hybrid work Archives

4 Ways Hybrid Work Supports Happy Teams and Families

Posted on June 26, 2023February 12, 2024 by Dan Bladen

One of the foundational pillars of Hybrid Work support is human flourishing.

It sounds grandiose and impressive: but what does it mean in practice?

Much is written about the benefits associated with work flexibility and autonomy, and the ability to decide where and how you can get your best work done.

But how about the dynamic specifically between work life and family life? How and why does a hybrid work solution help humans flourish on both a professional and personal level?

In this piece, we’ll look at the 4 different ways hybrid work supports happy teams and families.

1. Hybrid work accounts for complexity

Life is complicated. Every one of us has thousands of commitments and responsibilities that exist both inside and outside the realm of work.

Hybrid work is set up to acknowledge that complexity. It recognizes that employees are not just workers – they’re also parents, partners, and caregivers.

By providing the flexibility to choose where and how to work, hybrid work enables individuals to navigate the ebb and flow of everyday life.

For parents – that’s a game-changer. Their jobs no longer need to come at the expense of involvement in their children’s and relatives’ lives — they actively mold to accommodate them.

Whether that means picking up school run duties in the morning, or staying at home to care for a sick child, or attending spontaneous parent-teacher meetings — hybrid work exists as a framework to deal with the unpredictability of family life.

2. Family is the number one priority

We’ve all been on a call with coworkers who have had a baby or toddler on their lap. Or we’ve been that coworker ourselves!

The truth is – the shift towards remote working has done wonders for raising awareness and support for working parents.

In past years, with strict office-based mandates, employees would often find themselves in a position where the family came in second place to their work. Organizing childcare and parenting responsibilities was something that had to happen around the working schedule, and not within it.

With hybrid work, however, employees have the autonomy to manage their work schedules down to the last minute. This opens up the door for them to manage family responsibilities on their terms while keeping on top of their professional commitments at the same time.

The inherent flexibility offered by hybrid work means that family can become the priority – because it is a system that understands that people will do their best work when they are in control of the where and how of what they do.

3. Happy employees make happy parents, and vice versa

The satisfaction and well-being of employees directly impact their effectiveness as parents. A recent study showed that higher family-to-work conflict is linked to lower satisfaction in both one’s professional and personal life.

Furthermore, the research showed that those two forms of satisfaction are positively correlated. — one spur on the other.

Hybrid work, with its core emphasis on work-life balance, fosters happier and more fulfilled employees. When individuals feel supported and in control of their work and personal arrangements, they experience reduced stress levels and increased satisfaction overall.

This positive mindset and emotional well-being spill over into their role as parents, enabling them to be more patient, attentive, and emotionally available for their children.

The same is true the other way around — a flourishing family life contributes towards a flourishing professional life.

4. Hybrid work is about being present

Down to its essence, hybrid work is a system that helps people be more present in the two most important areas of their lives: work and home.

In a traditional office setting, parents can miss out on key moments that are developing in their children’s lives.

In a traditional home setting (fully remote work), employees are missing out on key moments that are developing in their teams and work communities.

Marrying those two things is the ultimate goal of hybrid work, and the result is employees who are more present and intentional in both their work life and family lives.

Striking a balance between professional aspirations and family responsibilities is no longer an elusive dream — it’s a tangible reality.

Don’t get me wrong — there are challenges. How do you set boundaries between personal and work life? How do you stay distraction-free at home?

Though we don’t yet have all the answers — I guarantee you we’ll find them in nuance and balance, not in strict mandates or rigid systems.

Recently, the debate has turned towards a so-called flexibility divide in modern working culture. Some companies are forcing people into the office, while others are championing remote work.

We need to stop thinking of one-size-fits-all solutions. Everyone is different, and everyone leads their own complex lives — both inside and outside of work.

That’s why hybrid work is such an important formula — and one I hope you consider for your team and organization.

