3 Insights into Hybrid Work from Microsoft That Will Challenge Your Thinking

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: The world of work is changing.

As a talent leader, you don’t need anyone to tell you that work has changed since the pandemic — just look at the rise of remote jobs. But such a grand sweeping statement can sweep right past some of the specific questions you really care about. Questions like:

• What are candidates prioritizing now, and how has their decision-making changed since the pandemic?
• What does a typical hybrid workday actually look like, and how does it differ from the traditional 9-to-5?
• Are companies really ready to meet candidates’ raised expectations — and if not, who needs to pick up the slack? 

Fortunately, our colleagues at Microsoft recently published Work Trend Index 2022, a beefy, 56-page report detailing the expectations and realities around hybrid work. 

It’s a rich, fun-to-read report — but in case you find yourself too busy to sink your teeth into all 56 pages, check out the summary below of the three most important takeaways for recruiting leaders. 

Most workers are now more willing to prioritize their own health and well-being over work

Are you working to live, or living to work? It’s a question many have reconsidered during the pandemic — and most have decided to recalibrate by investing more in the “life” side of that equation.

Most people (53%) say they’re more likely to prioritize their health and well-being over work now than they were before the pandemic, according to the Microsoft report. 

This builds on previous LinkedIn research, which showed that two of the fastest-growing priorities since the start of COVID were flexible work arrangements and work-life balance. Additionally, remote job posts have recently attracted a majority of applications on LinkedIn, despite the fact that they only account for about 20% of all job posts.

What it means for talent leaders: if you’ve been pitching a workaholic or #hustle company culture, it may be time to reconsider. Candidates and employees are increasingly looking to prioritize their well-being and work-life balance. Ensure your employer branding and the actual reality of your company culture are ready to meet these changing expectations.

The workday is growing longer (for better or worse)

The clear lines of the 9-to-5 workday may be a thing of the past, as shown by what Microsoft researchers are calling the rise of the triple-peak day. In a study for the Work Trend Index, they found most employees had two activity peaks in their workday, one around 10:30 a.m. and another around 2:30 p.m. 

But roughly 30% of employees had a third peak to their workday around 10:30 p.m., as shown below:

The open question is whether this is cause for celebration or concern. “Is this about flexibility, or is it about work encroaching on someone’s personal hours?” asks Shamsi Iqbal, principal researcher on productivity and intelligence at Microsoft Research and Microsoft Viva Insights. 

The answer may well be both: For some, like busy caretakers and night owls, it may be a triumph of flexibility; for others, who are seeing their workday grow longer without any commensurate relief in their normal 9-to-5, it may be an unwelcome intrusion that’s bound to leave them burned out. 

What it means for talent leaders: Work flexibility and work-life balance are both increasingly important, but the first doesn’t guarantee the second. Flexibility can actually endanger work-life balance, but it’s still a worthwhile trade-off for many people. To attract more candidates and retain more employees, ensure your company culture encourages flexibility while discouraging overwork and burnout. Strategies you may want to consider include embracing a four-day workweek, cutting down on meetings that could have been emails, and scheduling non-urgent work emails to only arrive during business hours. 

Companies aren’t prepared to deliver on workers’ expectations, and managers feel caught in the middle

Sharp readers may notice there’s some tension between the first two trends: On the one hand, workers increasingly want to prioritize their health, well-being, and work-life balance over work itself; on the other hand, the workday is growing longer while the boundaries between work and life are blurring. 

This same tension comes up when candidates’ expectations clash with company plans. Despite the strong interest in hybrid work — 87% of employees have said they prefer to remain remote most of the time — 50% of leaders say they have plans for a full in-person return to the office this year, according to the Work Trend Index report.

And who is best positioned to see (and deal with) this tension between executive plans and rankled rank-and-file employees? 

The managers who sit between executive leadership and the workforce at large. And that’s just what the report found: 54% of managers feel leadership is out of touch with employee expectations. Worse, 74% percent don’t feel they have the influence or resources they need to implement change for their team.

What it means for talent leaders: First, dig deeper to see if these trends are happening at your own place of work. Do managers feel that leadership isn’t aligned with employee expectations, and do managers feel unsupported to make changes? If so, you may want to press leadership to take a clearer stance and ask for C-suite buy-in on policy changes that can make it easier to attract and retain your workforce. Talent leaders are uniquely positioned to flag these issues for executives and enact concrete policy changes for a healthier, happier workforce.

Final thoughts

The question now isn’t whether the world of work is changing, but what it means for you, what new challenges you can expect to face, and what you can do today to be better prepared to face those challenges tomorrow.

And facing a looming clash between candidate desires and company plans, talent leaders can play a key part in resolving this tension and setting both employers and employees up for success.

*Image from Microsoft

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