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The Power of Digital Workspaces in 2024

Business LeadershipTechnology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Digital workspaces are increasingly becoming powerful additions to the realm of remote and hybrid work. In the simplest of terms, these digital spaces allow employees to work remotely or from anywhere with an internet connection, rather than being tied to a specific physical location.

In recent years, the adoption of digital workspaces has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced many companies to adopt remote work policies. However, even before the pandemic, the trend towards digital workspaces was already on the rise, driven by factors such as the increasing availability of advanced communication and collaboration technologies, the rising costs of real estate, and the desire for greater flexibility and work-life balance.

Today, the digital workspace model is now permanent, no matter how many executives believe they can ignore the spectrum of flexibility that has become synonymous with post-pandemic working.

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The Power of Digital Workspaces in 2023

Business LeadershipTechnology and Innovation by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Digital workspaces are increasingly becoming powerful additions to the realm of remote and hybrid work. In the simplest of terms, these digital spaces allow employees to work remotely or from anywhere with an internet connection, rather than being tied to a specific physical location.

In recent years, the adoption of digital workspaces has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced many companies to adopt remote work policies. However, even before the pandemic, the trend towards digital workspaces was already on the rise, driven by factors such as the increasing availability of advanced communication and collaboration technologies, the rising costs of real estate, and the desire for greater flexibility and work-life balance.

Ardent Partners and Future of Work Exchange research in 2023 finds that nearly 80% of businesses across the globe experienced a greater number of remote and hybrid workers in 2022, a stat that represents something deeper about this type of work model: it’s now permanent, no matter how many executives believe they can ignore the spectrum of flexibility that has become synonymous with post-pandemic working.

The adoption of digital workspaces has not been without its challenges, however. One of the biggest challenges has been the need to adapt to new technologies and ways of working, especially as many executive leaders continue to push for return-to-office initiatives. For many workers, the transition to remote work has required a significant learning curve, as they have had to figure out how to stay connected and collaborate with their colleagues without the benefit of face-to-face interactions.

Another challenge has been the need to balance the demands of work with the demands of home life, as many people have had to set up makeshift offices in their homes. This can be especially difficult for those with children or other family responsibilities, who may struggle to find the time and space to focus on their work. Thus, the elements of work-life integration will continue to be a critical issue for enterprises that enable a flexible working environment for their talent.

Despite these issues, there are many benefits to digital workspaces. One of the most obvious advantages is the ability to work from anywhere, which can be especially appealing to people who live in high-cost cities like New York, Chicago, Boston, etc. Digital workspaces also offer greater flexibility and autonomy, as employees are not tied to a specific schedule or location. This can lead to increased productivity and job satisfaction (two factors that play vital roles in talent retention efforts), as employees are able to customize their work environments to fit their needs and preferences.

And, with innovation at play, digital workspaces can offer so much more than a flexible, automated, and collaborative environment for remote and hybrid employees. As seen with Vista Equity Partners and Evergreen Coast Capital’s acquisition of digital workspace leader Citrix last year, the convergence of virtual desktop technology and advanced, real-time intelligence (as well as other forms of automation) can provide business users with an additional layer of value. The Citrix deal proved that (with TIBCO (a Vista portfolio company)), digital workspaces can be seamlessly integrated with various applications and data across the enterprise technology infrastructure of the contemporary enterprise…meaning that businesses have the ability to shift a true office environment onto a remote infrastructure without losing control over intellectual property and data whilst giving flexible workers the same strength of access to enterprise systems that they would have in the office.

Overall, it is clear that digital workspaces are here to stay. As more and more companies adopt remote work policies, it is important for employees and employers to find ways to adapt to this new way of working. This may require a rethinking of traditional work practices and the use of new technologies, but the benefits of digital workspaces – including greater flexibility, cost savings, and, with a push from next generation automation, frictionless integration of applications and intelligence – prove that their power is critical for success in 2023.

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BEST OF 2022: Flexibility Is a Catalyst for the Next Great Iteration of the Workplace

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on

[The Future of Work Exchange will be back next week with all-new content and insights to kick off the new year. Until then, enjoy our “Best Of” series that revisits some of our most-read articles from 2022.]

There’s enough discussion around the technological components of the Future of Work movement: artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, digital staffing, etc. While “innovation” in and of itself is one of the three major foundational legs of the Future of Work (the other two being “the evolution of talent” and “the transformation of business thinking”), there’s so much more to the very notion of work optimization than just automation and new technology.

