Now that public health initiatives are controlling the pandemic, the return to the office is a hot topic.
The Ken Blanchard Companies wanted to know what leadership, learning, and talent development professionals felt about the return. In a June 23 poll, three questions were asked as a part of a webinar series exploring the hybrid work environment. 195 HR / L&D professionals responded.*
- Which of the following best describes the business environment you are returning to?
- Which of the following best describes your organization’s response to this environment?
- What does “return to the workplace” look like in your organization?
BUSINESS DISRUPTED
Which of the following best describes the business environment you are returning to?
| Similar–only minor disruptions during COVID | 15.6% |
| Some Change–moderately disrupted by COVID | 40.2% |
| Substantially Changed–major disruptions caused by COVID | 37.2% |
| Severe Change–completely disrupted by COVID | 7% |
Some 77% of the 195 respondents experienced moderate to major disruptions to their business environment. 7% identified their environment as completely disrupted. 44% described their business world as substantially to severely changed.
MORE CHANGE COMING
Which of the following best describes your organization’s response to this environment?
Covid sent a shock through the world. Businesses are still experiencing the aftershocks and are reimagining how they’ll operate in a post-pandemic world. Some 68.9% of respondents are making “moderate” to “major” changes in their strategy.
| No Change–try to return to normal | 5.1% |
| Small tweaks to our strategy | 26.0% |
| Moderate changes to our strategy | 45.4% |
| Major changes to our strategy | 23.5% |
Covid compressed a decade’s worth of change into a year. What will the new workplace look like?
HYBRID WINS
What does “return to the workplace” look like in your organization?
| Optional–up to individual employees | 8.4% |
| Hybrid–probably two or three days per week | 59.9% |
| Mandatory–everyone must be vaccinated and back on property | 10.9% |
| Still Deciding–not sure | 20.8% |
The pandemic redefined the role of the workplace. Leaders must now establish the post-pandemic office. What will the post-pandemic office look like? According to the leadership development professionals polled, a hybrid arrangement where employees come in two/three days a week. (Of note: 20.8% still aren’t sure what they’ll do.)
One thing is certain. Post-pandemic work policies are evolving. Still working on yours? Check out helpful articles, blog posts, upcoming webinars and an infographic summarizing the survey results courtesy of The Ken Blanchard Companies. Access all resources at https://resources.kenblanchard.com/hybrid-work-environment
*195 HR / L&D professionals polled by The Ken Blanchard Companies on June 23, 2021
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