Author bio

Dan Bladen

Dan is at the helm of Kadence with a sole mission to turn workplaces into vibrant, happy spaces where everyone can thrive. When he’s not busy changing the world of work, you’ll find Dan soaking up the natural, untamed beauty of California’s outdoors with his family on camping adventures.

Who Should Own Working Hybrid at Your Company? The Pros and Cons of Each

Posted on April 28, 2023March 1, 2024 by Dan Bladen

Earlier this week, we ran a LinkedIn poll. The question was simple: who is running Working Hybrid in your company?

Results started pouring in CEO, Facility Manager, Head of People, and IT department — they were all in the mix. Yet not one of them was poking their head out as a clear winner.

This alone is a compelling insight. As strong as the momentum currently is towards hybrid ways of working, it seems there’s still a collective uncertainty around who exactly is meant to own the process of implementing and overseeing the ins and outs of hybrid work.

Let’s look at who the candidates are — and why they are in a prime position to take on the challenge of helping their company transition to Working Hybrid.

The CEO

The CEO is our first candidate – and perhaps the most obvious.

Hybrid work presents a fundamental alteration of how a company sees itself, its people, and its space — and such a profound change needs to be met at the top executive level.

Furthermore, the transition to hybrid has implications for so much of a company’s operational framework — from its use and management of real estate to its work culture and operating software — that it requires someone with an extensive knowledge base and skill set to properly oversee it.

The CEO is the person ultimately responsible for the success or failure of a business, and you could argue that it is therefore their job to oversee the implementation of hybrid work.

Pros:

Great to have top-level ownership of a core business strategy
Wide skill set and knowledge to manage all facets of implementation

Cons:

Risks of getting bogged down in the day-to-day
Less “people-focused” and more “business-focused”

The COO

Next up is the COO. The person whose job it is to oversee the day-to-day operations of the organization — and someone who could be instrumental in the successful implementation of hybrid work.

The transition to hybrid work represents a complete shift in an organization’s management of its resources — the chief of which is its people and spaces.

The office has become a tool for work, rather than a platform, and the main platform has now become time.

Negotiating this conceptual shift is something that the COO would be more than capable of handling. With their strong communication skills, connection to all department heads, and intimate knowledge of large and smaller-scale work processes, the COO would be a top candidate for helping implement the right tool for hybrid work and overseeing its effective use.

Pros:

Deeply aligned with the day-to-day operations of the company
Can ensure that processes and systems are in place to support remote work and in-person collaboration

Cons:

May not have a comprehensive understanding of the needs of individuals, or technical challenges
May not have the skill set to manage all facets of implementation

The CTO/Tech Lead

I know what you’re thinking. What does technology have to do with such an operational question?

Hear us out. Hybrid work doesn’t just represent a change in a workplace’s physical routines and rituals. The proper implementation of hybrid work involves installing software that assists you on every step of your hybrid journey — from desk booking and room booking to smart scheduling and team coordination.

Such an installation could be daunting — especially if handled by the wrong person.

That’s where the CTO comes in. With their technical expertise, the tech lead of a company could ensure that their chosen hybrid software works seamlessly alongside the rest of a company’s technical catalog — whether it be integrating with Microsoft Teams, Slack, or any number of digital tools.

Pros:

Best placed to manage hybrid software and integrations

Cons:

Detached from the operational / people-focused reality of hybrid work
Distracts from product-related technical issues

The Facility Manager

Another figure who could be crucial to a company’s hybrid transition is the Facility / Office Manager.

The Facility Manager is the person responsible for ensuring an organization’s physical spaces are configured to support the workforce.

In the era of hybrid work, this responsibility is particularly important. With a workforce fluctuating between remote and in-person work, the office has developed a whole new identity: a flexible, malleable hub that caters to the complex schedules of its residents.

Such an office needs to be carefully designed, and even more carefully managed. It should feel like a destination workplace, with a biophilic design and carefully placed office neighborhoods. It should also be set up to prioritize energy conservation — with thoughtful consideration for low-use zones and a plan to raise the office’s overall energy efficiency.