As we’ve learned over the past two-plus years, the workplace itself has become a living, breathing entity that has the power to determine the overall productivity of a business, and, more importantly, how emotionally tethered the workforce is to the greater organization. For the record, it’s not just a matter if or when a business offers remote or hybrid work options, but rather how deeply rooted flexibility truly is within all facets of how work is done and how the workforce is ultimately managed.

Now would be the best time to bring up the annoying factor in every business-related conversation: “The Great Resignation” continues unabated, sparked by a veritable “Talent Revolution” that has restructured the way workers perceive their jobs, roles, and career paths. The very concept of flexibility is not just a “perk” for talent; it’s become a determining factor in whether or not a professional chooses to remain with an enterprise or search for greener pastures.

From here, flexibility is catalyst for the next great iteration of the workplace. There are undeniable roots from the larger idea of flexibility, including empathy-led leadership (more flexibility in how leaders lead), leveraging new models to get work done (distributed teams, new functional collaboration, etc.), more humanity within the fabric of the workplace, and, of course, more malleability in where workers work (remote work, hybrid workplace, etc.).

And, when we bring up this idea of “flexibility,” it doesn’t just translate into specific aspects of the workplace, but rather all of them. That’s right: the next iteration of the workplace centers on how work is done rather than on archaic principles of control and authority, including:

  • Promoting an inclusive workplace that welcomes and values all voices, no matter their differences, disabilities, etc.
  • Relying on empathy-led and conscious leadership that takes into account worker emotions and perceptions.
  • Offering various outlets of paid leave (maternity, paternity, wellness, etc.).
  • Embracing flexible work models, including fresh takes on shift-based work, four-day work-weeks, collaborative-led schedules, etc.
  • Supporting remote and hybrid work options (including offering proper hardware, software, leadership support, etc.).
  • Augmenting these remote and hybrid models with digital workspaces.
  • Measuring both employee engagement and productivity, and;
  • Detailing flexible work options within new job requisitions (to attract talent).
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The Impact of the Metaverse on the Business Arena

Technology and Innovation by John Yuva on

The metaverse. It is widely accepted that science fiction novelist Neal Stephenson first coined the term “metaverse” in his 1992 novel Snow Crash, where characters access a 3D world through VR goggles. More recently, Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Ready Player One provided a visual interpretation of the metaverse (The Oasis) with multiple worlds populated by avatars in every describable form. While we’re still years away from realizing the depictions of the metaverse in novels and film, today’s metaverse provides an exciting glimpse of what’s on the horizon for virtual engagement and the future of work.

Metaverse Defined

What is the metaverse? Simply stated, it is a virtual world(s) where people interact as 3D avatars, gaming, socializing, and working. That immersive experience is made possible by several technologies. Virtual reality and head-mounted displays, coupled with spatial technology and augmented reality bring the immersion to life. Other technologies like blockchain, artificial intelligence, and machine learning act as the brains for the metaverse, enriching the virtual environment through automated transactions, decision-making, and world-building.

The metaverse ecosystem is a vast network of hundreds of companies from a variety of industries all working toward developing specific metaverse attributes — infrastructure, economy, user experience, etc. And there are many metaverse platforms (e.g., Decentraland, The Sandbox, etc.) to put your virtual stake in the ground as no one owns the metaverse (yet).

Transition from Gaming to Business

Much of the metaverse is rooted in gaming. Unsurprisingly, children (and adults) are well-versed with virtual worlds through Minecraft (140 million monthly players), Fortnite (250 million-plus active users), and Roblox (30 million daily players). This bodes well for future generations adapting to the virtual world of work.  As consumers take several steps into the virtual realm with products like Meta’s Oculus and HTC’s VIVE, corporations are now moving closer to their own metaverse offerings. McDonald’s, Nike, Amazon, and companies in sectors like healthcare, finance, and hospitality are taking the plunge into the virtual expanse.

The culmination of virtual worlds leads to a vast decentralized multiverse of metaverses. The Meta metaverse, the Microsoft metaverse, the Nike metaverse, and so on. Does the future hold a centralized, singular metaverse where users can interact with other virtual platforms outside their metaverse sandbox? Whether it’s attending a virtual conference, reviewing specifications with a global supplier, or brainstorming at a virtual corporate retreat, the ability to engage other metaverses or link them together could forever alter business and the future of work as we know it.

A Virtual Work Future

The pandemic itself propelled the world’s workforce into remote work, ushering in a new normal where video conferencing replaced in-person interaction and collaboration. Today, as many companies recalibrate, there’s an urge to bring remote workers back into the office. Instead, now is the time to embrace hybrid and remote work as the future that it is. The timing for the metaverse could not have been better. It has the potential to offer not only enhanced remote workforce experiences but entirely new business models. Here are just a few examples of how the metaverse could impact and revolutionize the future of work.

