We’re in the new normal. What’s the new good?
There’s a tendency to look at the changes the pandemic has brought to workplace culture in terms of what we’ve lost: fewer people in the office, less commotion, conversation and socializing, fewer late-night hours worked. As managers, we worry that these visible changes represent a problem. Surely, our teams are less engaged, right? What does good culture look like in today’s world?
What do people want?
In all aspects of post-pandemic life, a “back-to-basics” approach seems to be taking hold. The world is crazy. Our lives, our relationships, our meals, our homes need to be simpler. And yes, that means work, too. Tech culture got a little out of hand with our foosball tables, beer, pizza and ping pong. Now, people want something more authentic. Work is valued for bringing a sense of purpose to our days – and even more so in tech, bringing the joy of co-creating in a healthy team.
How do we measure that?
When it comes to surveys and measures, there are few more trusted names than Gallup. In their book, First Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently, Gallup defines the following 12 questions to measure the strength of a workplace.
What about onsite vs. remote?
The most recent research shows differences between the generations on this topic. Contrary to popular wisdom, young people want to be in the office. They are trying to build their careers and can find themselves floundering on their own at home. They want to make the connections that will help them succeed. Older workers also want to come back and regain the social interaction of the workplace. It’s the folks in the middle – the senior staff and middle-management layer – caught between the demands of children, aging parents and work, that most strongly desire the flexibility to remain remote. In many organizations, this is the bulk of the staff, and almost always the mentoring layer that younger workers need.
Anecdotally, however, these folks are willing to come in – when there’s a purpose to it. No one wants to commute simply to sit in a cube and be ignored. When you need them, though, they can be there. Enter the hybrid model.
Best practices in hybrid work
- Assign a purpose to onsite time.
“I’m happy to come onsite if there’s a reason.” By and large, this is the most frequent feedback we hear from teams. So, we gather people around specific goals. Sprint review, retro and planning days are excellent choices. Mob and pair programming spur collaboration and team alignment. Design sessions or backlog grooming can be more efficient in person when features are significantly complex.
- Onboard onsite.
Newly established teams need to form interpersonal relationships to work through their early storming. New and junior team members can flounder without direction and support. Incorporate onsite time as they onboard to counter these issues.
“If I could mandate it,” said one nvisia Project Lead, “I’d have the new devs come onsite five days a week and be sure there was always a senior person available for them to go to – even if it had to be me.”
- Foster connections between teams.
Managing dependencies between teams has always been a rough spot in software development but is much more difficult if peer-to-peer relationships don’t exist between teams. Managers need to actively foster these connections and make introductions to ensure folks find each other and actively collaborate. This is an excellent use of onsite time.
- Be aware of the productivity loss of onsite time.
If you’re bringing your teams onsite so that they can experience the intangibles of collaboration and culture building, don’t be surprised when their accomplishments for the day are also less tangible. They will write less code on their in-office days than they do at home. Know this and don’t hold it against them.
- Don’t save all the decisions for onsite.
In a hybrid world, teams need to be effective both onsite and remotely. There can be a temptation to put off decisions or discussions until “we can talk in person”. Don’t let these delays creep in. A quick call, message or meeting that resolves issues promptly is always worth it to keep the project humming along effectively – even if it needs to be done online.
Conclusion
Face-to-face interaction, and especially unstructured time together, builds relationships between teams and co-workers, and enables people to build their careers faster. Use onsite time wisely, and don’t worry if it still seems a little quieter than it used to be. You might just find that employees like that.