I just walked down the hall and it struck me that there are a lot of Dolphins in our office again. Seeing people’s chins again (no masks) is starting to feel a bit more normal in the office. It is exciting and great to connect again in the real world, like it was pre-pandemic.
Smart Dolphins has been intentional and thoughtful about the return to the office — and it is a work in progress. In the long-term, we need to determine remote requirements, policies and company support. There is much to consider:
- Employee happiness
- Logistics
- Company culture
- Collaboration
- Costs
- Office layout and functionality
- Technology
- Growth
And while we have recognized many benefits early on, building a hybrid workplace will be an evolution, not a revolution.
To shape our evolution, I am keen to understand how other community leaders are approaching their post-pandemic working environment. I have talked with many members of the community and my industry-specific peers about the pros and cons of different types of work environments. Some are too busy to think about it. Some are keeping it simple and just going back to their traditional office environment. Some (including Smart Dolphins) are attempting to build a flexible, “hybrid” work environment.
Regardless of what environment you have chosen, we can all benefit from sharing perspectives, ideas and best practices. With that in mind, Smart Dolphins is considering the value and viability of having a “roundtable” on this theme. We hope to bring together a small group of community and business leaders that are interested to share experience and discuss ideas.
With that in mind, we have put together a short survey to get some basic data on the community’s approach and thoughts on this topic. We will put together a compilation of the results and share. If we get enough interest, we will reach out to those interested in participating in a roundtable.
Please take five minutes to complete the survey here: https://forms.office.com/r/nwedBFBQEj
Three most common types of work environments
Working from the office (traditional office): In this model, employees come to the office most of the time but they may be allowed to work from another location one or two days a week.
Fully remote: Employees work from home by default – or anywhere else they like. This model has been termed “remote-first.” These companies may have office space available for employees.
Hybrid: Some employees work remotely part-time and in-office some days. Some employees may work full-time in the office and others remotely. All employees have flexibility in where they work. Under this model, companies will keep their office spaces.