  • Talent recruitment. Recruiting talent can become a more immersive experience for candidates through virtual and augmented reality. Application submittals could launch a link to a virtual environment that allows virtual interaction with human resources or company recruiters. Using augmented reality, candidates might be asked to complete certain virtual tasks related to the job. Results of those exercises can provide greater insight into viable candidates and narrow the talent pool to gold and silver applicants.
  • Employee onboarding. Company onboarding can be hit or miss. Some enterprises have a specific onboarding process, complete with presentations and meet and greets. What some companies fail to realize is that onboarding is the first official interaction with a new hire. If that process is disorganized or nonexistent, retention rates could suffer. The metaverse can automate the onboarding experience, bringing to life virtually how the company operates, its mission, and how a new hire’s work is purposeful in achieving enterprise objectives.
  • New Zealand-based UneeQ, for example, specializes in the development of digital humans who serve as AI-powered customer experience ambassadors. With this technology, a company can create a virtual onboarding experience using digital humans to automate the process of introducing new hires to all that the company has to offer.
  • Team collaboration. Much of the metaverse is about social interaction. Critics of remote work and the ability to collaborate effectively are missing the bigger picture. Virtual collaborative technologies are now available from dozens of providers (e.g., Gather and NOWHERE) that are innovating the space. Whether it’s creating a virtual workroom or lounge, gathering our digital selves (avatars) together for brainstorming and deep learning can bring a sense of immersive that can’t be replicated in a 2D Zoom session. One could argue that utilizing cutting-edge virtual technology to collaborate may result in even more out-of-the-box thinking.
  • Training and development. Using virtual and augmented reality, coupled with gamification, training and development can be redefined. Enter a 3D space to learn how to operate a new machine or medical device using haptic gloves to replicate the feeling of a physical object. Or attend a virtual training session followed by activities that test what was learned. All of these examples can be enhanced with gamification elements to build excitement and participation around T&D. Earning virtual badges for completed training modules or high scores on virtual tasks, for example, are ways that companies are flipping the script on learning and development and increasing employee engagement with the process.

The metaverse holds incredible promise for enterprises and the future of work. Part Two on the metaverse will explore how organizations can use virtual reality for product development and operational efficiencies, as well as the emergence of virtual enterprises and economies.

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Malcolm Gladwell and the Very Bad Remote Work Take

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Quick question for you: if you’re working on something critical for organization from your home office, do you think it matters if you’re wearing pajamas or loungewear rather than traditional office attire?

Well, of course not. But Malcolm Gladwell does. Here’s some of his commentary on the Diary of a CEO podcast (and as transcribed by The New York Post):

“It’s not in your best interest to work at home,” he said. “I know it’s a hassle to come into the office, but if you’re just sitting in your pajamas in your bedroom, is that the work life you want to live?”

“Don’t you want to feel part of something?” I’m really getting very frustrated with the inability of people in positions of leadership to explain this effectively to their employees.”

“If we don’t feel like we’re part of something important, what’s the point?” he said. “If it’s just a paycheck, then it’s like what have you reduced your life to?”

Let’s get this out of the way first: Gladwell has been a huge success in the world of innovative business thinking. He’s a trendsetter, a unique thinker, and a talented writer. To be very clear, he also has multiple known and proven conflicts that show his many of opinions may be less genuine than his writing suggests.

When it comes to the viability of remote work, he’s also a hypocrite who has spent 10,000 hours working from home (from a 2005 feature at The Guardian):

By leaving his desk behind, Malcolm says that he’s been able to disassociate writing from work. “It seems like a fun activity now. Kind of casual. It’s been more seamlessly integrated into my life and that’s made it much more pleasurable. I never want to be at a desk again.”

And, also from that feature:

Malcolm says: “I hate desks. Desks are now banished.” He starts the day writing at home, but this is always done from his sofa, using his laptop. “I work better when I’m comfortable,” he says. After a stint on the sofa, it’s out into the world.

I’ve been an admirer of most of Malcolm Gladwell’s work over the past 20 years. He has long been considered a visionary, someone who can look beyond the limitations of business thinking and provide value and innovation to leaders who want their organizations to thrive.

Last week’s take on remote work, to be brutally honest, is Gladwell being a contrarian (or propagandist – see below). By saying “It’s not in your best interest to work from home,” he is literally telling his millions of followers that a critical attribute of their work-life integration over the past two-and-a-half years is not the ideal way to work and operate. And, on top of that, as the workforce continues to traverse even more into the realm of humanity, Gladwell is opposed to talented professionals working in an environment that has proven to improve productivity, enhance talent retention, and increase company revenue. (Note: he says he works better when he’s comfortable,, but just re-read his recent quotes from last week at the top of this article.)

