The future of work remains unknown, but one thing is certain — hybrid policies promote more equitable environments for tech workers around the world.
“Flexibility continues to be most prized by those who have been underrepresented in knowledge work, including women, people of color, and working mothers,” stated a Future Forum quarterly global pulse survey. “Offering employees flexibility is emerging as a meaningful way to move the needle in a positive direction on diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Currently, almost 40 percent of US professionals are in a hybrid workplace, though the definition of hybrid work differs greatly between companies, ranging from Discord’s “virtual first” environment to Next Insurance’s two days in the office, three days remote.
For Alix Sharp at Discord, a hybrid working model allows her to more flexibly structure her day to work alongside the rest of her globally-distributed customer experience team. After a day of working with customers in Japan, Sharp says good morning to her colleagues in the Netherlands as she goes to bed in the United States.
Meanwhile, at Next Insurance, most colleagues are splitting their time between the office and home in order to balance in-person collaboration and cross-functional team meetings with the focus and flexibility of remote work.
Both Discord and Next Insurance officially implemented their hybrid policies this past April, with similar goals — to build connections across teams, create a supportive work environment and foster creative solutions for today’s workplace.
Though their implementation strategies differ, both companies are responding to the needs of their employees. Those satisfaction scores have real consequences. Future Forum reported that employees who lack autonomy and flexibility in defining their work schedules are more than twice as likely to seek a new role over the next year than those who have the ability to define more of their schedule.
As traditionally underrepresented employees continue to prioritize flexibility, implementing equitable hybrid policies can help retain and expand diversity in the workplace. Built In San Francisco spoke with Discord and Next to learn more about how their hybrid policies are building inclusive, collaborative workplaces.
Discord is a voice, video and text app.
What is your company’s hybrid model?
At Discord, everyone works from the same HQ — the Discord platform. This was helpful when things shifted because we were already a “virtual-first” workplace. At the same time, we also kept our office because we want employees to have the flexibility to choose what physical work environment is right for them.
At this time, no employees are expected or required to come into the office, beyond those that help the office run on a daily basis, like select Workplace team members. Our office is available to anyone who chooses to work onsite, and those who prefer to work from the comfort of their own home have the option to do so.
Employees who do not need to be in the office have the flexibility to come into the office as often as they want to (or not at all) depending on their personal preference. This flexible approach works for Discord because no matter where we are working, we are one collaborative team.
When did your employer implement its hybrid work policy? And what impact has this shift had on the way you and your teammates work?
Discord officially implemented its hybrid work policy on April 18, 2022.
Because of how we already used our platform, the shift to a hybrid work model didn’t drastically change the way we work together as a team. We have implemented a “one person, one screen” guideline, so if people do choose to work from the office, they join meetings the same way they would from home.
There’s definitely some nuance you get solely from human interaction, but overall I believe we’re strong in how we work without disparity in our quality. If anything, being in the office has made it more imperative to be mindful of being inclusive to remote teammates. I even surprised one of my remote teammates by calling them during a group photo to ensure she could be in the photo, too!
Being in the office has made it more imperative to be mindful of being inclusive to remote teammates.”
What are the main advantages you’ve experienced under a hybrid work model?
Allowing people to work from wherever they’re most comfortable helps us cultivate belonging, especially because our main point of connection is our own platform.
Another advantage of the hybrid work model is the overall flexibility and how it’s significantly easier to gather and meet across time zones. As the Japanese language lead and part of a 24/7 customer experience team, it’s critical for me to be mindful of and adjust as needed to Japan’s working hours while I’m managing the in-house communications. We also have team members in the Netherlands that I can say hi to as I’m going to bed, which is pretty cool.
Next Insurance seeks to provide customizable and affordable business insurance solutions.
What is your company’s hybrid model?
NEXT Insurance has a hybrid work model that allows NEXT employees to work three days from home and two days in the office. Depending on each individual’s unique circumstances, such as significant medical reasons or excessive distance from a NEXT office, the option to apply for an exemption to be fully remote is also available with the manager’s approval.
When did your employer implement its hybrid work policy? And what impact has this shift had on the way you and your teammates work?
The hybrid model was introduced in April 2022, and we anticipate full implementation by the first week of July which gives employees a three-month transition period.
This shift has encouraged me and my team to rethink how to optimize the efficiency of our work. We will prioritize our in office days for projects that require more collaborative problem solving or coordination with our team members and/or cross-functional partners. We’ll reserve our three days at home for deep-work that requires individual focus or meetings with team members across time zones which we’ll continue to do over video.
This shift has encouraged me and my team to rethink how to optimize the efficiency of our work.”
What are the main advantages you’ve experienced under a hybrid work model?
The primary advantage of a hybrid work model is the team gets to collaborate more effortlessly and can quickly execute as a single unit. Having everyone in the same room can help us quickly identify problems and solutions and efficiently reach alignment. Further, as a manager, I can coordinate team bonding activities, leading to more organic feedback, higher engagement and all the subsequent benefits like employee retention, happiness and creativity. Additionally, there is a common space and time to bump into someone in the hallway that can spark unplanned organic discussions that lead to new ideas.
