Your ETHOS for hybrid work

A compass to guide you forward

The future is hybrid, but still evolving

We know things are not going back to the way they were. Employees want more flexibility, and employers have started to embrace hybrid and remote working models. The best organizations are focusing on people—listening to what employees, customers, and partners want in the future of work to ensure an inclusive, equitable future.

As organizations commit to phased approaches for their hybrid models, most recognize the importance of gathering feedback and iterating as they continue to learn what works best for everyone. Nobody is expected to get this right the first time—but rapid action is imperative to maintain competitive advantage and retain top talent.

76% of knowledge workers want flexibility on where they work, 93% want flexibility on when they work, and 56% are open to new job opportunities that may provide more flexibility.

Future Forum Pulse June 2021

The hybrid spectrum

Very few organizations in the future of work will be fully on-site or fully remote, but the middle ground is complex and uncharted. It starts with a hypothesis.

What’s your hybrid hypothesis?

Remote-fine

Full- or part-time remote work is allowed at modest to moderate scales, but the real “center of gravity” is in the office. People are not expected to significantly modify their in-office behaviors to make sure distributed colleagues feel included.

Remote-friendly

Some or most in-office activities are modified to consider and attempt to include those working remotely on a given day. But co-located work remains central to the regular operations of an organization.

Remote-first

Offices exist but hybrid meetings are discouraged, and all work is digital by default. Semi-regular co-located team meetups occur. All employees onboarded remotely.

Finding your path forward

Your strategic landscape is unique, and your hybrid model must balance the needs of your business, customers, and employees. How will you navigate the complexities between your landscape and your vision?

Start with your ETHOS:

Engagement. How do we engage our employees, teams, and customers?
Talent. What are our strategies for retaining and attracting top employees?
Health. How will we ensure the safety and well-being of our employees?
Operations. What are the processes that need to be reimagined?
Systems. Which systems must change or be adopted?

ETHOS is a compass

Slalom’s ETHOS assessment can help guide your organization through the decisions and trade-offs that stand between you and your vision for a hybrid organization. We’ll help you maximize the value of the shift by evaluating key capabilities we believe are essential to success in a hybrid world.

Critical questions

Do we have the tools for knowledge-sharing and documentation we would need to move to a digital-by-default culture?
Can we make our core values the defining aspect of our culture and include this in our talent strategy, so we don’t have to rely upon hallway transmission?

How will we ensure distributed colleagues are included and treated equitably on hybrid teams?
How well have we shifted toward measuring outcomes, and how can we ensure these manager mindsets persist?

How it works

Slalom supports organizations across the hybrid journey:

Strategy alignment. Do you understand the needs and wants of your employees, customers, and business?
Readiness assessment. Are you aligned on your desired future? Have you considered all the key dimensions, and are you prepared to execute?
Intervention design. Where should you focus? Have you considered all the impact areas and prioritized based on your strategy?
Adaptive adoption. Are you making progress toward your desired future? What are you learning, and where should you adjust?

Getting there, together

As a people-first consulting firm, we understand that getting to the right hybrid model requires putting people’s diverse attitudes about returning to the office at the center of organizational design. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions. We lead with empathy, while balancing business and customer needs.