Gladwell says that he believes that not working in an office means we’re not “part of something important.” How can anyone, let alone someone that was once a business visionary, publicly state that working from a home office, no matter the rigor or the hours or the effort or the productivity or the late nights or the weekends spent on a laptop, means there’s nothing important that they’re linked to?

The stubborn frame of mind spouted by Gladwell is the literal antithesis of the Future of Work movement. The Future of Work is based on agility, humanity, flexibility, and purpose. Remote work (and hybrid workspaces) promote every one of those aspects.

Gladwell links home office attire (particularly pajamas) to “work life.” How many of you reading this right now have put together tremendously successful projects while in leggings or sweatpants? How many of you have developed innovative solutions, services, or products late at night while wearing a hoodie and shorts? Is there a cat on your lap when you take a video call?

I wrote most of the recent VMS Technology Advisor, a highly-complex project with thousands of data points and insights, in Under Armor shorts and various mono-colored t-shirts from the Gap. Many of the articles on this site were written in that type of attire. I’ve delivered many presentations on video and no one would know that, while I seemed to be wearing a dress shirt, there were athletic shorts below the camera. Even over video conferences, we can see each other’s faces and feel emotion. We can smile and laugh along with jokes together even if we’re hundreds of miles away from each other.

And, finally, regarding the notion of “being part of something”: I and so many others are already part of something. I’m part of a team of individuals whose talent is outstanding (hi, Ardent Partners family!). I’m part of an industry with so many individuals that I can call friends…most of which I haven’t seen in years in-person yet the distance doesn’t affect our fondness and connections. I am a part of a family with an amazing wife and two kids under 10 years old, who I have the ability to walk to the bus stop, cook dinner, help with homework, and read books.

Honestly, it is no surprise that Gladwell, the well-known author (and lesser known tobacco industry propagandist and longtime cigarette apologist) is pandering to the anti-remote work community. One question worth asking is whether or not he is being compensated (by, say, pension funds and other investors in corporate real estate?) for his contrarian’s take on a core Future of Work attribute? (After all, no less than Adweek once asked, “Was Malcolm Gladwell in the Pocket of Big Tobacco?“) It is absurd to think that Gladwell is being genuine here. He’s been wrong on tobacco, and now, he’s wrong on remote work.

Either way, he is criticizing an accelerant that has literally transformed the way we work, connect, collaborate, etc. And, clearly, the analysis behind his take does not account for the millions of workers across the globe that have experienced a newfound sense of flexibility within their lives that they have never felt before, allowing them to spend more time with family and friends, attend important events that they would have otherwise missed because of awful commutes, and, of course, the malleable schedules that have enabled them to optimize they way they work and live.

It’s in their best interests to work from home, after all.

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Why Hybrid Work Works

Business LeadershipTechnology and Innovation by Featured Contributor on

[Today’s guest contribution was written by Tim Minahan, EVP Strategy and Chief Marketing Officer at Citrix.]

Employees given the flexibility to work both in an office and at home report higher levels of engagement, productivity and well-being.

Whether businesses like it or not, hybrid work is here to stay, and employees like it. And whether they believe it or not, the model is working. Research shows that hybrid workers – those who work partly in an office and partly remote – are more productive and engaged than employees who are entirely office-based or fully remote. They also report better well-being – both physical and mental – and feel more positive about their organization.

Despite the evidence and clear benefits that hybrid work can deliver, many companies are still grappling with whether and how to implement it. Some business leaders feel that real work can’t get done outside the office. But if implemented properly, flexible work models can lead to a more productive, healthy workforce.

More Productive

As revealed by Work Rebalanced, a poll of 900 business leaders and 1,800 knowledge workers around the world conducted by Citrix, 69 percent of hybrid workers feel productive, compared to 64 percent of remote workers and 59 percent of in-office employees. Further,

  • 69 percent of hybrid workers feel engaged, compared to 56 percent of remote workers and 51 percent of in-office employees.
  • 73 percent of hybrid workers are positive about their personal performance, as compared to 69 percent of remote workers and 65 percent of in-office employees.

More Connected

Hybrid workers also view their jobs and employers more favorably than their peers.

  • 71 percent of hybrid workers surveyed say they have a strong emotional connection to their team and immediate colleagues which motivates them to work harder, compared to 63 percent of in-office employees and 60 percent of remote workers.
  • 70 percent of hybrid workers say they have a strong emotional connection to their organization and leadership team, compared to 60 percent of remote workers and 58 percent of in-office employees.
  • 69 percent of hybrid workers would recommend their employer, compared to 60 percent of remote workers and 56 percent of in-office employees.

