The new ‘hybrid creep’ phenomenon is on rise, especially with hybrid working and companies wanting employees in the office more frequently. To discover more Digital Journal heard from Peter Duris, CEO and Co-Founder of AI-based career tool Kickresume. Duris provides tips for employees on how to address this, and for employers on how to get staff back to the office the correct way.
Hybrid working is common across many offices. This style of working offers employees a bit of flexibility in their working day, and many view this as a solid workplace perk. However, there’s been a recent increase in employers gradually pushing to bring employees into the office more frequently, often without a formal announcement.
This is a new workplace term called the ‘hybrid creep’, and it’s something employees might not be aware of. According to Duris:
“Flexibility and a healthy work-life balance are heavily sought after perks, and many job seekers might now value them even more than salary! With hybrid working commonplace, employees are used to coming into the office 2-3 times a week.
“However, some employers may want to see more faces in the office, but may do this without formally updating any policies. The workplace term ‘hybrid creep’ is used to describe this gradual shift back to office-based working, and might leave employees feeling like they no longer have as much flexibility as they once did.”
Tips for employees
- Address the situation with your manager. If you’re being asked to come into the office more often when you would like to stick to your original schedule, it’s important to discuss with your manager how you’re feeling. You can explain what type of arrangement works for you best, and you may be able to reach a solution that works for you both.
- Ask for clarity. There may be important reasons behind the shift into office-based working. It could be worth asking your manager why they would prefer you to be in the office more frequently, to learn why this change is happening.
- Bring up your concerns. If you’re worried that coming into the office might affect your work, it could be worth mentioning this to your manager. For example, the time it takes to commute, and being in a potentially noisy or distracting office environment more often might affect your productivity levels.
Tips for managers
- Find out what employees want. Before making any big policy changes, it’s important to find out how this could impact your employees. Hybrid working might be vital for employees who live far away from the office, or are balancing caregiving on top of their job. It’s worth sending out a survey asking employees how they’d feel about coming into the office more, and making changes based on these responses.
- Introduce new changes formally. To make sure your team is all on the same page, it is important to tell them exactly what’s changing and why. Give staff an opportunity to ask questions about the new policy, which they may be worried about. If you’re asking them to come into the office an extra day a week, they might want reassurance that this isn’t ‘hybrid creep’ in action.
- Set clear expectations. When implementing a new change in the workplace, it’s important to communicate your expectations clearly. Update the policy and employee handbook immediately, so employees are aware of the changes and can familiarize themselves with the new rules. Let the team know from what date they will be expected to change their schedule.
As real life examples, Intel has begun requiring staffers to come in at least four days a week, up from three previously. In addition, NBCUniversal, Starbucks, and Bank of New York Mellon Corp. have recently implemented similar mandates.
