With many workplaces now allowing hybrid work, new complexities in managing the workplace are emerging, says the The Conference Board in a new report.
Recent evidence suggests that productivity among US workers has declined significantly from heights experienced during the pandemic. Remote and hybrid work arrangements combined with ill-prepared managers may be a cause.
Why it matters
Managers lie at the nexus of employee engagement and retention. Given the added challenges of a post-COVID world of work, it is essential to strengthen how employees are managed and led. Care must be taken to create an organizational culture welcomed by employees that also supports organizational goals.
The path forward
Postpandemic, managers and employees must learn how to adapt effectively to each other’s emerging needs and preferences. This can be done by improving communication between managers and employees, building a shared understanding of expectations and boundaries, and training managers to coach employees, no matter their work arrangement.
The 2022 study by The Conference Board on the reimagined workplace shows that 90 percent of surveyed organizations are allowing hybrid work and 66 percent are allowing flexible work hours.
The Conference Board is a global, nonprofit think tank and business membership organization. For more than 100 years it has created research and and has facilitated executive networking.