More Balanced

The pandemic has upended the way people work and driven stress to record levels. But one thing is universal: when employees experience a state of well-being at work, they can unlock their potential, work purposefully and creatively, and make meaningful contributions to the success of the entire organization. Hybrid workers lead the way here too, with 70 percent of those who participated in Work Rebalanced reporting good well-being, compared to 61 percent of remote workers and 60 percent of in-office employees.

Empowered by Technology

When it comes to enabling hybrid work, technology is a key driver of success. Employees want access to tools that allow them to work where they want and how they need to be their most productive. And they expect their employers to deliver it.

Of critical importance is removing the noise and distractions from work that technology can create. As uncovered by Work Rebalanced, the average employee spends around 54 minutes a day dealing with technology challenges. The typical employee, for instance, needs to navigate four or more applications just to execute a single business process, and accessing them requires remembering multiple passwords and navigating a host of different interfaces.

It’s frustrating and slowing them down. But with the right solutions, IT leaders can simplify and streamline work technology to ensure that employees have the space for ‘deep work’ and focus.

The Hybrid Work Stack

Many organizations are already making efforts to do so, leveraging digital workspace solutions that allow them to:

  • Unify work – Whether at home, on plane or in an office, employees have consistent and reliable access to all the resources they need to be productive across any work channel, device or location.
  • Secure work – Contextual access and app security, ensure applications and information remain secure—no matter where work happens.
  • Simplify work – Intelligence capabilities like machine learning, virtual assistants and simplified workflows personalize, guide, and automate the work experience so employees can work free from noise and perform at their best.

IT departments are now much more focused on really understanding and meeting employee needs with the work technology that they provide and are taking more of an employee-led, design thinking approach when it comes to work tech infrastructure.

And the move is paying off, especially among hybrid workers. According to Work Rebalanced, hybrid workers feel more empowered by their work technology, with 68 percent saying that their work technology enables them to perform effectively, compared to 65 percent of remote workers and 60 percent of in-office employees.

The Future of Work

Hybrid work is the Future of Work. And as Work Rebalanced makes clear, it can create significant, positive outcomes for employees and employers alike. If given the flexibility, trust, and power to choose where and how they work best, employees will thrive. And companies that grant it will accelerate their innovation and growth.

Tim Minahan is the executive vice president, business strategy and chief marketing officer at Citrix, a leading provider of digital workspace solutions.

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Flexibility Is a Catalyst for the Next Great Iteration of the Workplace

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on

There’s enough discussion around the technological component of the Future of Work movement: artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, digital staffing, etc. While “innovation” in and of itself is one of the three major foundational legs of the Future of Work (the other two being “the evolution of talent” and “the transformation of business thinking”), there’s so much more to the very notion of work optimization than just automation and new technology.

As we’ve learned over the past two-plus years, the workplace itself has become a living, breathing entity that has the power to determine the overall productivity of a business, and, more importantly, how emotionally tethered the workforce is to the greater organization. For the record, it’s not just a matter if or when a business offers remote or hybrid work options, but rather how deeply rooted flexibility truly is within all facets of how work is done and how the workforce is ultimately managed.

Now would be the best time to bring up the annoying factor in every business-related conversation: “The Great Resignation” continues unabated, sparked by a veritable “Talent Revolution” that has restructured the way workers perceive their jobs, roles, and career paths. The very concept of flexibility is not just a “perk” for talent; it’s become a determining factor in whether or not a professional chooses to remain with an enterprise or search for greener pastures.

From here, flexibility is catalyst for the next great iteration of the workplace. There are undeniable roots from the larger idea of flexibility, including empathy-led leadership (more flexibility in how leaders lead), leveraging new models to get work done (distributed teams, new functional collaboration, etc.), more humanity within the fabric of the workplace, and, of course, more malleability in where workers work (remote work, hybrid workplace, etc.).

And, when we bring up this idea of “flexibility,” it doesn’t just translate into specific aspects of the workplace, but rather all of them. That’s right: the next iteration of the workplace centers on how work is done rather than on archaic principles of control and authority, including:

  • Promoting an inclusive workplace that welcomes and values all voices, no matter their differences, disabilities, etc.
  • Relying on empathy-led and conscious leadership that takes into account worker emotions and perceptions.
  • Offering various outlets of paid leave (maternity, paternity, wellness, etc.).
  • Embracing flexible work models, including fresh takes on shift-based work, four-day work-weeks, collaborative-led schedules, etc.
  • Supporting remote and hybrid work options (including offering proper hardware, software, leadership support, etc.).
  • Augmenting these remote and hybrid models with digital workspaces.
  • Measuring both employee engagement and productivity, and;
  • Detailing flexible work options within new job requisitions (to attract talent).

