Having spent a fair amount of time supporting my last client in their approaches to virtual and hybrid working during the pandemic, I’ve been keeping a close eye on progress and research on this subject, across the Contact Centre and volume operations sector. It’s obviously a hot topic.
In the news, you hear about some businesses (including some really big ones) saying they will are going fully back to the office – that it’s the best way for them to operate. Others are ditching a large part of their facilities/buildings, and going the whole hog! Let’s do everything from home, they say!
And then, there are the majority of businesses – who say hybrid is the answer. Often paired with the idea that Hybrid = 2/3 or 3/2 in terms of days in the office vs home.
Now, I think it’s really clear (from various surveys and studies that you can simply Google), that more than 80% of workers that are in a position to work from home - will indeed want to, at least to some level. However, I find myself a bit confused as to why most businesses seem to be pretty rigid right now in their view of what hybrid is. Surely, one size doesn’t fit all?
What I am keen to see over the coming months and years (and will hopefully continue to help lots of businesses implement!) is:
Who will be the early movers to a fully flexible hybrid situation?
Now, I should explain what I mean by fully flexible hybrid. I’m thinking things like:
Less rigid shift patterns that ‘teams’ work. Accepting that 10 or 12 ops or contact centre agents in a team working the same shift is a thing of the past
Shift bidding/selecting – so that workers can really have flexibility
Interchangeable home vs office at short notice to allow workers to complete their work commitments according to the way they are feeling on-the-day
Perhaps even eventually (and I know this will take some time), an Uber/Deliveroo approach to volume operations working. Self-employed, work when you want to, with pay rates determined by demand from the business - much like surge pricing processes on Uber (all sorts of HR red flags here I know!)
In essence, what we now class as unusual and quirky, becomes normal - and is expected by colleagues
There might be some smaller businesses out there, doing some of the above – I’m not saying these things don’t exist already in our industry; however, I wonder...which of the mid or large size organisations will really push the envelope and be the first to attempt some of these things on a larger scale?
Of course, it brings with it significant challenges in a volume ops environment such as a Contact Centre. Things such as:
How do you engage, lead, and manage in this sort of set-up?
How do agents not working as ‘teams’ of people truly get a sense of belonging and align with company culture?
How do you continue to ensure development is ongoing for these flexible hybrid agents, and how do you really performance manage when things aren’t going so well?
What does a business need to deliver to ensure Health & Well-Being?
And, perhaps one of the most important, how do we ensure we adapt our recruitment practices to ensure we are putting the right people into these types of roles in the first place?
I believe one thing is for certain – those businesses which work hard (and soon!) to put in place some really good flexible & personalised hybrid solutions will have the pick of the crop in terms of great candidates in the future – and will reap rewards for having done so.
If you are currently reviewing your operational set-up and would like help in addressing any of the challenges noted in this article, do contact me for a chat about how we can support your journey.