Why do leaders and employees hold different views on flexible/hybrid working?

Bob Iger, CEO, Disney, has mandated that employees return to the office for at least four days a week starting March 2023. Iger’s reasoning mirrors that of Tim Cook, CEO, Apple, who defended the tech giant’s in-person work policy as essential to fostering innovation and collaboration, despite sparking a petition from workers. More recently, employees of Amazon have submitted a petition against Andy Jazzy, CEO, who expects them to return to office for at least three days a week.

However, according to a survey by Future Forum, employees with flexible work models are 57 per cent more likely to admit that their company culture has improved compared to those who work fully in-person.

So why is there a difference of opinion between the leadership and the employees regarding flexible/hybrid working?

“There exists a gap in how leaders and employees view the advantages of flexible working at the workplace,” opines Amit Das, director HR & CHRO, Bennett Coleman and Co.(Times of India Group). While leaders and decision makers, by and large, feel that they are operating within a culture of flexibility and are armed with the required tools for success in such an environment, a much smaller percentage of employees share their opinion.

Chandrasekhar Mukherjee, CHRO, Bhilosa Industries, points out, “Both have very different perspectives when talking about flexible working. The management’s perspective revolves around employee productivity and on-the-job experience, for future readiness. However, the employees’ perspective revolves around achievement of work-life balance as per their convenience.”

Pradyumna Pandey, CHRO, Mother Dairy, points out “the need to change the mindset as per the changing work needs”. He rightly says, “The management/leadership should evaluate the benefits of a work model before deciding to embrace it. Since hybrid / flexible working is here to stay, its importance cannot be overlooked”.

“There exists a gap in how leaders and employees view the advantages of flexible working at the workplace. While leaders and decision makers, by and large, feel that they are operating within a culture of flexibility and are armed with the required tools for success in such an environment, a much smaller percentage of employees share their opinion.”

Amit Das, director HR & CHRO, Bennett Coleman and Co.(Times of India Group)

 

Trust deficit is another reason why both the parties have different opinions on the flexible working model. “Employees also feel organisations tend to mistrust them and fear they will abuse work flexibility. This makes them wary of sharing their honest opinions, with a desire to influence how, where and when they want to work,” Das points out.

Recent studies have shown that leaders have a greater sense of purpose with regard to their organisation compared to other employees. “The growing difference between leaders and employees, due to the difference in their experiences and expectations related to flexible working practices, is fuelling the disconnect between how the two sets perceive flexible and hybrid workforce practices,” points out Das.

“The need to change the mindset as per the changing work needs. The management/leadership should evaluate the benefits of a work model before deciding to embrace it. Since hybrid / flexible working is here to stay, its importance cannot be overlooked.”

Pradyumna Pandey, CHRO, Mother Dairy

Mukherjee agrees adding, “The company culture also plays a major part here. It’s significant for the management to decide whether their expectations are more result-driven or whether it is about putting in extra hours.

Pandey is of the opinion that, “giving flexibility to the employees makes them more responsible and helps them take the ownership of their work.” He goes on to warn, “If we don’t move towards accepting the importance of hybrid working and flexibility, we’ll definitely miss out on engaging employees”.

Mukherjee points out, “The leadership may have doubts about flexible working if they see that discipline has been compromised”. For instance, when everyone can’t join the team meeting at the same time or the decided time. In an office setup, it’s easier for the managers to address the loop holes as everything is in front of them.

Although he totally agrees on the thought of people working in flexible working, however, he feels that, “Flexible working is not a one-size-fits-all approach.” There are jobs where people require to be at their tables with everyone. For example, a tech guy coding all day might be able to do his job from the comfort of his home chair, but a sales executive needs to be their in the field.

Additionally, the kind of support and co-operation managers and leadership can give in-person can’t be replaced over a video call. For instance, a manager can help the employee with their problems better in-person as they both are talking face-to-face. Also, when everybody is in one place, it’s easier to tackle issues like increased workload due to an absent colleague.

Given the benefits, “it’s equally important to understand leadership concerns and the potential complications and challenges that may hinder flexible/hybrid working,” adds Pandey.

“Both have very different perspectives when talking about flexible working. The management’s perspective revolves around employee productivity and on-the-job experience, for future readiness. However, the employees’ perspective revolves around achievement of work-life balance as per their convenience.”

Chandrasekhar Mukherjee, CHRO, Bhilosa Industries

Mukherjee is quick to draw attention to the fact that, “there are many things that can’t be achieved through work-from-home and require the employees to come to office.” For instance, one cannot build leadership competencies sitting on the couch. Additionally, work from home may not be able to build high-performance teams. This can only be adequately achieved in an office environment with people working alongside each other.

How can harmony be established between the two?

“Designing a flexible work model requires leaders to use a human-centric lens. That means, leaders need to look at the realities of flexibility from multiple points of view. They must be especially empathetic to those whose experience is fundamentally different from their own,” adds Das. Leaders must communicate their awareness of how differently flexibility is experienced across levels to make the employees feel heard.

“The key is how both the aspirations can be solved,” opines Mukherjee. In the hybrid/flexible working model the biggest challenge from the leadership towards employees is their productivity, for which the leadership needs to master the art of KPIs and KRAs. The performance-measuring tools should be in place for flexible working so that employees can achieve their targets, what they’re being expected in the office setup as well. Hence, the flexible/hybrid work model is very much workable when combined with discipline and implementation of the right processes.

“Trust is an important aspect of employee engagement,” observes Das. Organisations can look at improving trust in the workforce by employing tools such as pulse surveys or focus groups, to understand better the dissonance that exists regarding the future work model, and work to close the gaps.

Clear communication is essential to establish harmony between both the parties. “Employees want to be a part of the decision-making process,” points out Pandey. Whether it’s about deciding on hybrid or flexible models, the employees’ opinions should be taken into account. It they have a voice or say and feel involved, the decision will be honoured by everyone.

Das agrees wholeheartedly. “The quality and frequency of communication play a key role in bridging the gap between the two sets. Consistent messaging, with clearly-stated expectations, and transparency in terms of the decision-making process, will go a long way in bringing the leaders and their team members together.”