Interested in learning more about the critical role of flexibility in today’s transformative world of work? Join the Future of Work Exchange at its inaugural in-person, roundtable-styled conference on June 14 in Boston:

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Once Again, Businesses Have an Opportunity to Experiment with Workplace Strategy

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on

Although it seems as if many regions (and individuals) around the world are acting as if the pandemic is over, the hard truth is that we’re still not close to the finish line. Last week, when pandemic expert and longtime virologist Dr. Anthony Fauci clarified previous remarks and stated that the United States was out of the “acute phase” of the pandemic, it meant that businesses, professionals, and us as people were in an odd gray zone; case counts are rising, but hospitalizations are falling. We’re returning to many of the events and situations that weren’t possible last year, however, we’re still remaining cautious in specific instances.

We know what this means for us as individuals; we can make calculated risks based on our comfort levels, where we are physically within the country (local transmission levels), and our personal networks (i.e., opportunities for infect at-risk family members or friends). However, what does this mean for the typical enterprise?

Well, the Future of Work Exchange believes that this is another opportunity to experiment with how they want to operate from a workplace structure perspective. Although we’ve heard (over and over and over again) that return-to-office plans were in place, there are still tens of thousands of organizations that have still not finalized their strategy regarding how they want their work. And, those that have opened their doors to workers should hopefully be viewing the past several months as the greatest opportunity to see what works, and what doesn’t, in regards to hybrid models.

The remote vs. hybrid vs. all in-person debates have been raging since the summer of 2020, a time when both professionals and people tired of four or five months’ worth of stress, anxiety, loneliness, fear, and frustration. While there was a political storm brewing over when to ease lockdowns, business leaders faced yet another critical quandary in how they were continuing to operate in evolving, previously-unknown conditions.

Last year, I suggested that enterprise utilize their time to experiment with various workplace structures, management methods, and technology-led collaboration to see what made the most sense for when the business world ultimately called for a return to workers getting back to “normal.” While we now know that there is no normal, nor should there be, some organizations tooled with hybrid schedules, fully-remote options for specific functions, and core in-person work for roles that demanded it. There was a massive payoff to this: business leaders were able to glean the productivity benefits, flexibility, and overall worker engagement that resulted from these endeavors. Too, these organizations were also able to determine how to move forward during those uncertain times, all in preparation for when the pandemic would be at a more controllable phase.

While it’s way too early to say that the COVID-19 crisis is nearing its resolution, it is safe to assume that we have entered a more controllable state, one in which vaccines are aplenty, there are antiviral options that can have a tremendous effect on high-risk individuals, and the fact that immunity may be at its highest point. While the specter of another immunity-dodging variant looms, as does a fall and early winter surge, now is the perfect time for those organizations that haven’t experimented with new work models to do so.

What does that entail?

  • Determine which functional groups require in-person collaboration and the frequency of such coordination, then build a hybrid schedule around these meetings. Workers that crave a hybrid workplace model will be much more productive if they know that their in-office days are centered around the meetings they require, rather than wasting time at desks and cubicles on tasks and projects that can be effectively supported remotely.
  • Gauge the overall culture of the workplace and consider what needs to be done to positively engage workers. Culture is a foundational element of the Future of Work, as well as one of several crucial attributes that play vital roles in talent attraction and talent retainment. Does the organization’s culture reflect rigidity and an unwillingness to be flexible? Is this depleting morale? If so, now is the ideal time to experiment with hybrid and remote models, and, measure their effectiveness on the overall mood of the workplace.
  • Create a “beyond perks” program that is attractive to both in-office and remote workers. Some businesses are offering meal plans to those who commute to the workplace everyday, while supporting fully-remote workers with financial support for home office hardware. These small tokens may seem trivial in the greater vacuum of business, however, they can go a long way in helping workers feel like they are appreciated.
  • Understand that “safety-first” plans may still be required for at-risk individuals. While many of us have been enjoying some pre-pandemic activities, such as restaurants and concerts, there are many of us who are at-risk for severe virus outcomes (immunocomprised persons, for example). Forcing workers to appear in-person when they are at this risk of severe illness is not only irresponsible, it’s one way to lose an employee’s engagement with the workplace. Smaller and mid-sized organizations can handle these situations with specific remote or hybrid plans, while enterprise-sized companies can put together blanket guidelines that work for all at-risk workers.
  • Use this time to harness the power of digital workspace technology. Digital workspaces have become a necessity in today’s flexible working world. As remote workers continue to require access to systems, data, and intelligence, businesses will need to enhance their workspace technology to ensure that professionals can tap into the power of a more secure, more flexible, and, most importantly, a more agile, hybrid cloud infrastructure no matter where they are located.

