This week I was called in for a meeting with the person I report to. For the purposes of this column, let’s regard him as the boss.
As I arrived in the room, he suddenly said, “Oh there are three of us here today.”
My first thought was, “oh no, three bosses and only one Editor-in-Chief (that’s me), am I getting sacked again?” Luckily for me, the answer to that question was no. That was refreshing.
So, there were supposedly three bosses. But where? I couldn’t see anyone else in the room.
Then suddenly they were there on the big screen in front of me. Beaming in, complete with hip T-shirt, suburban office setup and chilled demeanour. How nice.
You got it - the Big Wigs were “WFH-ing!” No wonder the flexi or hybrid mix of (working from) home and/or office has taken off; the bosses like it too, and they use it.
My initial thought when I looked up at the big screen was shamefully old-fashioned. “Argh nice for some,” ran through my head. “What else have they planned for the day? Why are they at home? For what reason? Are they really working hard?”
But at the same time, I wasn’t surprised. Lots of people “WFH” these days. Even me. I’m only in the office for three hours maximum each day. The rest of my daily podcast preparation, as well as my writing, is done from home. I’ve been doing it for months without thinking too much about it. But now that I am, I can tell you being inside my four walls makes me far more productive than any time I’m in the office.
I am one of those people who goes on a tour of my own workplace to see who’s up for a chat and how interesting the space is. I might even have a “work reunion moment” or a “meet the new person chat”. I’m not always sure what’s going to happen on my workplace walkabouts but one thing I do know is not much is achieved on the productivity scale. In fact, I’m fast realising I am the only one on my tours who considers them useful.
I am naturally and easily distracted by people, noise, events, the basketball court, the ice maker in the kitchen, the snack vending machines and Jay-Jay Feeney - along with sidekick Flynny - largely because they are a similar age to me, still remember my name and what I used to do on TV and radio.
I am also distracted by the cool dude at the front desk, who’s a real talent and so engaging that I can’t see him lasting much longer. Let’s be honest, the front desk guy can’t work from home.
Expert opinion is on my side. There are numerous studies and reports that say out of an eight-hour day in the office, it’s commonly thought we only do three hours of work or, at a push, maybe four. If you’re my boss, that’s not great value, is it?
Whereas if I’m at home, in two hours I can get done what might take me four in the office. Who am I kidding? I might not even get it done while I’m in the office, so I have to take it home to finish it, anyway.
I wondered if we had a policy on hybrid work and turns out MediaWorks has had one since July last year. Yikes! It says Covid has taught us that, “mahi can be done in all sorts of places and situations and your normal place of work wasn’t the only place where you achieve great things,” but Covid also, “reminded us of the importance of having people in one place to create an exciting all-inclusive workplace culture.”
I guess that’s the whole, “a bob each way and we all win” approach. Once again, international evidence and commentary suggests that’s now the basic norm employers should be offering; that all staff who can work from home should have the chance to do so.
Of course, it won’t suit some industries but if it does, then the minimum standard worldwide now is to at least have one-on-one conversations with workers and offer flexibility in some way. That’s been backed by results from various surveys which show productivity increases when the balance is right, so it’s now seen as the gold standard.
But back to me and the meeting that kicked this off…
Having not come to any real conclusions during our online meeting, we reconvened the following day for a second go. It was so much better; no surprises, we were all there in person. The dynamic was more robust and decisions were easier. When it came to some sensitive material, watching how we all reacted was crucial as it guided our decision-making. The answers that eluded us the day before were all obvious in the end.
So, I believe crucial meetings and decision-making days should be in the office. You can see where people stand. You can look into the whites of their eyes. You can see their nerves on display. You can see those who have done their homework. You can easily spot the office bullshitter.
But it’s all about the balance and hybrid work now rules.
Companies that refuse to offer it are no longer seen as desirable or attractive. New workers entering the job market are refusing to even apply for roles at firms that make it clear the position is a “five-day-a-week, in-office job”. Workers have got used to the flexibility and they now not only want it, they demand it.
That’s how it is these days if you want the best people for the role. If you’re a dinosaur holding onto five days in the office, I’m telling you now, you will die a slow death. Your job adverts will get little-to-no response, you will struggle to entice talent. With no good people, truth is, you will eventually have to shut up shop.
And the hybrid model is more than just a people pleaser. It can be cleaner and greener with some evidence that it’s starting to have significant impacts on reducing traffic. Some firms are scaling back the size of their offices which can equal lower business costs passed on to us – the consumers – by making prices for products and services more wallet-friendly.
Thanks to this new world of work, I do believe our communities are more connected and our kids are happier. That can only be a good thing.
My workplace’s online manual to hybrid working ended by saying that the practice is now a key lever for high performance.
Are you being offered it? Are you offering it yourself?
If not, you need to ask why - along with what are you scared of?
