C-Suite:

Redesigning
Work for a
Hybrid Future
Dispel seven myths about where
and how work drives results
Updated August 2021

© 2021 Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. CM_CF_1455274

Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

Every so often, something seismic happens to the way we work
The pandemic created a sudden shift — with lasting impact.

Era of Manual Labor

Industrial
Revolution

Invention ofElectricity

Digital
Revolution

Invention of
the Internet

HybridRevolution

GlobalPandemic

The biggest experimentin the history of work

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Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

It’s time to banish
any remaining hybrid
workplace myths
The way we have adapted to working during the pandemic has shatteredantiquated assumptions about work design. Executive leaders now have aunique opportunity to break from a location-centric model of work designed
around industrial-era constraints, and to redesign work around a human-centricmodel to secure digital-era talent and deliver business outcomes.
Human-centric work design, characterized by flexibility and empathy, makes
employees feel more empowered, and increases their productivity andengagement. It also enables organizations to be more responsive to customer
demand, more resilient to disruptions and more productive. It can also reducea range of costs — from real estate and travel to employee attrition.
In short, the human-centric approach can be a win-win for employees andorganizations, but it requires executives to commit to leveraging a hybrid
workforce strategy. For many, that means shedding some old assumptions
and dispelling myths about what hybrid work models mean and do.

Alexia Cambon,
Director, Research

7 myths about hybrid workforce models

01

05

02

06

03

07

Pretty soon, work will go backto normal

Employees are less productive
when remote

Serendipity is the best driverof innovation

We need in-person contact
to sustain our culture

Hybrid workforce models
hurt DEI

A hybrid workforce model
duplicates our IT infrastructure04

Our jobs just can't be done remotely

Graham Waller
Distinguished VP Analyst
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01

Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

Myth

Pretty soon, work will go back to normal
Prepandemic, organizations operated primarily in an in-person environment,
designed around locations. During the pandemic, organizations rallied
quickly to virtualize this design to remain productive remotely. Some leaders
still believe things will revert, but the pandemic demonstrated that many of
our work assumptions are archaic and unnecessarily limiting, and now beg
for reinvention.

RealityHybrid workforce strategies are here to stay
Executives who reimagine where, when and by whom work gets done
are in a better position to generate both business outcomes and talentoutcomes: a win-win for organizations and employees. But first, youhave to pick your journey forward — and acknowledge the risks of not
adopting a hybrid working model.

Executives have three options for the way forward:
Option No. 1. Reject the hybrid environment and force a return to
the traditional location-centric model and work schedule (Monday
through Friday, 9 to 5, in many countries or first, second and third
shifts). This incurs the risk of employees leaving for more flexibility
elsewhere.
Option No. 2. Accept the hybrid environment, but decline to evolve
the work model — continue virtualizing site-centric practices (suchas meetings), as was common during the pandemic. This incurs therisk of exacerbating worker fatigue.
Option No. 3. Reinvent work around a human-centric design for
the new hybrid environment that ensures performance, innovationand equity — getting it right requires experimentation, learningand iterating.

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01

Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

Hybrid working environment is the future;knowledge workers are especially at risk if
you revert to the pastYour PastYour
DesignYour
Environment

OfficeCentric
DesignIn-Person Environment

Your PresentYour Future(Virtual)
OfficeCentric
DesignWhat
You Must
CreateRemote Environment

Hybrid Environment

Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

If you were to go back here, you
could lose up to 39% of yourworkforce.

If you were to continue doing this,fatigue levels would keep rising.

Create a new model based on the
hybrid environment that:• Reduces fatigue by 44% pts• Increases intent to stay by 45% pts• Boosts performance by 28% pts

n = 75 HR leaders; 2,410 hybrid/remote knowledge workers
Source: 2021 Gartner Hybrid Work HR Leader Survey; 2021 Gartner Hybrid Work Employee Survey

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02

Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

Myth

Employees are less productive
when remote
Many executives and managers doubt the
productivity of employees who are remote froma central work location. What they're really saying,
though, is that they need to see employees tomake sure they are being productive.

