In a hybrid work environment, a streamlined strategy to maintain company culture is necessary

A 2021 Forbes article says that the work-from-anywhere/work-from-home model has brought organizations through the COVID crisis and is now a “key productivity strategy” for the workplace. The piece also cited an Accenture report according to which, 83% of workers surveyed said they preferred a hybrid model — in which they could work remotely at least 25% of the time. But what if a company’s work culture is defined by mentorship, peer interactions, face-to face collaborations? 

 Says Alok Bansal, Visionet Systems India’s MD and Global Head of BFSI Business, “In a hybrid work environment, a streamlined strategy to maintain company culture is necessary. Today, employee productivity is not the only central question when we speak about hybrid work environments. While prioritising a healthy and positive employee culture, businesses are also beginning to explore the impact of the hybrid work model on company culture.”

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 According to him, sustaining a company’s legacy of trust, addressing mental health issues, building connections, strengthening safety standards and initiating collaborative policies and procedures are the way forward. There is an opportunity here for CEOs, he says, to create communication strategies that make employees feel less isolated. He adds, “A Global Culture Survey 2021 by PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers)  found that 44% of employees who worked from home during the pandemic failed to develop a sense of belonging within the company. This can be prevented through the right communication channels and adequate support mechanisms. Be it remote work or a mixture of office/remote days, a way can be found to support company culture.”  

 Alok also says that in the wake of the Ministry of Commerce allowing a maximum of one year Work From Home (WFH) for SEZ employees, it is important that companies adopt long-term strategies for sustainable company culture.

 He says, “The BFSI sector in particular deals with highly sensitive and critical data including online transactions and health insurance and we have to ensure that not only are we taking care of the needs of our employees, clients and stakeholders but are also securing the information on which our brand equity depends. There are some site-specific jobs that cannot be done from home and companies are trying their best to keep on-site employees well-connected with their peers who may be working from home.”

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