Hybrid Working

01/12/2023INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION BY#0895RACONTEUR.NETHYBRID WORKINGHAS HYBRID WORKING KILLED THE OFFICE?HOW HYBRID WORKING IMPACTS WOMEN1004COULD ART COAX STAFF TO RETURN TO BASE?14 The Office. Reimagined.Workspaces to make your everyday extraordinaryforaspace.com RACONTEUR.NETHYBRID WORKING0302Distributed inIn association withHYBRID WORKINGContributorsReports editorIan DeeringEditorSarah VizardSub-editorChristina RyderChief sub-editorNeil ColeCommercial content editorsLaura BithellJoy PersaudDeputy reports editorJames SuttonDesignHarry Lewis-IrlamKellie JerrardColm McDermottSamuele MottaDesign directorTim WhitlockIllustrationSara GelfgrenCelina LuceyHead of productionJustyna O’ConnellProduction executiveSabrina SeverinoAssociate commercial editorPhoebe Borwell/hybrid-working-dec-2023raconteur.nettarting a career is an excit-ing time but it can also be an anxious one, especially for young people. The workplace can be difficult to navigate for those just starting out, especially in the world of hybrid working where many interactions are via a screen. Although gen-Z workers are ada-mant they want flexibility in their workspace, they are also experienc-ing some negative effects from hybrid working, with 92% stating that they’re missing out on tradi-tional office experiences, according to research. The reduction in face-to-face interactions is leaving more and more young employees feeling disconnected from their colleagues, making it difficult to reach out for help when they need it. Organisations have also been struggling to understand the wants and needs of gen Z, with one-third of employers finding it difficult to motivate employees. And despite 77% of gen Z opting for hybrid work-ing, many young employees feel unprepared to enter the world of work, citing low confidence in soft skills such as presenting and influ-encing. Some experts are concerned that young people are starting their careers at a disadvantage. One way that organisations typi-cally help employees to navigate the workplace is through mentoring. Fostering supportive mentor-mentee relationships can provide safe spaces for employees to ask questions and talk through problems. But hybrid working precludes the ad hoc face-to-face time that helps employees to build relationships and learn inter-personal skills, so mentoring must be approached differently. Organisations still have a lot to learn about operating in hybrid models. Emma Parry, professor of human resource management at Cranfield School of Business Man-agement, says that businesses are still experiencing new challenges with hybrid working. “We’re moving into the stage where people are ex-periencing some challenges that perhaps they didn’t anticipate – and mentoring and development of younger people entering the work-place is one of those,” she says.The mentor-mentee relationship can be an enriching experience for both parties. But to be effective, mentors and mentees need to be equipped with an understanding of what a successful relationship can look like and how to achieve it. Joanna Kori, head of people at En-compass Corporation, explains that her organisation has made mentor-ships a central part of its talent de-velopment strategy. Kori explains that the interpersonal interactions that take place whether as a mentor or as a mentee are essential for ca-reer development.In addition to ensuring personal interactions, Encompass has been able to better personalise mentor-ship relationships by linking them to a skills and competencies frame-work, which clearly details expecta-tions of relevant skills development for individual employees.Chloe Lewis is director of client management at Alight Solutions. She thinks it’s critical to maximise the time that employees are togeth-er in the office for maximum benefit. Managers need to curate activities and opportunities so that young employees can meet colleagues across the business, observe work interactions and relationships and actively learn. Parry has worked with businesses that use asynchronous communica-tion as part of their mentoring pro-grammes. While platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams are use-ful in day-to-day hybrid interac-tions, mentoring platforms such as MentorCloud and Together may be more useful for effective mentor schemes. In a workplace where one in four employees say they have Zoom fatigue and more meetings than ever, asynchronous communi-cation reduces