Effects of Hybrid Work on Employee Productivity

Remember that big push to Return To Office (RTO) claiming a boost in employee productivity? Yeah. That was bunk. CEOs admit that forcing people to RTO (Return To Office) did NOT raise productivity. Atlassian recently published an eye-opening report on Return to Office (RTO). Here are the highlights: • 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝘆𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱: RTO mandates fail to boost productivity; Fortune 500 bosses agree • 𝗛𝘆𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗵𝘀: 98% of remote managers report stable or increased productivity • 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀: RTO is often about control, not productivity & leads to decreased job satisfaction • 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱: True productivity aligns with clear goals, autonomy, and smart tech, not office presence. Atlassian's Playbook for Success: 1. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀: Make Objectives and Key Results (OKR) visible to all, driving focus and progress 2. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆: Prioritize, minimize meetings, and allow focused, uninterrupted work. 3. 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲: Embrace asynchronous work; real-time collaboration when truly needed. 4. 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Intentional, meaningful gatherings foster team spirit. 5. 𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲: Offices as strategic resources, not mandatory check-ins. Productivity isn't about location, it's about embracing: • flexibility • trust • a people-first approach > Have you returned back to the office? Did you feel more or less productive?

🚀 Hybrid Work: The Future or Just Hype? New Study Reveals All! 🚀 The WFH, Remote, vs Hybrid debate is more relevant than ever, and a recent Nature paper by economist Nick Bloom offers insightful data from the front lines. Having experienced the spectrum of work environments myself, from traditional in-office at BAASS, Instapage to global hybrid settings at Oracle, I've seen firsthand how flexible work models can enhance productivity and employee engagement. Here’s what the study found: 📊 Performance Unaffected: Even working 2 days a week from home, employee and firm performance stayed strong—mirroring my days at Oracle, working from airports to client offices globally. 💰 Cost Savings: Hybrid models reduced quit rates by a third, echoing my time at Instapage where shifting to hybrid post-pandemic retained talent and cut costs. 🌟 Enhanced Diversity: Largest quit reductions were seen among women and those with long commutes—crucial for sectors like tech, where I’ve pushed for more inclusive policies. 🔄 Managerial Insights: Initially skeptical, managers found a +1% productivity increase in hybrid settings, similar to our discoveries transitioning at Instapage. 🔗 Why 80% of US and European companies now favor hybrid (Flex Index) is clear. Let's base our WFH debates on data, not just anecdotes! 👇 Have you seen similar benefits in your hybrid experiences? Share your story or thoughts below! https://lnkd.in/g_YdS6t4

More evidence: people choose home vs office based on what makes them most productive. A new report on #Federal workers shows that higher #productivity comes from giving employees choice to either telework or use an office. 2022 data released yesterday by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) shows: 💥 32% higher scores on their Employee Engagement Index for people who could telework at least 3 days a week 💥 25% higher engagement for people who chose to work from the office because they wanted to be there. Sizably better scores than those forced to work from the office! 💥 84% of managers of units that supported telework agreed that their units were producing high-quality work and meeting their customers’ needs Dr. Ben Etheridge of University of Essex reported similar results based on a longitudinal study in the UK of pre- and post-pandemic workplace usage: people who are more productive at home chose that location, while those who are more productive in the office go back in far more often. He presented his paper on that at Nick Bloom, Prithwiraj Choudhury and co's Remote Work Conference last fall! ⏰ Pressure continues to #ReturnToOffice in DC, so this data matters. OPM's measurement is a rear-view mirror -- but if people were more engaged and chose the right solution for their productivity and engagement in 2022, let's not mess it up in 2024! All of this might see obvious and logical, but when it comes to #ReturnToOffice we often throw logic out the window and resort to gut feel, a fears of people "cheating" the system. Did no one ever watch Office Space? More in Erich Wagner's coverage in Government Executive: https://lnkd.in/gDH-xayg WDYT Mika Cross, John O'Duinn, Janice DeGarmo - MBA, Kevin Carter, John Gavin, Kelsey Merkley, Traci DiMartini? #PublicSector #hybridwork

This study involving 1,600 employees compared full-time office work with a hybrid model. Over two years, the analysis showed that hybrid workers, who worked remotely two days a week, had comparable productivity and promotion rates to full-time office workers. The study also found a significant decrease in employee turnover, with a 33% reduction in resignations, particularly among women, non-managers, and long-commute workers. https://lnkd.in/ekuPdRB6

Can WFH reduce attrition without hurting performance? Imagine a work environment where employees are happier, more satisfied, and less likely to leave—all while maintaining their productivity. A recent study reveals that WFH might be the key to achieving this balance. Conducted over six months at a large tech firm, the research sheds light on how WFH influences job satisfaction, retention, and performance (see the full research in the comments below). Key insights from the piece: 🔹 Attrition Reduction: WFH cut overall attrition rates by 33%. Non-managers saw a 40% reduction (8.6% to 5.3%), women 54% (9.2% to 4.2%), and long commuters 52% (6.0% to 2.9%). 🔹 Job Satisfaction: Work satisfaction scores rose from 7.84 to 8.19. Hybrid WFH improved work-life balance, enhancing overall job satisfaction. 🔹 Performance Stability: No significant impact on performance reviews or promotions over two years. Performance grades and promotion rates remained stable. 🔹 Managerial Perspectives: Initially, managers anticipated a -2.6% productivity impact. After experiencing WFH, they recognized a +1.0% productivity boost. 🔹 Lines of Code: Productivity remained stable, with no difference in lines of code written by engineers between WFH and in-office groups. These findings challenge the narrative that WFH harms productivity and innovation. Instead, they suggest WFH is a viable strategy to enhance retention and job satisfaction without compromising performance. How has your WFH strategy impacted your teams? #PeopleAnalytics #WFH #HybridWork #EmployeeRetention #HRAnalytics

Do you remember switching to work from home during COVID-19 and some groups reporting increase in productivity while others fell behind? We have some answers. In our latest research with Prof. Mohamed Abdel-Aty, and Prof. FRED MANNERING we approached studying work from home by examining workers' self-reported productivity after beginning telework. Key findings in context of productivity changes: – more resilient/adaptable workers were those with longer commutes (it can be speculated that giving up the commute freed some time/energy and thus made the workers more productive), higher annual household incomes, employed full time, having prior experience with online meetings and a high level of life satisfaction (happy workers are more productive in challenging situations!), – more vulnerable workers were those with children under four years old, those from large households and with lower annual household incomes (no surprises here!) – COVID-19 induced work from home had particularly complex impacts on productivity of women and college students. Our recommendations relating to workers' productivity: Consider hybrid work, avoid long commutes, and invest in your workers' well being. 🔗📄 https://lnkd.in/eYQn_uPp