Launching the "HybridReset": are you hybridproof?

The last fifteen months of lockdown have had a substantial impact on the way we work and live. For many of us, that has been from home. We’ve scrambled to adapt, and most teams got the job done and even managed to kill some persistent myths about working from home; mainly around productivity. True, working from a screen could be lonely, but the forced isolation also gave us the flexibility to rebalance work with life, or the other way around.


​Now what?
Some companies – fueled by the initial concern for health & safety – proudly announced their staff could work from home permanently. Since then, Google and JP Morgan have changed their minds and are kindly requesting everybody to return. This has provoked strong reactions from some employees who are not willing to surrender their newfound autonomy without a fight. This debate is there to stay.
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So, as we’re slowly coming – or being forced – out of hiding, the big question is: will there be a more permanent shift towards mixing working from the office/home/anywhere, or will we simply flip back and pile into our offices again? 

The hybrid dilemma
This fundamental question is a trending topic among leaders and teams, from the C-suite to project teams on the frontlines. If it seemed daunting to move everybody online in the early days of the lock-downs, now it looks even more challenging to figure out how to bring employees back productively and preferably not against their will. As the guardians of “people and culture”, HR teams are in the “hot seat” to come up with viable solutions, with CEOs, Operations and Finance anxiously looking over their shoulders. 
Meanwhile, back at home, teams are waiting to hear if and when it is time to dust off the lower part of their office wear.

As passionate and curious practitioners, we joined these conversation weeks –years– ago: virtual work has been around the last 30 years. It felt as if the COVID crisis finally “fast-forwarded” the future into the present.

The shift to hybrid ways of working goes far beyond –randomly– setting new policies and redesigning office space:

• Hybrid work distance puts stress on teams, potentially exposing weak areas and eroding productivity and wellbeing. Are our teams and leaders strong enough for distance relationships?
• It affects the entire employee life cycle to the extent that the relationship – or social contract– between organisation and employee might need to be rethought. Are we ready to renegotiate a “new deal”?
• Hybrid work models will never be a one-sits-fits-all, as personal preference and needs are very different. How do we involve and accommodate everyone?

Wading through the implications, complexity and connecting the dots, we quickly realised that we need to start from a blank sheet and get as many brains on the case as possible. 

The Hybrid Reset: join the tribe exploring hybrid work
A call for “collective brainpower”: that's how the idea for The Hybrid Reset was born. Figuring things out and learning together works best in the dynamic work environment we now all operate. 

The Hybrid Reset is a "live" interactive playbook to share knowledge & experiences, connect stakeholders & practitioners, and find practical ways of taking the first steps in the hybrid unknown. Think of it as a platform to help you – as part of the Hybrid Tribe – to shape the "new deal" for your team(s) and organisation.

With the end lock-downs in sight, we need actionable knowledge, frameworks, structures and guidance: practical things that everyone can do to become hybridproof!

If you are interested in joining us on our expedition: subscribe here! ​

We count on your contribution and energy from wherever you are!

Huibert & Luciano

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