Harnessing Technology in Hybrid Work Environments: Strategies for Success

By Professor Fiona Robson, Head of Edinburgh Business School and School of Social Sciences at Heriot-Watt University Dubai

For many, working in a hybrid model of some working from home and some from organisational premises is seen as a positive scenario. However, it can also be a double-edged sword in terms of blurring the boundaries. Advantages include flexible working options and may open up a new pool of candidates who don’t want to or aren’t able to travel every day. The benefits of hybrid include the cost implications of not having to travel twice a day and not losing productive time when travelling. Not every role would be suitable for hybrid working, for example someone working in customer services or providing a service in the homes of clients. Offering hybrid working options gives the potential to increase employee retention by meeting their needs. It is also important to recognize that hybrid working shouldn’t be perceived as a part time role with part time organizational commitment. Leaders are responsible for developing a culture whereby all eligible employees are encouraged to work remotely for at least some of their working time.

There is research which suggests that employees who are able to work from home are more productive than in the office. This makes assumptions that a) employees don’t mind the blurring of boundaries with their home life b) that they will have appropriate space from which they can work and c) that appropriate technology and infrastructure (e.g. wifi) is available. Depending on the home situation, there may be more distractions when working away from the office if it shared with other people. Ultimately the decision around moving to hybrid working will need the leader to consult and then take all the factors into account to establish the potential impact.

Technology can be used to improve performance throughout an organisation, for it to be successful there are a range of factors which need to be in place. Firstly, selecting the correct technology that can meet the needs of the organisations and their users. Once selected, extensive learning and development support is needed so that users feel confident and competent in using it for their roles. If there is equipment or software which isn’t used regularly, some reminders and an offer of training may be useful. The health and safety of hybrid workers should be considered, ensuring that remote working is organised and carried out in a safe way as part of the leader’s duty of care.

Technology is a good alternative where it isn’t possible for the leader to meet with all their employees. Software such as Teams and Zoom allow information to be shared instantaneously. Whilst there may be specific occasions where in-person is needed, many meetings can be online. Probably the biggest impact of the pandemic was how organisations had to pivot to be able to work remotely. For some employees, this was seen as a very good thing; having previously been told that it wasn’t possible for some roles, it was established that it could work. Hybrid working can also give time flexibility which may make international collaborations easier. Leaders should lead by example and highlight their own hybrid working, ensuring they have maximum visibility.

Potential disadvantages of hybrid working include having a negative impact on team-working and morale which leaders may need to address. Opportunities for valuable ‘water cooler’ conversations are likely to take place less frequently might lead to missed chances for collaboration or process improvement.

Hybrid/remote working does not mean that all networking opportunities are lost; technology now gives us many ways to achieve this – again, learning lessons from the pandemic where many conferences and events were delivered wholly online. Platforms such as LinkedIn allow leaders to connect to people across the globe and build their digital network. Other specialist software encourages leaders and their employees to have some informal online ‘coffee break’ time.

As a leader, a key decision is the extent to which employee performance should be monitored. Technology is available to do this; however, it raises an issue of trust. There may be certain occupations where it is necessary for the organisation to have access to this data for security reasons. Data protection and privacy policies should be adhered to at all times.

Strong leaders recognise the importance of giving and receiving feedback and for this to be built into project plans rather than just at the end of the activity. Where hybrid working means fewer opportunities for face-to-face engagement, technology can be used via software that collects and stores employee feedback. Leaders need to role model good behaviour by visibly seeking and responding to feedback on their own performance.

As a leader it is important that the HR team are briefed to reflect the organisation’s commitment to hybrid working by ensuring that policies and practices do not disadvantage hybrid workers. For example, reviewing internal promotion and performance review criteria to ensure they are appropriate. Updated IT policies should be considered, to reflect the needs of people who work at home and use secure data which would previously not have been available. Leaders should consider some of the sensitive issues around hybrid working, for example does it lead to the introduction of hot-desking. For some of their followers losing the artefact of their own personal space could be negative.

The use of AI in most organisations is still at a relatively early stage where many are only confident to dip their toes into the water. Where women leaders become early adopters of AI this can have a positive impact on the whole organisation. It also potentially provides the leaders themselves with a competitive advantage. Being upfront about the advantages and disadvantages will be useful as well as identifying where and when it might be used. The early inclusion of employees to influence the scope and implementation of AI is a worthwhile investment.

Many organisations collect data on a daily basis but don’t make the best use of it, and this is a missed opportunity. Leaders should invest in new hires who are experts in data analytics and can provide some bespoke use of technology to meet the specific needs of the organization. Importantly these appointments can upskill the existing workforce by learning in ‘real play’ rather than role play.

Whilst AI could lead to some disruption, sometimes that in itself encourages more innovation. Leaders have an ethical responsibility as well as a management one to ensure that AI is used appropriately and in compliance with regulations. Possibly the strongest opportunity at this stage for the use of AI to really make a difference, is collecting data on employee engagement on a continuous basis. This can be used to predict future behaviours and actions for the leadership team.

Leaders can use technology, for example, as part of their recruitment and selection processes so prospective candidates get a personalised experience. Personalisation could also be used as part of an employee engagement strategy. The use of AI isn’t a magic cure, and there will still need to be human interventions, particularly in the early adoption stages, to ensure fair decision-making.

Leaders’ HR teams will have to work with the experts to ensure that any potential negative outcomes of AI can be minimised e.g. if employees all start using Chat GPT for their work. Leaders will need their skills in managing change progress for an organisation that may find change very challenging.