Beyond
Hybrid 99 Things You Need
to Know Now You might wonder why we’re talking about “beyond” hybrid when so many companies are still trying to figure it out and make it work for them. Hybrid will continue to evolve, but some patterns are emerging that might surprise you.

For example, most people globally – 70% – are working in the office, on average four days a week. But that average varies dramatically depending on where you live, what you do and who you work for. We’re all having different experiences and feelings about how hybrid is going. One thing is universal though: How we work has changed dramatically, regardless of where you work and on which days.

In the midst of all of this change we need to have empathy because people are really struggling. As we enter the fourth year of adapting to life with COVID, our research shows work life balance has dropped and people feel less connected to company culture. Productivity has also suffered and all of this is making them more likely to leave their jobs. Leaders are worried. Dropping productivity hits a nerve when organizations are under pressure to deliver results.

So let’s talk about why it’s happening. There are many variables when measuring productivity. We can, and should, debate it – but we can’t ignore it. Because people want to feel good about their work and be productive too.

Organizations are hearing conflicting messages and have to try and figure out how to balance everything. It’s complicated – but it’s also an opportunity to experiment and engage people in the process of figuring out potential solutions. We call this experiment “hybrid” today because it still feels new and novel for some. But as we learn and adapt, soon it will just be called…work. Letter
from the
Editor Chris Congdon
Editor in Chief
Work Better magazine
You might wonder why we’re talking about “beyond” hybrid when so many companies are still trying to figure it out and make it work for them. Hybrid will continue to evolve, but some patterns are emerging that might surprise you.

For example, most people globally – 70% – are working in the office, three or more days a week. But that average varies dramatically depending on where you live, what you do and who you work for. We’re all having different experiences and feelings about how hybrid is going. One thing is universal though: How we work has changed dramatically, regardless of where you work and on which days.

In the midst of all of this change we need to have empathy because people are really struggling. As we enter the fourth year of adapting to life with COVID, our research shows work-life balance has dropped and people feel less connected to company culture. Productivity has also suffered and all of this is making them more likely to leave their jobs. Leaders are worried. Dropping productivity hits a nerve when organizations are under pressure to deliver results.

So let’s talk about why it’s happening. There are many variables when measuring productivity. We can, and should, debate it – but we can’t ignore it. Because people want to feel good about their work and be productive too.

Organizations are hearing conflicting messages and have to try and figure out how to balance everything. It’s complicated – but it’s also an opportunity to experiment and engage people in the process of figuring out potential solutions. We call this experiment “hybrid” today because it still feels new and novel for some. But as we learn and adapt, soon it will just be called…work. June 13 Small Business, Big Impact. Tips for creating small business neighborhoods Insights 55–62 June 20 Your Home Office Tips for designing a home office that works Insights 63–73 June 27 Color. Works. Color is key to the hybrid workplace Insights 74–80 July 04 Active Learning. Active Minds. Creating more engaging learning experiences Insights 81–91 July 11 Uncovering Barriers Designing for inclusion starts with this mindset Insights 92–96 July 18 Making Space for Health Creating more flexible healthcare environments Insights 97–99 April 25 Hybrid Realities What the research says Insights 01–07 May 02 Beyond Hybrid Insights and ideas for a new era of work Insights 08–15 June 06 What Gen Z Wants at Work How Gen Z is reshaping the workplace. Insights 50–54 May 30 The Future of Work Is Learning Why learning makes a big impact on retention Insights 46–49 May 23 Social Spaces That Work Designing harder working social spaces Insights 38–45 May 16 Humanizing Hybrid Collaboration Ideas to improve hybrid collaboration spaces Insights 26–37 May 09 Privacy: The Ultimate Perk How to tackle office overwhelm Insights 16–25 13
Weeks
of Insights Let’s move the
conversation beyond
who’s doing hybrid
and how often. In the coming weeks, we’re exploring how work is changing and how to make it better — we chose the top 99 insights and ideas we think you need to know now. We’ll release a new set of insights and ideas each week. Next Article Can’t wait?
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