These are just a handful of recommendations for experimenting with new workplace models. If businesses can take advantage of these next few months, they will be better equipped to pivot if required in the event of a fall or winter surge. In addition, experimenting with flexible arrangements will result in several fantastic by-products, such as an improved workplace culture and better worker engagement.

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Another Potential COVID Wave Should Permanently End Hybrid Work Hesitation

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on

I know, I know; we don’t want to hear it, especially after so many restrictions were loosened over the past several weeks. The more transmissible Omicron subvariant, called BA.2, has been causing a bit of havoc in China, the UK, and other areas that had (even recently) experienced a dramatic down-tick in virus caseloads over the past month or two.

The hard truth here is that, by utilizing wastewater analysis, we can detect increased COVID caseloads before they actually occur…and, as reported in The Wall Street Journal, things aren’t looking so rosy for the United States regarding another Omicron wave.

“The last few days have been a little worrisome,” Larry Madoff, medical director of the bureau of infectious disease and laboratory sciences at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, said late last week. “It certainly bears careful watching.”

Wastewater sampling here and at hundreds of sites nationwide is once more drawing closer scrutiny from epidemiologists worried the spread of what appears to be a yet-more-contagious version of Omicron, known as BA.2, and rising cases in Europe could soon spoil the latest U.S. recovery. The number of wastewater sites indicating virus increases on a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dashboard has risen in recent weeks, though the majority of sites still show declining levels.

In Boston and beyond, these systems during the Omicron wave helped quickly detect virus-concentration surges, declines and circulating variants, often before testing and case data. Health authorities believe it will become an increasingly important early-warning tool that can help guide public messaging and other responses, like marshaling resources to surging areas.”

There’s a lot to unpack there: the data shows declining levels, however, there’s more than enough concern to believe that rising cases across the pond predict the same here in America (historically, what happens in the UK is a crystal ball of what will occur in the United States three weeks or so later). “Still, the bottom line is that BA.2 is chiefly dangerous to those people who are not well-protected against the Omicron variant already. If you can’t be personally well-protected, then it is also important to be surrounded by large numbers of people who are. You need to evaluate local protective levels as well as personal immunity and decide on the precautions you want to be taking,” says Dr. John Skylar in his latest “COVID Transmissions” article, which is a must read.

Google and Apple are planning a return to the office early next month (in hybrid form, at least). Dozens of Fortune 500 organizations are doing the same. And then there’s Goldman Sachs, whose CEO David Solomon last year called remote work an “aberration” that needed “to be corrected as quickly as possible.”

I completely understand that business leaders crave normalcy (whatever that is today) and desire some form of in-person collaboration between themselves and their workforce, their workers and each other, etc. However, aren’t we past the back-and-forth now? Haven’t we reached a point when we can firmly say that remote and hybrid work are not only beneficial, productive, and flexible models, but should also be permanent fixtures of the contemporary enterprise?

There are millions of workers that cannot perform their jobs remotely and we need to respect that. However, there are millions more that can, and can do so effectively. We’ve gone through two years of this, particularly the discourse around return-to-office planning, whether it’s actually safe to do so, and how the workforce will react to a switch back to operating in-person.

Solomon said that remote work “is not ideal for us, and it’s not a new normal” at a finance industry conference in February 2021. What Solomon obviously has wrong here is that remote and hybrid work is the new normal, and, any conversations regarding full return-to-office plans are going to be spoiled by a virus that has not yet reached an endemic state. It would be foolhardy, and, to be honest, embarrassing, to mandate workers to return to the office five days a week (as Solomon recently mandated) and then have to re-pivot back to a hybrid model due to a rise in BA.2 cases.

We’re just so past these discussions by now and any CEO, executive leader, etc. that believes returning to the office five days a week is the best path forward is making an absolute miscalculation. The workforce wants to operate remotely. Top-tier candidates crave flexibility and the agility that are ingrained in remote and hybrid work. The Great Resignation, may we reiterate, is happening because workers are leaving jobs that don’t offer these flexible options. In a hyper-competitive, increasingly-globalized, tech-focused candidate market, do business leaders really want to miss out on talent because of their archaic, ignorant thinking?

