is here to stay, so adapting makes more sense than resisting

Why it is important: Empathy and representation are considered as key to provide a supportive environment. Retailers are faced with the challenge to find the ideal solution in a context where frontline workers, facing customers, might not enjoy the same perks than the rest of the company and therefore might go in rebellion.

The Robin Report reviews the way corporate America has changed since the beginning of the pandemic, and what it means for employers. It is now clear that employees are expecting to be given the possibility to work remotely, and would not hesitate to look for another job if this is was not the case. As a consequence, returning to full-time work at the office is risky. Instead of trying to block the tide, the Robin Report recommends to adapt and look for the best way to organize it.

5 key rules are identified:

-    Be clear of the expectations and the outcome, through shorter meeting times and prepared agendas,

-    Using time blocking to manage everyone’s schedules,

-    Respect work and non-work time,

-    Provide the best tools possible,

-    Make sure that remote working environments are checked and under control.

A supportive environment includes the following:

-    Possibility to book in advance desks if the company is practicing hot-desking, instead of promoting a first-come-first-served system,

-    Allow employees to control their schedules by themselves,

-    Make sure that all employees have the same remote working possibilities, even the underrepresented groups (which also suggests a strong sense of empathy from the organization),

-    Review the perks: do modern workers really want free lunches, or would they want for instance better equipment or rules to help them in managing their work remotely?

The new rules of work