Return-to-Work, Virtual or Hybrid: A Millennial Wonders If It Matters!

By Dr. Kevin Anderson

A consulting colleague stared at me with disbelief that I had spent time during the pandemic writing a book The New Workplace: Performance Through Virtual and Hybrid Teams on navigating these new environments.  She explained that she has always operated in in-person and online environments, seamlessly switching between the two.

I am an “elder” consultant with decades of experience.  My colleague is a millennial new to the game. This gap in perspective is playing out every day in organizations across the globe. This is especially true as many businesses are now asking employees to return-to-work during 2022, along with remaining virtual for part of the time.

This transition is creating some angst for professionals not acquainted with fluidly moving between work settings.  However, should this type of ongoing transition lead to drama?  Is focusing time and energy on work settings taking valuable energy away from asking more important questions about how to resolve critical organizational issues of the day? 

I believe the below comments of my millennial colleague featured in my book suggest that she would answer these critical questions in the affirmative:

“I’ve spent most, if not all, of my professional career operating in hybrid virtual/in-person work environments on global teams. I was 24 when I joined one of the largest business consulting firms in the world, where I was expected to travel 100% for work, which in my case meant I was getting on a plane each Monday at 6 a.m., coming home each Thursday by 11 p.m., and working from home on Fridays.

Across all industries I worked in, from manufacturing, to consumer-packaged goods, to retail, my clients expected consultants to be onsite physically each week. This was even the case when I was put on a project based in Budapest, Hungary, where I was able to finagle a “2 weeks onsite, 2 weeks working from home” schedule for a year.

I’ve worked on deliverables and carried out entire meetings and workshops on planes, buses, and trains, in coffee shops, lobbies, my parents’ kitchen, the client’s onsite cafeteria—you name it. The idea of “going into work to get things done” is an interesting one in my experience, because I have had to constantly learn how to work with others in whatever context was presented to me. …

If nothing else, this pandemic has tested our assumptions, truths, and rules that we may have held close. By allowing ourselves the space and possibility to hold multiple truths together, we can continue to stay agile and continue operating in whatever environment or context is presented to us next—whether it be a plane, a coffee house, or my parents’ kitchen. I look forward to it.”

In my book I conclude that the virtual approaches I share, such as online polling and whiteboards, can be easily leveraged in hybrid and in-person environments.  The key is to become adept at tools and techniques that will help your teams succeed regardless of where they are delivered. 

As a fellow “elder” consultant said to me last week: “We have a lot to learn from the millennials about how we approach work.”

What has been your experience with virtual, hybrid work, and in-person work?

Note: This blog does not reflect the views of my employer.

This content was previously published on Kevin’s blog DrOrganizationalDesign.com

Dr. Kevin Anderson is a consultant in organizational design and performance, leadership, change management, and cultural initiatives. He is currently a senior organizational development consultant at a global agribusiness company. Organizations he has worked with include Thomson Reuters, City of Minneapolis and Accelare Consulting where he worked in health care, retail and education. Kevin has a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development from the University of Minnesota. He can be reached at DrOrganizationalDesign.com.

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