Amid the global effort to control the coronavirus, most of us continued collaborating with our organizations from home, trying to reconcile profound personal changes in our value systems with the challenge of maintaining family order, work productivity, and team leadership. Each individual became one among millions living through an extraordinary situation.

In this particularly challenging context for Employee Experience (EX), many were surprised by how smoothly the transition unfolded. It permeated organizations more deeply than expected and brought unexpected benefits to personal and family life. As a result, predictions about the future of work quickly emerged, along with the rapid growth of hybrid models. According to American Retail, 76% of companies would adopt hybrid work models starting in 2021, and 75% of executives surveyed by Randstad planned to maintain remote work.

Forgive the cliché, but remote, hybrid, and telework are here to stay. That said, they come with significant challenges when it comes to implementing new ways of working that enable organizations to grow in an optimal and sustainable way.

While we no longer spend countless hours commuting to the office, those of us in hybrid regimes now—whether for better or worse—carry the office with us wherever we go. Every time we connect from home or choose to work from a coworking space, “work” ceases to be a physical place. It is no longer about going to work, but about entering a state or mode in which we collaborate with our organization.

This shift is particularly challenging because it requires each of us to have the conviction and willingness to enter that mindset—one that is just a click away—and to remain motivated and satisfied with our working life in that environment.

This represents a major challenge for Employee Experience and goes far beyond the minimum legal requirements that countries are beginning to implement. We must create a new way of relating to work itself—proactively redefining what work means today and inviting employees to be part of that construction, grounded in what they expect from us.

How Can We Improve the Employee Experience?

Based on the experience we have accumulated at BBK working with various clients throughout this year, I would like to highlight two key points to reflect on and begin developing new ways of working within organizations, whether hybrid or fully remote:

1. Purpose and Meaning

There is broad agreement that the main success factor of any work strategy—especially one of this nature—is having employees who are deeply committed to the organization’s purpose.

An employee who believes in and is driven by the organization’s reason for being can find meaning in their work, navigate high levels of uncertainty, and align their efforts with the activities that generate the greatest value.

Ultimately, they will be able to enter the necessary work mindset without major barriers.
Do we have a clear purpose? Have we communicated it to our employees? Does it resonate with them?

2. Culture and Rituals

We must assess whether the culture we have built includes the values, rituals, and dynamics needed to connect employees with that purpose—and with each other—so that the environment itself drives collective progress toward shared goals.

It is especially important to define which moments of connection and interaction we want to strengthen, ensuring that hybrid dynamics are sustained without relying on mistrust or excessive control over those contributing from different locations.

In this effort, technology becomes our greatest ally—connecting people and making visible the work that is no longer seen within the physical office.

The challenge is just beginning, but let us not forget that many pioneering companies have already walked this path by placing Employee Experience at the heart of their strategy. They have succeeded in creating workplaces that combine performance with quality of life.

The invitation is clear: it’s time to stop improvising.