Competence
20 October 2023
4 min.
Remote and Hybrid work
19 July 2022
3 min.
Hybrid work: How do you keep people engaged and motivated?
The performance of an organization is intimately linked to employee engagement. According to Gallup, happy and motivated teams are 21% more profitable than unmotivated teams.
The reverse, however, is also true. Unmotivated teams are costly to an organization. When people are disengaged, they are harder to retain. According to a study by Work Institute:
33%
of the annual salary of the position: this is the cost of replacing a staff member.
That’s a lot, don’t you think? Added to this, the labour shortage makes replacing staff complex and time-consuming.
1. Why does mobilizing and engaging teams in hybrid work require rethinking work practices?
I find working in a hybrid mode difficult.
I find it difficult to motivate myself.
I feel alone in my work.
Despite the commute, working together in one place allowed teams to see each other, connect and feel close. It was easy to see when someone was not doing well or was less motivated and act accordingly.
In hybrid mode, you have to rethink behaviours and processes to achieve the same results.
Hybrid work, when the right practices are not in place, can make people feel lonelier. This was noted in a Silicon Reef study that showed that more than 40% of 18 to 44-year-olds felt lonely when they worked outside of the corporate workplace. How can you feel mobilized if you feel alone? How can you perform when you don’t see your team physically?
2. How to engage and mobilize in a hybrid work context?
When moving to a hybrid work mode, it is, therefore, necessary to adapt the way we work together to maintain high levels of engagement.
This requires, for example, learning to manage one’s time and priorities in order to remain productive when working remotely. As a team, it is important to learn to communicate differently and to review the way team meetings and face-to-face moments work, for example. It is also important to develop new habits to take good care of yourself and others!
According to a Columbia University study, in organizations with a strong organizational culture, the turnover rate drops to 13.9% (compared to 48.4% in the opposite case).
And to create an organization with a great work culture that attracts and retains talent, you need to put in place engaging and mobilizing work practices.
Like it or not, the hybrid work style is here to stay and requires adaptation. It’s an excellent opportunity to review your practices and take the first step towards an engaging work culture!
