LinkedIn Talent Solutions’ Post

Of course it does. There is NO reason for most roles to require full in office work. It's lazy managers that rely on this because they don't want to actually lead effectively. The problem is very rarely the employee (not always), but is generally the manager. This might be a spicy response, but in my 30+ years it's proven itself to be very true. I've been part of and led full onsite, full remote, hybrid and everything in between. I know there is a lot of argument, but I've proven it to myself too many times. This doesn't mean you never bring people together, it just means do it for a reason. Don't force people to commute simply so they can spend their day in front of their own screen. Don't give me the "water cooler" mentoring and networking thing, that was true at one point, but had dies years before the pandemic as people were way too busy. If you have the space, give people the option and those that want the in office experience will take it, let people work from home if that's their thing, bring the whole team together monthly or quarterly to get some of that bonding (even weekly if you really have the need). Otherwise manage by results and expectations. Make sure the team knows how the move the mission forward. That easy.

No real surprise, during the pandemic many people figured out that they could often do the same work just as effectively (if not more so) as they could in the office and they grew comfortable with the flexibility and balance they gained from it. Add to that the ability to live where you want or living the digital nomad life and people don't want to go back to the way things were. I liken it to parenting, if you give a certain level of freedom and then try to restrict it, you can expect some rebellion (especially with teenagers). Many workers view it as trying to take back something they were given regardless of the circumstances or reason.

The impact of flexible and hybrid work schedules on recruiting and retention is a key topic of conversation in this latest Keys to Real Estate podcast episode: https://bit.ly/4fdrOvE

Do they though? Or do they just make it more challenging? Just because something is more difficult doesn’t mean that the outcomes are not just as good or even better.