Hybrid working has become a defining feature of modern workplaces, yet five years on from the point at which a large portion of us even became aware of the term, many organisations are still struggling to make it work effectively.

While hybrid models initially promised flexibility and autonomy, the reality has proven more complex. Balancing employee freedom with the need for collaboration and in-person presence remains a significant challenge, so great that even progressive HR teams or CEOs feel compelled to provide guidance or rules stipulating the extent to which hybrid working will be tolerated. These guidelines, though well-intentioned, undermine the very principles of hybrid working and leave employees frustrated.

So what’s the answer?

On the face of it, if role outcomes are met, it shouldn’t matter where or how work is done.

Focusing on Role Outcomes

At OE Cam, we have long advocated for a needs-based, rather than a rules-based approach to hybrid.  On the face of it, if role outcomes are met, it shouldn’t matter where or how work is done.

This approach requires employees and their managers to make decisions about how best to discharge their duties, taking into account the impact this has on other people’s ability to discharge theirs. The challenge organisations are experiencing with this approach, is that it puts the emphasis on strong middle management being able to make a number of decisions that may not appear on the surface to be consistent or fair across the business. It is this pressure that ultimately leads to the aforementioned rules-based approach.

The challenge organisations are experiencing with this approach, is that it puts emphasis on strong middle management being able to make a number of decisions that may not appear on the surface to be consistent or fair across the business…

Broadening the Definition of Roles

The second main challenge impacting the way Hybrid is implemented, is that even where a needs-based approach is adopted, most organisations tend to define success primarily through hard outcomes, such as hitting targets or tangible deliverables.

However, equally critical are soft outcomes, such as contribution to workplace culture, mentoring others, and fostering a sense of team. These are often absent from job descriptions but vital for long-term success.  By incorporating these less tangible outcomes into the requirements of a role, it becomes clear that hybrid work cannot rely solely on remote interactions.  In-person engagement is essential – not as a rigid mandate, but as a natural extension of the role itself.

Moving Forward

In a debate that appears to be coming ever more polarised, we need to acknowledge two truths:

1. That fully remote work and rigid hybrid policies will almost always fail to deliver effectively.
2. That hybrid working patterns that are focused on outcomes will look very different from role to role, and week to week. This is a feature of successful hybrid working, and not a bug.

We believe that however difficult, organisations should work to embrace the ambiguity that comes with genuine hybrid working. If the focus is on outcomes, then provided these are defined widely enough to embrace the soft as well as the hard, truly flexible hybrid working can succeed.

At OE Cam, our hybrid audit can help you get a better sense of how well it is working in your organisation, and help you develop solutions to a more successful hybrid world.

The OE Cam Hybrid Audit

Now that many organisations have chosen to operate in a hybrid way, leaders need an effective way to quickly and regularly assess whether their approach is working as intended. New working practices are far more dynamic and there is a different rhythm in the workplace.

OE Cam’s Hybrid Audit evaluates the most critical dimensions of organisational effectiveness across four themes of Culture, Talent, Performance and Well-being. It enables leaders to identify and prioritise the consequences of moving to a Hybrid model, and the issues to be addressed.

OE Cam’s Hybrid Audit evaluates the most critical dimensions of organisational effectiveness across four themes of Culture, Talent, Performance and Well-being.

The Audit comprises three core steps:

1. Hybrid diagnostic. This includes a quantitative survey to measure performance against the four key themes and identify both risks and opportunities. In parallel we conduct key stakeholder interviews to add richer, qualitative insight. (Optional – focus groups to elicit views of a wider population).
2. Half-day workshop to playback insights to the leadership team using a common language to talk about performance in a hybrid world, and facilitated discussion to agree on themes that require improvement, or opportunities to be realised.
3. Final report with recommendations based on research and benchmarks.

The outcome is a concise evaluation of how your organisation is performing against its hybrid aspirations, with a clear assessment of gaps to be addressed, and suggested ways of doing so. The Audit is designed to be repeated on a regular basis for continuous listening and learning.

For more information about OE Cam’s Hybrid Audit, please email Mike Thackray – mike.thackray@oecam.com