Reality

Number of High Performers Increases With Radical Flexibility
Percentage of High Performers

70%

35%

Employees thrive when given
radical flexibility
Data shows radical flexibility (not monitoringof productivity inputs) is what drives
performance — but it requires a culture of trust,
empathy and empowerment. It also means
managers must focus on work outcomes,
rather than activity metrics.

40%

Radical Flexibility Definition

63%

Where

When

Flexibility

45%

Who

What

How Much

Radical Flexibility

Source: Gartner

0%
Flexibility

Radical Flexibilityn = 5,000 employees worldwide
Source: 2021 Gartner EVP Employee Survey

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02

Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

Shifting to intentional human-centric design iswhat drives productivity and engagement
Office-Centric Design

Human-Centric Design

An On-Site Model for an On-Site World“Location is the stable pillar we design work around.”A Hybrid Model for a Hybrid World“The individual is the stable pillar”

Provide Consistent Work Experiences
Work design principle: Equality of experiences

Provide Flexible Work Experiences
Work design principle: Equality of opportunity

Enable Serendipitous Collaboration
Work design principle: Innovation by chance

Enable Intentional Collaboration
Work design principle: Innovation by design

Drive Visibility-Based Management
Work design principle: Performance by inputs

Drive Empathy-Based Management
Work design principle: Performance by outcome

Source: Gartner

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03

Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

Myth

Serendipity is the best driver ofinnovation
More distributed teams cannot count on
chance encounters in the hallway to spark
conversation. Some believe this lack of “watercooler moments” comprises innovation, but
this overreliance on serendipity was alreadybeing questioned as a prepandemic sourceof innovation.

Working Together Isn’t the Only Way to Drive Innovation
100%

49%
Variance
In TeamInnovation
Explained

50%

51%

Reality
The key is to create intentional
opportunities to collaborate
Leaders must hardwire intentionality into
collaboration as a key team norm in orderto drive innovation, especially in the hybrid
environment. Providing access to four
different modes of collaboration (see nextpage) is critical to innovation.

Asynchronous
work is just as
important toteam innovation
as synchronous
work.

0%
Synchronous Work

Asynchronous Work

Collaboration Moden = 2,410 hybrid/remote knowledge workers
Source: 2021 Gartner Hybrid Work Employee Survey
Note: This chart shows the result of a dominance analysis demonstrating the relative impact of synchronous andasynchronous work on team innovation.

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03

Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

Progressive organizations will invest in providing
access to all four modes of working
Hybrid work environments offer employees and teams more access to all four modes ofcollaboration — and gives them the flexibility to choose when and how they leverage eachmode to maximize their contribution.
Working Together, Together

Source: Gartner

Working Together, Apart

Working Alone, Apart

Synchronous Work

Asynchronous Work

Distributed

We don’t need to be in
the same place to work
together.
And working alone —where our mindspace isprotected from physicaland mental distraction — iscritical to our productivity
and creativity.

Working Alone, Together

Colocated

While we may work
together when co-located,
we often work alone evenwhen seated together.

In hybrid working
environments, teams canengineer opportunities
to collaborate more
intentionally.
Those that do collaborate
intentionally have astronger awareness ofhow, where and when touse each of the four hybrid
collaboration modes.

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04

Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

Myth

Our jobs just can't be done
remotelySome executives insist their employees cannot
work remotely, but that's often a default position
rather than a thoughtful business decision. Location
flexibility is a key component of hybrid work models
so it needs more purposeful consideration.

RealityHybrid workforce models lookbeyond roles
By mapping employees' activities, you can spot
opportunities for flexibility even when location isn't
flexible. Most jobs fall somewhere on a spectrum
between fully portable and fully nonportable.
Assembly-line work, for example, includes almost all
nonportable tasks. Surgeons, in contrast, perform a
mix of nonportable tasks (e.g., the surgery itself) andhighly portable tasks (e.g., notes and paperwork).