The Facility Manager is perfectly placed to mark out the office as a place for productivity and fulfillment in a company’s new hybrid work model.

Pros:

Familiar with the physical workspace and can ensure it is configured to support fluctuating workforce

Cons:

Not so in tune with higher level functions of hybrid work — from a financial/operational perspective
Wouldn’t be best placed to manage hybrid work software and its introduction

The Head of People

Call this person what you will — Head of HR, Chief People Officer, Chief of Staff — they are another clear candidate for managing and owning the transition to hybrid.

Hybrid work is fundamentally about people (just read the manifesto!). It’s about ensuring that each individual in the company feels supported in their own unique way — so that they can flourish in whatever working environment suits them best.

Enter HR. With such a strong connection to people — and their satisfaction in work and beyond — it feels like a no-brainer that they should somehow be involved when it comes to overseeing a change that affects every single person in the company.

HR representatives could ensure employees are set up to be just as effective from their homes, oversee the complexities of their working requirements, and provide adequate onboarding and training to employees who are less familiar with the processes of hybrid work.

Pros:

Deeply aligned with the needs of employees
Can provide much-needed training and support

Cons:

Less focused on the management of the physical workspace
Not a stakeholder in the financial implications of working hybrid, or technical requirements for software

The Chief Hybrid Officer

The Chief Hybrid Officer is a new role that companies are turning to in their attempt to give justice to the complex challenge presented by the transition to working hybrid.

As you’ve hopefully now seen — the person tasked with implementing hybrid work needs to have an exceptional skill set, ranging from solid business acumen and operational nous to the ability to manage a physical workspace and digital software.

Such a wide-ranging assignment could well be handled by an existing employee — but it would seriously risk distracting them from their core work. Furthermore, it could mean under-delivering on the potential of a well-implemented hybrid system.

The Chief Hybrid Officer would own this process from start to finish. Their goal would be to maximize the impact of the hybrid work model, from championing employee well-being and satisfaction to cutting down real estate costs and helping a company’s ESG mission.

Pros:

Holistic approach to the hybrid transition
Full ownership of all relevant areas, including implications

Cons:

Difficult to hire for the position
Smaller companies may struggle to justify the role

The responsibility for implementing and managing hybrid work in an organization can fall to a variety of roles — from the CTO to the Chief of Staff.

Yet there’s no right answer. Every organization is different, and every team has its specific circumstances and requirements for transitioning to a new way of working.

When deciding upon whom the responsibility falls to implement hybrid work, we recommend assessing your company on several different fronts:

Your company’s size and capacity for a new executive role
The relative financial impact hybrid work could have on you
The importance of environmental impact and optimization to your company
The day-to-day capacity of C-level executives for a sizeable new project

Our mission at Kadence is to help companies navigate this complex world. Whether it’s giving advice on the proper way to educate your employees about hybrid work, or helping implement software that will act as your guiding light in the transition — we’d love to be part of your journey.

Author Bio

Dan Bladen

Hybrid OS: Your Company’s Hybrid Workplace Operating System

Posted on April 21, 2023March 1, 2024 by Dan Bladen

Have you installed your Hybrid Workplace Operating System yet?

Hybrid OS: the new hybrid workplace operating system that countless businesses worldwide depend on to help manage their people, projects, and spaces.

Now, of course, we don’t mean an actual operating system (like Mac or Windows). But it’s high time we began to view hybrid work — the policy, not the loose concept — as a platform that is just as fundamental to business as the way operating software is to computers.

Let’s take a look at 5 surprising parallels between hybrid work and a computer’s operating system.

1. They both provide the foundational framework

Just as an operating system provides the foundation for software and applications to run on a computer, a well-implemented hybrid policy establishes the fundamental structure for how a company operates.

Not only does it provide the rules and processes for a company’s core work practices, but hybrid work ensures that every single employee in the company is working from the same platform and basis — and that they are empowered to flourish from that platform.

The importance of this framework cannot be understated: with uncertainty at an all-time high in the working world, hybrid work ushers in much-needed structure and stability.