We don’t know if the Omicron subvariant will cause a similar wave to what we experienced as a country from the 2021 holidays up until just a few weeks ago. What we do know is that even the slightest threat of another surge right now should be a wake-up call that any hesitation around hybrid work should be silenced…permanently.

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Remote and Hybrid Work May Have Issues, But They’re Undeniably Powerful Future of Work Attributes

Business Leadership by Christopher J. Dwyer on

I’ve long devoured news and analysis related to the concept of remote and hybrid work…and not just during these crazy pandemic times. I’ve been a hybrid worker for the entirety of my career these past 16 years, and, particularly over the past decade, more “remote” than “hybrid.” I’ve stepped into an office only a handful of times since March 2020. Besides my own experiences with the hybrid work, the Future of Work Exchange is committed to helping businesses and workers better understand the implications of such a model, the benefits, how to structure a hybrid infrastructure, and, of course, how the hybrid workplace factors into the digitization of work.

A recent New York Times article by Elizabeth Spiers, former editor in chief of The New York Observer and the founding editor of Gawker, argues that we, as both leaders and workers, have lost some semblance of “work” with it becoming “too casual” over the past two years. “What We Lose When Work Gets Too Casual” highlights that:

“There are trade-offs, though. The loss of workplace formalities like fixed start and stop times, managerial hierarchies with clear pathways for advancement and professional norms that create boundaries between personal and professionally acceptable behavior only hurt workers. Though the pandemic-era transformation of white-collar work seems empowering at first, we should not be deceived: Many of these changes mostly benefit employers.”

Spiers further writes that employers can take advantage of an environment in which the lack of shift formality means that workers will pump extra hours into their work and projects without the extra pay (for salaried employees, of course). This is, in fact, a common drawback to the hybrid model, in which workers cannot seemingly “unplug” from their work and suffer burnout, anxiety, and stress.

It’s often too easy for those work remotely to get caught up in work, to subconsciously allow personal and professional worlds to collide, and to let “casual work culture” become the foundation of a remote working environment. The office becomes home, and the home becomes the offices, Spiers writes. She’s not wrong, as for those white-collar employees that have been working remotely for a lengthy period of time, there is very little crossover between the personal and professional arenas. We stare at our phones checking email, keep our laptops within reach, and spend late nights toiling away. Working at 11pm is just as common as dialing into a video call at 11am.

Spiers’ points are made with good intentions, and she focuses on the fact that this setup mainly benefits the employers. What she is missing, however, is the inherent flexibility that is baked into the hybrid work model. This is what workers crave, it’s what they desire. They want to be able to do the things they want to do without having the pressure of in-person work, long commutes, and endless in-person meetings.

However, there is one idea, above all else, that needs to be taken into consideration. It’s the one driving factor that separates remote work in 2022 vs. remote work in the early months of the pandemic. Businesses must enable their employees with the necessary strategies, solutions, and tools to succeed. Working remotely (or in a hybrid model) does just that, and it’s the most critical argument here. Too much of a “casual” feel to work doesn’t mean that work is being negatively impacted nor does it mean that all remote workers will succumb to burnout (as Spiers writes: “Their personal needs don’t get met because work has so invaded their personal lives that there is no dedicated time for non-work life.”).

Remote work burnout is an issue, for sure. We’ve written about it here on the Future of Work Exchange (rather recently, too!). And I won’t be a hypocrite here: there are many weeks that I’m hitting 70 or 80 hours (or more), as are many of you reading this article. There are times when I sacrifice my personal or family time for work. However, the flexibility will always outweigh whatever imbalances pop up from time-to-time. The fact that I can make breakfast for my kids in the morning or say hi to them in the afternoon instead of being locked in an office? I would gladly take some of those late nights and long weeks for the ability to do these things. It’s a beneficial trade-off, as is the fact that I gain two hours not spending on commutes everyday; I can take the dog for a walk if I have an hour break, or schedule a doctor’s appointment without having to take an entire day off.

The other big point Spiers made in her article is that employers have the ability to “punt” on advancement conversations due to the “informal” environment of remote and hybrid workplaces. She argues that junior and less experienced employees may take on additional work without a clear path to promotions and advancement. While this may be the case in some organizations, I can confidently say that not all business leaders think this way.

The most glaring omission in Spiers’ article is this: she doesn’t mention the “Talent Revolution” happening today, nor the fact that the so-called “Great Resignation” is occurring because of a lack of flexibility within the workplace. Tens of millions of workers have left their roles because of lack of these dynamic benefits, so much so that business leaders are actively trying to configure new ways to find, engage, and source talent based on the overall culture and flexibility of the enterprise itself.

Work may be becoming more casual, but that’s not a bad thing.

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