Knowledge Workers Aren’t the Only Ones Who Value Flexibility
Percentage
Where
You Work

53%

30%

When
You Work

55%

25%

What YouWork On

23%

Who YouWork WIth

50%
51%

21%
0%

What Organizations Offer

58%

29%

How Much
You Work

Importance to Employees

50%

100%

n = 5,000 employees worldwide; 77 HR Leaders
Source: 2021 Gartner EVP Employee Survey; 2021 Gartner EVP Benchmarking Survey

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04

Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

Sample flexibility options for employees who aren’t
knowledge workers
Illustrative

Role
Flexibility
Options

Retail Employee• Provide employees the choice toschedule and trade their own hours• Provide tenured employees options
for what areas they work in and whothey work with
• Allow employees to work at diﬀerent
locations

On-Site Essential Personnel

IT Field Technician• Provide employees transparency
into the types of projects available
to them• Adjust scheduling as needed(i.e., four 10-hour days, not five
8-hour days)• Allow employees to share theirworkstyle preference• Provide employees options ofwhich peers they work with on-site• Provide employees choice of when
they can start and end each workday• Authorize remote work when
not on-site

Source: Gartner

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05

Redesigning Work for a Hybrid FutureMyth

We need in-person contact tosustain our culture
Many executive leaders fear that limited
in-person contact in a hybrid workforce model
will dilute corporate culture. Yet culture should
always adapt. Even before the pandemic, many
cultures lacked future fitness and were missing
key attributes for digital success, such as agility,
speed and autonomy in decision making.

Reality

Culture Is Viewed Positively by More Remote and Hybrid Than In-Office Employees
Q: “Does Your Organization’s Culture Have a Positive Impact, Negative Impact or No Impact Either Way
on Your Job?”
100%

No Impact Either Way
Positive Impact

23%

21%

64%

66%

Hybrid(n = 1,131)

Remote(n = 1,998)

32%

50%

Hybrid workforce models
offer a critical opportunity toreinforce culture
Employees don't magically imbibe culture simply
by entering a physical workplace. And so far, more
remote and hybrid employees report higher culturesatisfaction than on-site employees. Successrequires intentional culture change and rolemodeling, whether employees are remote or not.

Negative Impact

52%0%(n = 1,871)

Source: 2020 Gartner Improving Employee Engagement Survey (September 2020)
Note: Percentages may not add up to 100% because of rounding.

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05

Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

Think differently
Think first about the cultural norms and values you want to promote and the behaviors
that reinforce them.
Then work on how to promote those behaviors in a hybrid model to create ashared purpose and deeper connections with and among full-time employees.
As mentioned (in Myth No. 3), many leaders fear, for example, that innovation
can only thrive in a physical workplace where ad hoc and in-person
brainstorming takes place or when employee teams collaborate with
nontraditional (e.g., gig) workers.

In a hybrid working model, ensure that innovation thrives by orchestrating it:Create intentional collision opportunities. Foster virtual gatherings
that pull in employees from diverse business units or from outside
the organization. Intentional matchmaking connects people who
realistically would never interact in the real world.
Teach employees to use formal and informal networks. The
existence of groups within or across business units isn’t always
obvious. Teach employees about the networks that exist and how
to access them.
This same type of intentionality should apply to all aspects of the desired
behaviors and culture.

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06

Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

Myth

Hybrid workforce models hurt DEI
Concerns that employees feel disconnected fromtheir colleagues in remote work environments canfeed fears that a hybrid model, in which colleagues
are physically separated by design, will undermine
diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and create
disparities between work conditions.

Knowledge workers with a disability
are more likely to feel respected in a
hybrid environment than when on-site
81%
56%

51% of women who weren't working remotely before,
but have been since the pandemic, say their level ofsafety has increased

50%

Reality
Aim for equality of opportunity —fairness not samenessThe imperative is to facilitate flexibility while
ensuring that all employees have an equal
opportunity to participate. A fully on-site return isactually a risk to DEI. This type of sustainable DEI
approach will make you an employer of choice fordiverse candidates — whether you deploy a hybrid
workforce strategy or not.

Women Feel Increased Safety In
Hybrid Workn = 254 employees who identify as female
Source: 2021 Gartner Hybrid Work Employee Survey

0%
On-SiteHybrid/Remoten = 2,410 hybrid/remote knowledge workers
Source: 2021 Gartner Hybrid Work Employee Survey

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06

Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

Think differently
Devote discrete attention to diversity, equity and inclusion.
With a hybrid workforce, organizations certainly need to be committed
and intentional about DEI initiatives — but so will they in more traditional
workforce models.
The good news is that employees provided with flexible work options saythey are more likely to bring their authentic selves to the organization, which
improves their engagement and performance.