2. Their primary goal is optimization

An operating system acts as the brain of the computer — with optimization as its primary goal. It manages the computer’s resources as efficiently as possible — from memory and processing to storage and task coordination.

In the same way, hybrid work acts as the brain of a business. Tools for hybrid work manage the whole catalog of resources overseen by a company — from its employees and their work Kadences to its physical workplace and office neighborhoods. Hybrid ensures a company is optimized across all of its processes.

Modern computers run smoothly only because of the work put in by their operating systems in the background. The same applies to hybrid work.

Hybrid work is like the operating system of a computer: it’s the adaptable framework that ensures a business can run smoothly and efficiently

3. They both adapt to the needs of their environment

Operating systems are built to adapt to changing conditions, such as software updates, hardware upgrades, or the installation of new applications.

See the parallel? Hybrid work is implemented precisely to adapt to an ever-changing workforce and professional environment.

Its intrinsic flexibility allows companies to cater to the unique needs of each individual — whether that be in specific circumstances necessitated by a new hire, or the evolving needs of existing employees or teams. (Or indeed external conditions like, dare we say, a global pandemic!)

Every company is composed of unique individuals. The more your operating system understands them and molds to them, the higher your chances of individual and collective success.

4. Coordination and communication run in their DNA

An operating system is designed to facilitate communication between hardware and software components within a computer. It even lays down the language for these different components to speak to one another, learn from one another, and develop together.

A well-implemented hybrid policy does exactly this. With the right software in your employees’ hands, you’ll find team coordination and communication reach an entirely new level.

Meeting management; desk booking; office attendance; and equipment usage: hybrid work synchronizes the key communication lines of a company and ensures everyone is speaking the same language. This openness is crucial to building a healthy and efficient business.

5. They provide an actionable user interface

An operating system’s user interface affects how users interact with the computer. It enables each user to make a concrete decision regarding their next move — and allows them to plan several steps.

Hybrid work tools offer similar benefits. In giving employees an actual dashboard for their company and colleagues’s work processes and schedules — they can take concrete steps towards organizing their own time and work schedules more effectively.

Seeing starred colleagues and their planned attendance, or where relevant meetings are scheduled to happen, lets each team member know when it’s worth them coming into the office — so they never have to waste another commute. An operating system provides the whole interface and dialogue for important day-to-day decision-making to happen.

A Kadence screen shot of the homepage dashboard within the Kadence Web app

If you are interested in how exactly to upgrade your company’s operating system, and how best to implement hybrid work policies, we’d love to hear from you. Don’t hesitate to get in touch!

Author bio

Dan Bladen

The Hybrid Manifesto: Principles for Hybrid Work

Posted on February 1, 2023March 21, 2024 by Dan Bladen

This post is a summary of the Hybrid Manifesto – a guide to a flourishing Hybrid Workplace Policy. For the full manifesto, please visit hybridmanifesto.org

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What is The Hybrid Manifesto?

The Hybrid Manifesto is a document that sets out the guiding principles for implementing hybrid workplace policy. It aims to provide companies with a framework for creating a work environment that benefits their People, Profits, and the Planet.

Why did we write it?

We are at a crossroads in time.

With the availability of tools for fully remote work, people no longer need to commute to offices to do their jobs.

However, coming together in person has its own set of unique benefits, such as accomplishing shared goals, connecting as human beings, and building community.

The question is — how do you balance those two things? It’s a daunting task, especially when you’re doing it without the right support.

That’s why we wrote the Hybrid Manifesto.

At Kadence, we’ve helped countless organizations manage the transition to hybrid work over the last few years.

We wanted to use our knowledge to make it easier for every single organization on the planet to understand the foundations and principles behind hybrid work, and give them a framework to optimize their work environment through a hybrid workplace policy.

What are the foundational pillars of hybrid work?

The Hybrid Manifesto defines four key pillars that are essential for successful hybrid work: Trust, Alignment, Execution, and Flourishing.

