The office for Top Down Ventures—a British Columbia-based tech investment firm—takes over the thirty-second floor of a high-rise on West Hastings Street in downtown Vancouver. This unique space boasts incredible 360-degree views of the city. And employees enjoy a whole menu of perks, from stacks of snacks, a first-rate coffee station and a fully stocked bar to ergonomically impeccable chairs and desks, and numerous spaces to lounge and collaborate with teammates.
The office is a home base to several of the firm’s rapid-growth portfolio companies, and me, the Senior VP of Talent for Top Down.
Prior to the pandemic, we were 100% focused on in-office. That was something we were proud of as we always worked to create an environment that people want to be a part of.
But like every other company in the city, the country and well beyond, our people and teams that used to spend their working time exclusively in our office space were ushered into work-from-home arrangements by pandemic mandates in March, 2020.
While the shift was quick, we found it was easy for employees to maintain business-as-usual at home. And it shook things up by putting us in a position to quickly learn how to lead, manage and inspire effectively in a completely virtual way.
Our company really changed its approach from there, even after mandates were lifted. Embracing remote work with a very flexible hybrid-model policy became the obvious path forward.
If anything, this whole experience has pushed us to create a much stronger and more unified culture. Employees can choose their work environment—from in-office, at home or a bit of both—and they have become much more involved and passionate about being part of building the employee experience.
Tips for transitioning from in-office to a hybrid work model
It’s worth mentioning that the term 'hybrid work’ can mean a range of different things to different people.
- At one end of the spectrum, it can mean having a policy that certain work days are always in-office, while others are from home.
- On the other end, it can mean complete flexibility—work from wherever it works for you each day, whether that’s home, the office or anywhere else.
Regardless of what hybrid work looks like for a business, the reality is nine in ten “remote-capable employees” say they prefer some degree of remote-work flexibility as we move ahead into the future of work, according to a recent Gallup study .
I’ve learned a lot about what makes a business model, its culture and its people thrive during my nearly decade-long career in human resources. And as someone who leads people and has transitioned multiple teams—including Produce8 —permanently to a fairly progressive hybrid-work policy, these are a few of my top tips for making it happen smoothly and successfully.
1. Flexibility, not enforcement of work location
When it comes to the future of work, one thing is clear: there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. And a surefire way to add to those Great Resignation statistics—and take a painful blow to your own talent pool—is to force your people into a rigid work model.
It's not competitive and it's not realistic to not be present in the current work culture of today, which is that employees are taking control of how they own their work lives.
Forcing employees one way or another, whether it’s back to the office or to a completely remote work environment without any options, means not adapting to the fact there’s been a shift.
People are demanding more flexibility and a better balance to experience life and work. And if you're not embracing that, you’ve been failing.
In my recent hiring, I’ve seen candidates come from companies that weren’t willing to change and accept more permanent flexible work options. But I’ve also seen candidates apply from companies that have completely sold their offices and have left their people without any option for in-office.
It's about providing the greatest opportunity, no matter who you're reaching. They need to be able to find what they need…in you.
2. Re-establish your company culture and what that really means
While it's great to have a beautiful office space in a hybrid work model for people who want to come in or for collaboration opportunities, it simply isn’t the main selling feature anymore.
Very few people I interview now are focused on the office space we offer. Sure, they love the idea of it. They like to know they can get into an office if and when they choose to. But it’s not the be-all end-all.
Businesses need to flip culture on its head and move away from the physical tangibles. It’s not about the ping pong tables and the beer Fridays, and all those other things that used to seem important in selling tech culture.
They need to understand the biggest selling perk is now the experience people have at work—no matter where they’re working.
People are truly seeking a culture they can grow in and see potential in—where they can thrive at work, whether they’re in the office, at home or working as a digital nomad. They want to be able to have an excelling work career while providing for their families, or while traveling and experiencing the world.
The pandemic has enabled the beautiful realization that if you choose the right employee who’s passionate about their work, self-driven and eager for growth, then no matter where they’re located they’ll be successful in their role.
To support this kind of culture though, there’s a re-evaluation that needs to happen.
Companies need to be extremely intentional about how they approach having an effective digital workplace and how they encourage strong communication and personal connection amongst their people.
And that starts from the top down.
3. Re-think your management style
Leading people virtually can be difficult—especially for people who’ve spent the majority of their career office-first. And over the past couple of years, a lot of change management and re-learning has had to take place for leadership teams.
An effective remote work model isn’t just about the technicalities of getting into a rhythm of working with a group of distributed people. It’s also about offering leadership and support to create personal connections with and amongst those people. And this requires a different sort of leadership skill: empathy.