Commit to ensuring that inclusion strategies large and small work to remove
any barriers to equitable advancement. For example:
Develop good everyday work habits, e.g., ensure everyone is heard
in a virtual meeting.
Review how work is assigned, e.g., don’t preserve certain clients
only for in-person sales calls.
Listen to employees. Pulse employee groups about their work
experience, and ask what they need from the organization to feel
connected and heard. Leverage employee resource groups (ERGs)
to ensure everyone has a voice, and identify new practices, fromflexible work schedules to additional hardware or software fordiffering needs.

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07

Redesigning Work for a Hybrid FutureMyth

A hybrid workforce model duplicates our
IT infrastructure
Nearly 70% of infrastructure and operations (I&O) employees viewthe enterprise’s priorities of speed and agility as being at odds with
infrastructure’s mandates for reliability and efficiency. But this reflects
a legacy mindset that will significantly constrain infrastructure
speed and agility.

Reality
Resilient organizations continuously reengineer
their IT strategies and infrastructures anyway
Resilient, future-fit organizations need “Everywhere Enterprise”
strategies — which go beyond enabling a workforce with mobile devices
and remote access alone.
Everywhere Enterprises use technology, team structures, processes,
skills and tools to empower dispersed workforces, harness distributed
infrastructures and serve ubiquitous customer bases.

Requirements gathering by IT
Who are the users andwhat is their job function?

• Executives or mission-critical
employees• Users with intense data analysis needs• Users with “normal” requirements

What kind of device
is being used and who
owns it?

••••PC vs. mobile devices
Organization vs. user-owned
Phone/tablet
PC-class

What kind of applications
and data do users needto access to and are they
located on-premises orin the cloud?

•
•
•
•

Browser-based on-premises
Windows-based on-premises
Browser-based cloud
Windows-based cloud

Where in the world isa user located?

• Verify user’s policy complies with all
local labor and privacy laws

Source: Gartner

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07

Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

Think differently
Embrace best practices for serving "everywhere" needs.
To serve the “everywhere” needs of a hybrid workforce, you’ll need to deliverconsistent and secure network access for all employees (traditional andnontraditional), regardless of where they work. CIOs will need to work withother business leaders to help define the requirements.

Best practices for designing and deploying the right systems include:
Define requirements. Establish the specifics of who needs what,
including minimum download and upload speeds, and negotiate
coverage to include as many employees as possible.
Optimize performance. Deploy solutions that distribute traffic
across the network and prevent backlogs that come from routing
everything through the on-site data center. Enhance network
uptime for employees whose local broadband provider doesn’t
provide enough coverage.
Invest in cloud-based services. Cloud providers deliver reliable
service regardless of worker location, while allowing enterprises
to quickly shift capacity in response to disruption.

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Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

Conclusion

Ensure your organization’s
leaders have the skills andcompetencies neededto effectively manage
employees in a hybrid
work environment.

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Get access to even more resourcesin your client portal. Log In

Define the value proposition
for your workplace andreframe the workplace as atool for engaging employees,
rather than a place exclusively
for productivity.

Human-Centric
Work Design
Rethinking
theWorkplace

ReformingtheCultureFuture of Work
Reinvented

Shifting
Talentand Skills

Managing
in a Hybrid
World
DigitalEnablement

ness OutcomesBusiStart by dispelling the myths that stand between
you and your ability to capture this competitive
opportunity. Then pursue a coordinated strategy
in which you experiment, learn and iterate
implementation across six fronts to make hybrid
working a win-win for your employees and yourorganization.

Intentionally embed culturalrituals and attributes into thehybrid model work design, notinto locations.

Outcomes
ployeeEm

Going back to the work model that prevailed
before the pandemic is a step backward. And yourorganization can’t be resilient without rethinking
strategies like hybrid workforce models.

Boost productivity and wellbeing by giving employees more
control over their work and work
environment.

Identify, retain, upskill
and acquire skills andcompetencies employees
will need in the digital
future/to meet businessgoals.

Identify and install technologies
and practices needed to optimize
hybrid work in the short term andfuel organizational prosperity inthe long term.
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Redesigning Work for a Hybrid Future

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