Many employees prefer a hybrid working arrangement with a blend of working remotely and being in the office. Companies are listening and are continuing with plans to implement a hybrid schedule.
In our Working Remotely series we share tips and advice for advancing your career in a digital work world.
Hybrid is supposed to offer the best of both worlds. Time in the office to nurture relationships and brainstorm with colleagues balanced with time spent remotely to work on projects requiring focus.
Now that hybrid is really happening many are finding that hybrid work arrangements may actually be harder to manage than we thought. Challenges can arise when companies mandate the days/hours someone is required to be in the office. The very flexibility that hybrid should offer isn’t always turning out to be quite so flexible.
In addition going back and forth requires pre-planning and decision making – making the commute, lunch preparations, child care arrangements and much more – that takes additional time and is causing lower satisfaction.
Companies that are “over eager” in their desire to see and interact in person once again may actually be contributing to a different kind of employee burn-out that may cause more employees to leave for a fully remote opportunity.
Growing Your Career
Growing your career in a hybrid work environment means finding balance and setting some limits. If you’re spending your in office days responding to a myriad of meeting requests and participating in lunch time brainstorms you may find yourself feeling drained and like you didn’t accomplish very much at the end of the day.
A recent study by Asana shows that employees spend 58% of their day on work coordination instead of focusing on actually doing the work. Findings from Microsoft Teams also shows that more employees are working outside of the traditional 9-5 workday and reports that Teams users send 42% more chats per person after hours.
This is particularly a concern for those who work with colleagues in different time zones as it can feel like someone always needs something.
You can grow your career by developing your own skills and talents not by doing everything for others, accepting every task that comes your way or responding to emails at all hours. Shatter the Zoom ceiling with these tips on growing your career in a remote or bybrid world.
Setting Boundaries
Succeeding in your career means developing certain skills or expertise that can make you a “go to” for all things.
Keeping your “eye on the ball” by setting career goals can help. Be selective in responding to demands on your time. Say “yes” to the most critical things and “maybe later” or “no” to something that doesn’t add value to the team or the project. Give the opportunity to a colleague where possible so that others can develop in areas that help grow their career.
For sure, building relationships is important so that you can be recognized and rewarded for your contributions. Make it deeper than just putting in some “face time” by taking the time to cultivate a few meaningful relationships.
Build Your Own Balance
We know that people are more productive and satisfied when they have autonomy over their work. Don’t expect others to know what that balance is for you.
Experiment to find and build your own balance that will develop your fullest potential.
Download our Year of You planner to create your hybrid career vision. In doing so, you will likely be happier and more productive and your contributions recognized and rewarded.
This article is part of our Working Remotely series; job search and career advice for your digital work world.
Arche helps people architect, navigate and advance their career path with expert advice and tools to support your job search, interview preparation, professional branding, salary negotiations, and career advancement.
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