How to prepare for hybrid working

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About to enter the workplace for the first time? Whether you’re an apprentice or junior colleague starting at a new firm, here’s what you can expect if your company has gone “hybrid”.

Being the office newbie has never been easy. From the second you 
step gingerly through the door and pick up your lanyard from reception, the first few weeks of any job are a combination of feeling both nervous and ineffectual – all those boring hours waiting for IT to give you a password, or wondering if you’re even in the right meeting room. 

Adjusting to hybrid working

But what must this feel like if you’re starting this new job with a computer set up in your front room with the only office banter coming from your dog? 

Or entering the office for the first time, having to befriend colleagues you’ve only seen in pixelated form before? With hybrid workplaces – where employees split their time between home and the office – becoming standard for many businesses, how do you experience the buzz of working on exciting projects, bond with bosses, immerse yourself in company “culture” or simply engage in inane chitchat, when the workplace is mostly empty? 

It’s a predicament facing thousands of AAT students who have been hired remotely during the pandemic, as well as many of us returning to offices that look radically different to the ones we left in March 2020. 

Mentoring is still key

Starting their career in a hybrid set-up is clearly something that worries younger workers. A recent report by communications firm Poly found that over half (52%) of the 16- to 24-year-old employees surveyed were concerned that remote working would negatively impact upon their development and career progression, with a similar number (53%) fearing it has made them less confident in their communication skills (if you feel like you’ve forgotten how to speak to people, turn to page 13 for some expert tips). 

The early stages of a career are often defined by on-the-job training, face-to-face mentoring and peer-to-peer networking. Hybrid working makes this more difficult, says Toby Stanbrook, chief operating officer at accountancy firm Mazars, which has recently taken on a cohort of 400 new hires. 

Prior to the pandemic, most training at Big Four giant PwC was conducted in a classroom-style environment. The remote learning of hybrid working now means that students record training sessions, re-listening and revisiting them as they would a podcast, says Vicki Broadhurst, PwC’s head of organisational effectiveness (the City firm is giving its 22,000 UK staff the opportunity to spend 40-60% of their week at home). 

Remote learning has also spawned other tech benefits. At PwC, meetings and training can be delivered using virtual reality headsets, which sees staff transported to meetings held in penthouse apartments or ski chalets. Meanwhile, PwC’s Virtual Park sees trainees create their own avatar and walk around virtual events without leaving their home.  

Scheduling work around you

No amount of flashy tech can compensate for the value that comes from learning alongside your fellow peers in the office. If a young staffer has a query about capital gains tax, they could usually shoot this question to their desk mates, who’d quickly shout out the answer. With remote working, this may involve firing off an email or jotting it down in Slack or Google Chat, before waiting a long time for somebody to respond. 

“Sometimes, you need to sit next to people to learn,” Toby says. “You might have a silly but useful question that a person sitting next to you can quickly provide an answer to.” 

Some young employees have developed inventive solutions to these problems. At Worcestershire County Council’s finance department, apprentices have worked individually from home, but with their webcams switched on, enabling them to natter away to each other as if they were sharing the same desk. 

Giving staff the freedom to work asynchronous hours is another staple of hybrid working. At many firms, staff can schedule their work time to whenever they want – allowing parents to do the school run or early-risers the chance to do tax returns at 5am because that’s when they’re most productive. 

Vicki says that PwC is “not a nine-to-five organisation any more”, with the company now offering an “Empowered Day”, which “allows people to decide the most effective working pattern for them”. Similar policies are in place at Deloitte (staff have the right to decide “when, where and how they work”) and KPMG where workers enjoy “four-day fortnights”. 

Professionalism is expected

It begs the question: if you’re an 18-year-old school-leaver who’s never worked in an office before, how can you learn about the importance of punctuality, when working asynchronously gives you carte blanche to sleep in, play some Red Dead Redemption 2 on the PlayStation and then log on at 4pm? There’s also been a rise in staff moonlighting for other firms while WFH (as the subreddit forum r/overemployed shows, it isn’t just MPs that have second jobs – some accountants employed by big firms do too). 

“We still expect people to be professional,” says Vicki, who says new recruits at PwC get to “attend engagements soon after joining, so they can learn how to work alongside more senior staff to get the professional etiquette they need”. 

The argument for new accountants being primarily office-based isn’t just about the merits of face-to-face learning. Spending less time in the workplace means they’re less visible to the senior managers who might promote them one day (various studies have shown the impact of “proximity bias”, i.e. those bosses who favour workers they see every day). 

Also, many young people live at home with their parents or share a house with friends, which could see them working from a laptop in their teenage bedroom (complete with cringe-worthy posters) or elbowing flatmates for space on the kitchen table. Obviously, when both the office and the bedroom are the same place, it’s not brilliant for mental health. 

Flexible working still preferred

At the same time, employers are redesigning offices for hybrid workforces that have a greater focus on wellbeing – with collaboration-friendly meeting rooms, greenery and Zoom pods replacing the grey, toilet-sized cubicles of yesteryear. PwC – which already has a medical facility at its London office, with on-site GP and dentist – recently refitted its Belfast office with a “wellbeing zone” offering meditation pods and exercise classes. Meanwhile, Mazars is developing more quiet study areas where students can knuckle down in peace, alongside café-style zones for teamwork. 

Even though their home working conditions are often cramped, it seems younger generations are still not 100% keen on spending five days a week in the office. One Bloomberg study found that nearly half (49%) of millennials and Gen Z surveyed would quit their jobs if flexible working wasn’t offered. 

When Mazars piloted hybrid working during 2021, it surveyed its staff on its progress. “We really thought we’d get a stronger message from younger groups saying: ‘We want to be in the office all the time’,” Toby says. “But we didn’t. Many of them didn’t want a five-day-a-week model for reasons such as the commute and mental health, but also the sustainability aspect of not driving or getting the train every day.” 

New working patterns emerging

Since hybrid has been offered, new working patterns have emerged. Working a 3:2 diet (three days in the office) is emerging as the norm with most employees opting to come in from Tuesday-Thursday (it appears nobody wants to trudge into the office on Mondays). Vicki notes that because staff visit the workplace less frequently, the office has taken on a “special” status. “Now, when people come into the office, there’s a real buzz – they’re meeting for coffee or going for lunch together more than they did before.” 

Hybrid working is still in its experimental phase, with companies figuring out what works and what doesn’t. There could be a financial stipend offered to younger employees who wish to escape cramped conditions and work full-time from the office. Because they’re on lower salaries, they’ll be spending more money on commuting (the average cost of a commute in London is £5,114, which is 18% of the average salary in the capital), work-wear and expensive Pret lunches. Companies may wish to follow the lead of PwC, which recently offered its UK workforce an extra £1,000 to spend on anything they wanted, such as commuting costs or setting up a home office. 

Key point

For any new joiners who want to spend part of the week working at home, but don’t want their career to stall, Toby’s advice is simple. 

“Get involved with things, say yes to any opportunities that arise, take advantage of social interactions and be part of your team,” he says. “That doesn’t mean being in the office five days a week, but finding a balance that works best for you in terms of work and your wellbeing.”   

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