Trust is the foundation for all team health and performance, and is established through effective, transparent communication.

Alignment ensures that everyone is rowing in the same direction, in sync with their team members and the company.

Execution means that everyone on the team is able to articulate the strategy of the organization and execute it.

Flourishing is the commitment of a hybrid organization to the long-term health of People, Profits, and the Planet.

Building these foundations in an organization has some important long-term benefits.

What are the key benefits of hybrid work?

The Hybrid Manifesto promotes the three key benefits of hybrid work:

1. Shared vision above corporate controls

Personal goals and company goals are aligned, as opposed to being “top-down”

2. Situational flexibility above rigidity and repetitiveness

Empowering people to choose where to work yields better performance and happier employees

3. Meaningful collaboration above individual burnout

The social role of collaboration is protected and valued as an important work tool

By implementing the principles outlined in the manifesto, organizations can achieve increased productivity, reduced burnout, and greater employee retention. Learn more about the Hybrid Manifesto here and how it can benefit your organization.

If you are a company thinking about transitioning to hybrid work, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team.

Why 63% of High Growth Companies Are Going Hybrid in 2023

Posted on January 19, 2023 by Dan Bladen

As we buckle up for the toughest financial conditions since 2008, attention in the working world is turning towards optimization.

Plenty of businesses are going with the tried and tested formula: cut jobs, save cash, improve profitability and hope for an increase in share price.

But there’s a crucial component missing. While slashing jobs may be a quick fix, it doesn’t solve deeper underlying problems around productivity and efficiency.

Enter hybrid. The work system 63% of the highest growth companies are choosing for 2023.

Getting on top of your work culture, and viewing it as a fundamental factor behind optimization, performance and growth, will help ensure your company doesn’t fall behind this year.

Save big on real estate

Real estate is at the forefront of hybrid’s powerful proposition to companies looking for optimization strategies this year.

Business leaders in a post pandemic world are looking between their workforce and their office space, at a loss for what to do. The ebb and flow of office goers can be so unpredictable that it’s hard to know what kind of space is right for the business.

Yet it can’t go on forever. Sizeable monthly rent payments are the uncomfortable reminder that you’re paying for a lot of unused space.

That’s where hybrid comes in. Implementing a tool to help manage your desk space and collaborative projects has three immediate outcomes for the office:

More people will come in, more regularly
The office will come alive again
You’ll have a clearer understanding of the real use of your space

A combination of these three outcomes will give you unprecedented insight into the role your office plays in your company.

Finally, after all this time going back and forth, the real numbers will sit right in front of you. We only need 18 desks to operate at maximum efficiency, so why not move to a smaller office and really invest in that space?

At Kadence, we’ve seen that story time and time again. We’re in the privileged position to be helping companies first hand when it comes to uncovering exactly how their space is being used, and where the opportunity for cost optimization lies. (On that note, why not try our ROI savings calculator to see what your margins might look like?)

Implementing the right hybrid work system sooner rather than later is the first step to making considerable savings on your company’s office space.

Bring out the best in home and office

When it comes to optimizing on performance, hybrid has a deeply important role to play.

By treating remote work and in person work as two separate entities with their unique benefits, implementing a hybrid system will not only bring out the best in both worlds – it’ll mean employees actually enjoy the process of work again.

Meetings where collaboration and co-creation are expected will be conducted in person. Workshops, brainstorms, high level strategy sessions and cross-functional all hands are all perfect examples of the kinds of meetings that are so much more efficient – and enjoyable – when hosted in person.

On the other hand, remote work will still be a valuable refuge for deep concentration and focus work. It’s just a fact that some employees prefer getting into the flow in their own spaces – and why shouldn’t they? As long as those employees play a part in the physical meetings where they can add unique value, they should be empowered to deliver high quality work wherever they see fit.

Every employee is different, and everyone has their own specific rituals and needs. Companies doing hybrid right will discover that it has a profound impact on performance, because their employees will feel empowered to deliver high value work in the way that works for them.

