Forward Thinking HR
Ep. 01 - New ways of working
The pandemic has transformed the way we work, and for many, a hybrid future is imminent. In this episode of McKinsey Talks Talent, talent experts Bryan Hancock, Bill Schaninger, and Brooke Weddle speak with McKinsey Global Publishing’s Lucia Rahilly about the need to radically rethink culture to get hybrid right—and about reckoning with the novel challenges of combining remote and on-site work. An edited version of their conversation follows.To hear more from Bryan and Bill, subscribe to the McKinsey Talks Talent podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or the audio player of your choice.
Lucia Rahilly: Last question. Do you think hybrid will become a secular trend? Or will it just help employees navigate the next phase of change in a more psychologically manageable way?
Bill Schaninger: I think it’s here to stay. Getting people to accept arriving every day at the same place, at the same time—which may mean 90 minutes in traffic when it should only take 20, and revolving their life around those work hours—I think those days are pretty much gone, particularly now that we’ve seen that work will not suffer.That said, a successful hybrid workplace requires a more thoughtful conversation about what employees need. Many employers will realize this is relatively easy to offer and that it dramatically increases the likelihood that their employees feel well supported and are motivated and working well. It’ll be a net positive for the employee experience. But hybrid is complicated. It requires more thought, more planning.
Bryan Hancock: One reason I think hybrid is here to stay is that it’s what employees want. In a survey we did, 30 percent of employees said they’d be likely to switch jobs if they were required to be fully on-site. And more than 50 percent of respondents said they’d like to work at least partially remotely. In a world where talent is the scarcer of the two capitals—human capital being scarcer than financial capital—companies will have to adjust to what top talent wants.
Brooke Weddle: One of the silver linings from the pandemic is that we’ve brought a lot of innovation to the way we think about employees, their needs, what gives them meaning, and how that connects back to the organization. It’s exciting—despite all the difficulties and challenges we’re going through.
“This is an unbelievable opportunity to remake culture. It’s rare in a leader’s lifetime to have such a clean drop for reshaping how you run the place.”
Bill Schaninger
Lucia Rahilly: Last question. Do you think hybrid will become a secular trend? Or will it just help employees navigate the next phase of change in a more psychologically manageable way?
Bill Schaninger: I think it’s here to stay. Getting people to accept arriving every day at the same place, at the same time—which may mean 90 minutes in traffic when it should only take 20, and revolving their life around those work hours—I think those days are pretty much gone, particularly now that we’ve seen that work will not suffer.
Lucia Rahilly: Last question. Do you think hybrid will become a secular trend? Or will it just help employees navigate the next phase of change in a more psychologically manageable way?
Bill Schaninger: I think it’s here to stay. Getting people to accept arriving every day at the same place, at the same time—which may mean 90 minutes in traffic when it should only take 20, and revolving their life around those work hours—I think those days are pretty much gone, particularly now that we’ve seen that work will not suffer.That said, a successful hybrid workplace requires a more thoughtful conversation about what employees need. Many employers will realize this is relatively easy to offer and that it dramatically increases the likelihood that their employees feel well supported and are motivated and working well. It’ll be a net positive for the employee experience. But hybrid is complicated. It requires more thought, more planning.
Bryan Hancock: One reason I think hybrid is here to stay is that it’s what employees want. In a survey we did, 30 percent of employees said they’d be likely to switch jobs if they were required to be fully on-site. And more than 50 percent of respondents said they’d like to work at least partially remotely. In a world where talent is the scarcer of the two capitals—human capital being scarcer than financial capital—companies will have to adjust to what top talent wants.
Brooke Weddle: One of the silver linings from the pandemic is that we’ve brought a lot of innovation to the way we think about employees, their needs, what gives them meaning, and how that connects back to the organization. It’s exciting—despite all the difficulties and challenges we’re going through.
“This is an unbelievable opportunity to remake culture. It’s rare in a leader’s lifetime to have such a clean drop for reshaping how you run the place.”
Bill Schaninger
Lucia Rahilly: Last question. Do you think hybrid will become a secular trend? Or will it just help employees navigate the next phase of change in a more psychologically manageable way?
Bill Schaninger: I think it’s here to stay. Getting people to accept arriving every day at the same place, at the same time—which may mean 90 minutes in traffic when it should only take 20, and revolving their life around those work hours—I think those days are pretty much gone, particularly now that we’ve seen that work will not suffer.
Lucia Rahilly: Last question. Do you think hybrid will become a secular trend? Or will it just help employees navigate the next phase of change in a more psychologically manageable way?
Bill Schaninger: I think it’s here to stay. Getting people to accept arriving every day at the same place, at the same time—which may mean 90 minutes in traffic when it should only take 20, and revolving their life around those work hours—I think those days are pretty much gone, particularly now that we’ve seen that work will not suffer.That said, a successful hybrid workplace requires a more thoughtful conversation about what employees need. Many employers will realize this is relatively easy to offer and that it dramatically increases the likelihood that their employees feel well supported and are motivated and working well. It’ll be a net positive for the employee experience. But hybrid is complicated. It requires more thought, more planning.
Bryan Hancock: One reason I think hybrid is here to stay is that it’s what employees want. In a survey we did, 30 percent of employees said they’d be likely to switch jobs if they were required to be fully on-site. And more than 50 percent of respondents said they’d like to work at least partially remotely. In a world where talent is the scarcer of the two capitals—human capital being scarcer than financial capital—companies will have to adjust to what top talent wants.
Brooke Weddle: One of the silver linings from the pandemic is that we’ve brought a lot of innovation to the way we think about employees, their needs, what gives them meaning, and how that connects back to the organization. It’s exciting—despite all the difficulties and challenges we’re going through.
“This is an unbelievable opportunity to remake culture. It’s rare in a leader’s lifetime to have such a clean drop for reshaping how you run the place.”
Bill Schaninger
Lucia Rahilly: Last question. Do you think hybrid will become a secular trend? Or will it just help employees navigate the next phase of change in a more psychologically manageable way?
Bill Schaninger: I think it’s here to stay. Getting people to accept arriving every day at the same place, at the same time—which may mean 90 minutes in traffic when it should only take 20, and revolving their life around those work hours—I think those days are pretty much gone, particularly now that we’ve seen that work will not suffer.