In today's work world, leaders need to be more aware and look for signs their people are disengaged. They need to ask questions and they need to check in, even on issues outside of work. The line of what’s seen as ‘work-appropriate’ has shifted.
Many people are working in their homes, so the saying, “leave your personal life at the door” when showing up for work no longer applies.
People should know that, whether they're at work or dealing with things at home, they have a community of people looking to help them, elevate them and enable them to have progression in their careers and in their lives.
You aren’t just choosing the company you want to invest your talents and time to. You’re choosing who you want to be your community.
It comes down to the environment that's being created amongst teams and from leaders. Your company as a whole needs to set a strong platform, but it’s the individual contributors who'll make that successful, or not.
We can do everything from a people and culture perspective to put out policies and to put out intention, but in the end, if it's not followed through by our leadership, it falls flat.
I see the role of leadership teams as being roadblock removers and door openers for their employees, making sure people have what they need to be successful, no matter where they’re sitting. And this starts with having awareness of each and every team member.
You should always know if your people are showing up in a day—both literally and figuratively. And if something's not right, you need to make space in your day to check in and be intentional. That intentionality becomes clear when you prioritize that their needs are something that might be more important than your day. It’s about being able to set something aside and say, ‘I know how busy it is, but I wanted to check in.’ And that needs to come from the CEO all the way down through the organization.
4. Equalize the hybrid work experience
Whether it’s the process of onboarding or participation in a team-building work event, the experience has to be equal across all employees in a hybrid model. And this takes some thought and effort.
I'd say we're still perfecting how to accomplish this successfully in our own hybrid experiences. It’s an ongoing effort, but it has been a real dedication for us. And I feel that’s the key.
Prior to the pandemic, when a new employee started their first day with a Top Down company, their manager would take them for a coffee in the morning and out for lunch in the afternoon.
We don't always have that one-to-one connection point anymore to help new hires feel immediately accepted and taken in. In a lot of cases, we have to do that virtually now. And it’s not necessarily about replicating the exact same experience remotely, but rather creating a new experience that accomplishes the same outcome.
Getting people set up for success and then thriving in their work experience over the long term also means having the right technology support.
5. The right security, the right technology
In a hybrid work model, the strength of your company’s digital infrastructure is obviously important. This includes having the best tech stack to support effective distributed work, and also the right security to safeguard that work.
From a policy side, that's been a huge piece, as has been our technology that supports strong, cross-company communication and knowledge distribution. Every time we update things, we’re always sharing knowledge and keeping people involved. Everything has to be available to everyone.
The cross-pollination of information and a high level of communication has never seemed more important.
Again, it’s up to leaders to remove roadblocks for their teams. And if people can’t access the information they need to do their jobs, and in an effective and secure way, then everyone loses. Openness and transparency in the digital-first work environment helps foster trust and efficiency.
Communication is also key when it comes to keeping people updated and involved.
6. Keep the communication flowing
From quarterly town halls and leadership check-ins to manager one-on-ones and more, clear, consistent communication is critical in a thriving distributed work environment.
Talking with your team and figuring out what’s working, what’s not and where improvements can be made can go a long way toward enhancing not only the work itself, but also the work environment for everyone.
And making time for more social, team-building forms of communication should be a priority as well.
For example, one company in the Top Down portfolio has found a lot of success with an app called Donut . The app, which states it helps people ‘connect around the water cooler, anywhere’, randomly selects people from different departments and sets them up with a 15-minute opportunity to chat. Of course, they can always reconnect to chat more at a later time, but getting to know team members—especially those who work in a different location or who we wouldn’t normally chat with in our day-to-day—helps build camaraderie and strengthens the team dynamic.
On the flip side though, it’s also important to be aware of the needs of your unique team. Interdepartmental one-on-ones and other kinds of interactions like this can be hugely beneficial, but they can also feel deeply uncomfortable and forced for some employees.
Providing these opportunities and encouraging them is one thing—some people will thrive with them. But it’s also important to understand and respect everyone’s communication preferences and comfort zones.
The best hybrid work models know their people and take care of them
There's still so much to be done to make the remote work model a truly seamless experience, for both employees and employers.
It’s up to the leaders in a company to pay attention to their people and their processes and continue to make positive changes toward a better future of work for their businesses. And part of building a strong distributed workforce—and retaining the talented people in that workforce—is really knowing the people on your team and understanding their needs for bringing their best to the table each day.
If people thrive working from different locations or at different hours and that’s when they do their best work, what are we doing to facilitate a great work environment for them? And as an organization, what are we doing to make sure we're actually knowing them and meeting them in that experience?
Having a true people-focused mentality when it comes to when, how and where we work goes a long way. Because while companies want the best from their people, they should also want them to stick around and enjoy their work experience for the long-term.
