Navigating the ‘messy middle’ in hybrid workspaces

Happy, productive employees are a key predictor of business success. [Courtesy]

Remote working at the height of the pandemic has evolved with blended, hybrid environments now taking centre stage.

This will define the post-pandemic business landscape, according to Microsoft’s latest Work Trend Index (WTI).

"The best of both worlds” is what employees surveyed in the WTI prefer, with 73 per cent wanting flexible remote-work options to continue, while 67 per cent crave in-person time with their teams. 

As a result, what we’re seeing are brick-and-mortar offices hosting some staff on-premises, with other team members continuing to work from home. This hybrid phenomenon is what is now being referred to as the “messy middle.”

It references the fact that while many companies have mastered the art of having everyone working in the office pre-pandemic and having everyone working from home during the pandemic, a combination of the two has given rise to new issues.

For example, physical boardrooms not being equipped with the right technology has left in-office staff unable to see or hear remote-working colleagues in meetings where collaboration is crucial. 

Navigating this messy middle in a way that ensures streamlined, real-time collaboration and inclusive employee engagement is the challenge.

It requires employers to reimagine physical workspaces where meetings take place and re-examine the digital tools required for remote and in-person staff to remain productive and part of the team.

As the WTI notes, the objective for employers embracing the necessary work-flexibility approach is to “give everyone the tools they need to equally contribute from anywhere.”  Happy, productive employees are a key predictor of business success, which is why employers should be taking the prevailing workers’ desire to integrate remote work seriously.