It's pretty clear now. Most of the working world is unlikely ever again to be in the office full-time.
Hybrid working – sharing time between office and home – seems set to stay and, for all those companies wondering how best to do it, there's a glowing case study right in our own back yard: Vodafone NZ.
The shift to hybrid working - or as Vodafone calls it "free-range working" - was happening in a small way even before the pandemic struck. With Covid, however, it became apparent that staff engagement and connection at Vodafone was not affected by this new trend – quite the opposite.
In 2020 Harvard Business School published research that found allowing employees to work wherever they like led to a 4.4 per cent increase in output. In 2021, Stanford University research involving 30,000 American workers estimated remote working resulted in a 5 per cent productivity boost.
Even Google who, pre-pandemic, were one of the companies most strongly opposed to their people working from home, have now relaxed their stance – telling employees they must come back to the office from early April, but only for three days a week.
None of this is news to Vodafone NZ whose commitment to health and safety led to most of their staff work from home during the pandemic – and beyond. Chief People Officer Jodie King says they have bettered productivity targets and kept staff connected since before hybrid working became a thing.
King says Vodafone is handily placed because it is also a technology company – able to make sure its people have all the right tools they need to do their job properly. It also means they have become more skilled at using the technology to have fun, too. "We give our team the right hardware such as laptops with built in connectivity and mobiles, and the latest software with Microsoft 365 and security tools to keep safe."
As King says, the staff feedback and overall enjoyment of hybrid working has been clear. Using HR tool Joyous, Vodafone have been able to measure real-time feedback on their staff's day-to-day working life, and measure organisational health and the impact of change.
In terms of staff engagement, 69 per cent of their people scored positively – well ahead of the industry average for a software/internet company of 53 per cent, 59 per cent for a telecommunications company and 51 per cent for a large company (500-plus employees).
Other findings included:
- 75 per cent of respondents felt positively about the support they were receiving during the Covid-19 lockdown in the second half of 2021.
- 88 per cent responded positively when asked whether they felt "well supported" in unsettling times – with the same number also positive when asked if their manager was checking up on them regularly.
- Asked whether they were "coping well considering the circumstances", 66 per cent responded positively, 25 per cent neutrally.
One key response, says King, was one respondent who stated they "were feeling so much aroha from my team during this lockdown. I have many in my team ensuring I take regular breaks and looking after myself."
So how has this happened and what lessons are there for other firms assessing what to do as we look to Omicron to reach its peak and as anti-virus social standards soften?
King suggests three main areas – nurturing, engagement and technology – plus that extra ingredient that so many employees have responded to during working from home: flexibility.
"I am a massive fan of hybrid working, rather than working all the time from home or from the office," she says. "We've learned so much about all this over the last two years – and I am not a big fan of company mandates like three days in the office or even two.
"I think what Vodafone has experienced is that it depends on the team and the nature of the work; that flexibility is harder to manage, but it works. We have been highly flexible about the work and when people do it – and that helps in situations like when people have small kids at home too."
Often, she says, it's the small, simple things. "We try not to have meetings between 12 and 1pm, so people have a lunch break. We also try to have no meetings after 2pm on Friday, so people have a bit of head space and can catch up with emails and the like – so they are not always in 'meeting space'.
"Talking about email, another small thing which means a lot is have a ban on sending email before 6am or after 10pm; we are all so conditioned to respond to email, it's far better to relieve people from that feeling of obligation.
"Another great thing Vodafone has done is Vodafone A Friend. It's a support network of volunteers [from within the company] who look after those who are struggling or need a bit of help – maybe they're off work because of Covid and need groceries or RATS tests or maybe they just need an online buddy."
"What we're talking about is the future of work - bringing the power of technology and humanity together."
The Vodafone way
Technology is a great enabler, helping us to connect to people, places and things in real time, from almost anywhere. We can create incredible immersive experiences that feel real and, for businesses, open up huge possibilities and limitless expansion – while making sure people don't lose the sense of meaning, purpose and fulfillment they get from their work.
Vodafone uses the same products it sells so its business customers can trust these solutions. It also keeps its teams connected with technologies that help foster a supportive culture. Following are King's helpful tips:
Care: Make a time to check in with each member of your team and ask them to share how they are managing, or what they are struggling with. Use video calling, screen sharing and instant messaging with Microsoft Teams to get as close to a real personal experience as possible.
Connection: Increase frequency of one-to-one and team meetings. Provide a safe space for people to share their world. Create clarity, set short term goals, and facilitate social connection. Ensure staff have trustworthy connections with customers and external stakeholders that may not have their own collaboration tools by offering solutions like Vodafone One Business and Vodafone Meeting Spaces. Give your people a dedicated, resilient internet connection with 4G sim enabled laptops and secure remote access
Collaboration: Have easy access to all systems and files while working outside the office. Microsoft OneDrive enables the team to collaborate on files from anywhere and seamlessly integrate between devices.
Clarity: Provide access to executive teams/senior leaders through virtual forums and create opportunities for interaction. Connecting day-to-day work to the bigger picture helps employees see they are making a difference to the things that matter and their work is having an impact.
Camaraderie: Give people the tools and permission to create some fun. Who is your resident Bake Off champion? Who has the best dress up box? Competitions, quizzes and other amusements can be held over virtual platforms like Workplace and Teams.
For more information, visit www.vodafone.co.nz/businessICT