Is the Hybrid Workplace Sustainable?

06Jun

Over the last year, millions of Americans ditched their daily commutes as employers shifted to remote models of work to combat the spread of COVID-19. Now, with over 60% of American receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, a return to the physical workplace is finally on the horizon.

But how exactly do employers plan to reopen their doors without compromising the health and safety of workers?

Enter the hybrid workplace. According to an article published in the Wall Street Journal, several companies are already implementing models that allow employees to split time between their home and corporate office.

Expectations for hybrid work vary across companies. For example, at JPMorgan Chase, employees on some teams must report to the office on Mondays and Fridays, with options to schedule work-from-home days during the middle of the week. Meanwhile, Salesforce is taking a more flexible approach by allowing employees to decide when they’d like to come into the office.

While these new policies offer a light at the end of a long tunnel for many, others fear that hybrid models will overcomplicate the future of work.

“Having some people work from home while their teammates are in the office runs counter to much of what makes organizations tick,” writes behavioral scientist and author Jon Levy in his piece for The Boston Globe.

For companies that do seek to cultivate a hybrid workplace, proper communication and implementation of health protocols will be key to ensuring a safe return.

Are you eager to get back into the office? Or would you work from home forever if you could? Either way, there’s a perfect job for you. Visit greenkeyllc.com/jobs/ to browse current openings by location and set your preference to ‘on site’ or ‘telecommute’ depending on what works best for you.

Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash

mad-fish-digital-ca9XLQb9M6c-unsplash-scaled-e1617559595810 | Green Key Resources

Worklife

Jun 6, 2023

3 Steps to More Civil Disagreement

Worklife

Jun 6, 2023

3 Steps to More Civil Disagreement

In these contentious times it’s important to remember that disagreements and differences of opinion aren’t zero sum games, battles to be won at all costs.

“Disagreement stems from differing points of view that may be anchored in deep-seated beliefs that each hold dear,” writes John Baldoni, internationally recognized leadership educator and author of 14 books. “The challenge is to put aside the animus and respect one another as sentient and capable. We can feel, and we can decide.”

Erisology, a term that first made its appearance in The Atlantic last year, is the study of destructive arguments, or, as the term’s creator John Nerst described it, “unsuccessful disagreement”. An unsuccessful disagreement is an exchange where people are no closer in understanding at the end than they were at the beginning, meaning the exchange has been mostly about talking past each other and/or hurling insults.”

These types of unsuccessful disagreements have always existed. In centuries past, they were constrained by the educated classes who were trained in the art of rhetoric and debate. The internet and the anonymity it offers loosened the rules and broadened the reach of zealots. As discussions grew more strident, they also often became more personal and adversarial.

Says Baldoni, “The reasons [for the stridency] are speculative — social media and the abnegation of fact — but the results are people believe what they want to believe and, in doing so, end up in separate camps. Such distancing is not healthy for our culture.”

What’s to be done? Baldoni’s prescription is personal:

Do not pre-judge. See the person as an individual who has a point of view and not as a combatant.
Listen carefully. “Invite the other to speak first. Stay calm, breath regularly and relax your facial muscles. Take a point the other has said and use it as an opening for a new line of discussion.”
Argue dispassionately. Look for common ground. There is almost always something on which the two of you can agree. Then “use that commonality as a bridge to finding understanding.”

Following his advice isn’t easy, he admits, “These three steps, while easy to state, can be difficult to implement when tempers flare and more difficult still when people feel their values are under siege.” But as he says, these are tools that can be used to return civility to our disagreements.

“Our challenge is to put them to good use.”

Photo by Mad Fish Digital on Unsplash

[bdp_post_carousel]

Read Continue