Allowing employees to collaborate across a network of places can address hybrid work issues
In the future, AI copilots, gig workers, and skills-based hiring will make work dynamics more distributed and less predictable. Organizations should help workers take hyper-local business trips to maximize opportunities in that new world.
This mobility could be changing desks to help a teammate or leaving the office opportunistically to meet a prospective client unexpectedly in town. The common thread is movement with purpose; we know why we want to change locations.
Unfortunately, the coronavirus changed how we perceive the value of our offices entirely and has reduced workplace mobility for many workers exactly when we should be maximizing it.
Employees were surprised to find how productive they can be at home
Knowledge workers in lockdown found working from home surprisingly productive, and a dreaded commute was suddenly optional. While I won’t debate office mandates like Amazon’s, people clearly dislike being told to go to ineffective places for unclear reasons.
At the same time, assigned desks have become a hybrid negotiating tactic. With proper change management and improved hospitality, enabling choice between diverse (unassigned) office settings can offset the hassles of finding a seat. But employees who endured a commute to spend hours on video calls in a mediocre office are in no mood for extra steps.
Reduced mobility is connected to a perceived “return on commute,” where workers either stay home because it’s easier or commute and demand assigned seats.
To overcome this stagnation standoff, we should learn from two periods of purposeful mobility and choice bookending many careers: our college days and business trips.
What can we learn from campus and corporate travel?
College students buzz around campus like bees sampling flowers, working in different places (e.g., dorm, library, quad) based on their assignments, schedules, or moods.
Students can work from a wide range of places on campus
Business travelers can select flight seats, hotel rooms, workspaces, and meeting locations based on personal preference. Company policies govern when and how lavishly to travel, but employees generally enjoy freedom while on the road.
These moments of movement are enjoyable because we have choices and are perceived as valuable due to their clear objectives. Conversely, an employee required to be in the office lacks autonomy, while one who commutes regularly to the same office (or desk) seldom travels with intention.
How can we embrace autonomy and purpose, ease the tensions between leaders and employees, and better prepare ourselves for the future of work?
The easier step is reimagining cities and offices as campuses with convenient, purposeful work settings. In the office, create zones for different needs and energy levels. Beyond the office, “third places” abound: cafés, hotels, gyms, restaurants, and even bank branches now promote themselves as workspaces.
Capital One Café in Miami, Florida
The more challenging step is creating a mindset of hyper-local business trips around this ecosystem of possibilities.
How can companies enable hyper-local business trips?
Organizations must overcome several cultural, technical, and financial challenges to normalize workers’ movement around these networks of workplaces with autonomy and minimal friction.
Manager Comfort
Many managers still rely on presence to measure productivity
A history of presenteeism makes it difficult for some managers to evaluate employees’ productivity without physical observation. Some managers feel a loss of control when a direct report moves to a quiet area; watching them leave for a nearby coworking site is even worse.
All managers must learn to evaluate performance by outcomes (not presence) and foster a sense of trust. Return-to-office mandates are also antithetical to the local business trip mindset, which may be why it’s more common to see coworking access as a benefit from remote-first companies.
Employee Expectations
When flights are canceled, frustrated business travelers expect employer support, like a 24/7 travel agency, but rarely hold them accountable. We may face similar operational challenges transitioning from company-operated offices to flexible spaces, but I have seen employees blame their employers for issues beyond their control. Workers should embrace self-sufficiency and understanding, but employers must provide greater support for third-party workplace experience.
Financial Management
Companies manage real estate and travel costs differently; real estate is slow-moving and centrally planned, whereas travel fluctuates with seasons and behaviors. Suppose a company decides to close an office with predictable rent and give employees pay-as-you-go access to third places. In that case, it will need revised expense policies and budget frameworks.
Want to test your company’s readiness for this change? Purchase a day pass to a coworking site within your home city and submit the expense for reimbursement.
Supporting Capabilities
Workers embracing hyper-local work trips require systems and services that facilitate autonomy and seamless mobility.
Occupancy sensors and wayfinding tools enhance mobility within office zones. Aggregator platforms for flexible workspaces guide employees to locations, help coordinate with colleagues, and manage expenses.
Mobile applications can help employees coordinate
Beyond the technology, Dropbox created an offsite planning teams (OPT) to facilitate employee gatherings as part of it’s Virtual First workplace strategy. In its first six months, the OPT organized over 70 offsites across the company, reducing its internal clients’ offsite planning time by 30%.
Planning a local business trip into the future of work
Normalizing local workplace mobility—around town or even between desks within the office—is vital for collaborative velocity and organizational resiliency.
Providing employees with the right tools and cultural support allows them to thrive in diverse environments, resulting in a triple-bottom-line benefit:
- Lower real estate costs (company)
- Increased employee engagement (employee)
- More vibrant neighborhoods (cities)
To get started on this journey, leaders everywhere should experiment by example. Swap the mundane commute for at least one purposeful, hyper-local business trip and mail a postcard to your peers about the experience.