Rediscover community and boost motivation

In the section on real estate, I hinted at the fact that hybrid work will make an office feel alive again. But how?

Managing a physical space better will mean that the traffic of people coming in and out becomes a whole lot more structured. From offices that resemble graveyards on Tuesdays and coffee shops on Fridays, companies will find that implementing a hybrid tool helps their office spaces develop a familiar rhythm once more.

If you also make sure to take good care of the space, and turn it into a destination workplace, you’ll quickly see your office become a community again. A thriving social entity that builds relationships and acts as a huge source of motivation and support.

With all the talk about quiet quitting and under-performing, it feels like it’s high time for businesses to take serious steps towards revitalizing their workforce.

Hybrid will do just that — helping companies rediscover their communities, boost motivation, and ultimately further optimize their employees’ performance. A flourishing workforce means a flourishing business.

Implement the right hybrid tool

I’ve made the case for why hybrid should be a key part of your optimization plans this year.

But the final missing link is precisely what implementation of hybrid work you go for. It’s a big decision that can mean the difference between a glorified Google Calendar and a nuanced piece of software that goes above and beyond simple desk booking.

Here at Kadence, we’re committed to helping you find just the kind of system that will help your employees and business flourish in trying times.

If you’d like to learn more about hybrid work, and tools that help you coordinate your team, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We’d love to hear your story and provide whatever help we can.

5 new product features to boost your return-to-workplace plan

Posted on June 4, 2021October 2, 2023 by Luke Christian-Farman

While workplace leaders may be eager for their people to return to the office, some employees are still feeling unsure, and enjoyed the comforts of working from home. The workplace should be a place people want to return to, and you can start with offering solutions that address their concerns, and tools that make the experience seamless and better.

Here are some of our new product features to help you and your teams navigate through your return-to-work plans:

Quicker sign-on for faster adoption
Faster on-boarding with directory sync
Delegate booking for easier collaboration
Auto desk release to improve availability
Building insights to optimize spaces

Quicker sign-on for faster adoption

To create the best workplace experience for your people, we make it simple for workplace managers to integrate with their existing workplace systems or workflows. Users can now login with single sign-on, meaning there’s no need for registration as the authentication is managed by your SSO integration. Keeping the onboarding flow easy and seamless also lowers friction for employees and helps increase adoption.

Faster on-boarding with directory sync

Workplace managers can sync with their preferred directory to automatically provision users without having to invite them individually, so that organizations can sync all of their employees’ records in just a few clicks.

We take our data privacy and security responsibilities very seriously, and only store data that is absolutely necessary. With our single sign-on and directory sync integrations, workplace managers no longer need to keep track of different sets of corporate credentials, eliminating the risk of identity or password theft, giving peace of mind to both the organization and users.

Delegate booking for easier collaboration

Effective desk booking software should always do the heavy lifting for you – making it easy for employees to find and book the right spaces they need. With our latest release, team managers, personal assistants, and admins can now book spaces on behalf of others within their team to make on-site collaboration and management frictionless and simple.

Auto desk release to improve availability

With a lower office capacity in the new normal workplace, there is a greater need to use data to understand how desks are being used, and make better data-driven office space planning decisions moving forward. With our latest release, admins can now set desks to release after a specified elapsed time if an employee hasn’t checked in to their booking – to eliminate recurring ghost bookings and improve overall desk availability.

Building insights to optimize spaces

To create the best workplace experience for your people, you first need to understand the way your spaces are currently used, and the needs of your employees. Our ‘Building’ insights dashboard gives you an overview of occupancy across any building, floor, or office neighborhood, and lets you compare how spaces are being used by selecting the data you need:

Future bookings
Actual check-ins
Wasted bookings (no-shows or early check-outs)
Daily capacity insights to keep a close eye on busy areas and allocate resources accordingly

Find out more about Kadence analytics here

Book a demo with one of our team today to see how Kadence’s desk booking software could help you create an effective hybrid workplace.