Page 12 - BusinessWest August 4, 2021

Editorial
Hybrid Workplaces Make Sense
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It takes only a few months, even a few weeks, to establish a habit.
And in under 18 months, some new habits have completely
altered the work world. The question now is, for how long?
It’s a well-told story at this point how companies across the U.S.
sent their employees home in mid-March 2020 for what they fig- ured would be a few weeks at most. Many worried whether their teams could be productive at home, relying on remote technology they had never used before.
Both instincts were largely wrong. A few weeks quickly became a few months and then well over a year. Now, almost a year and a half later, tens of millions of Americans are still working from home, and in many cases making remote work a requirement, or at least a strong request, when they apply for jobs. In other words, since the work-from-home habit set in, it has proven difficult to shake.
But employers were also wrong — at least in most cases — when they assumed the transition to remote work would be rocky. Thanks to a raft of tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, and IT companies that stayed incredibly busy through the first half of 2020 making sure clients’ employees had the equipment they needed — most businesses have found their remote colleagues as productive as they had been in the office, and in many cases happier and less stressed out.
So why not make remote work the new status quo, right?
The main problem lies in company culture and camaraderie — specifically, the fact that it’s difficult to maintain any when every- one is working in a different place; even regular Zoom meetings
Opinion
can’t replace face-to-face collaboration. Employee onboarding is harder, too — it’s tougher for a newcomer to feel assimilated and comfortable on a team when that team is scattered far and wide.
All of which is why hybrid scheduling makes so much sense, and why many companies — those that don’t require their employ- ees to see customers and clients in person, anyway — are moving to a hybrid model (see story on page 25). In short, employees who like the home setting can work there some days, but are required to come in on other days. That way, they still feel less stress and can balance work and life, but can also meet their employer’s collabora- tive needs.
Some companies are establishing set at-home and on-site days, while others allow their employees to decide each week where they will be, as long as they meet the minimum on-site requirements. Others have their staffs in house most of the time, but allow them to stay home on days when they feel they would work better there.
Formal or informal, hybrid work models are becoming the norm — and might completely transform workplace culture across the U.S., not to mention the trickle-down effects on industries like commercial real estate, office furniture, IT, and even restaurants that cater to lunch crowds.
It’s a transformation that wouldn’t have been possible 20 years ago, and it took a worldwide health crisis to unlock the door. But when Americans figure out that something works well, they tend to stick with it. How permanent will this shift be? Stay tuned. v
Recognize Your Emotional Health
GBy Kimberley Lee
race, strength, and pain are not
uncommon attributes of a sea-
soned gymnast, but to see Simone Biles exhibit them in her announce- ment that mental-health concerns had prompted a pause in her participation in the Tokyo Olympics was extraordinary.
The 24-year-old American gymnast who has won more than two dozen world and Olympic medals in less than a decade had the courage to admit to herself and share with the world that her “headspace” was not where it needed to be for her to safely and successfully perform her pioneering moves as one of the most celebrated ath- letes at the Games.
She stepped aside after struggling with a vault to allow “the girls” — her Olympic teammates — to go on to capture the silver in the team final on July 27 and for her to assess her mental health on a daily basis.
The withdrawal from the event was not what anyone had expected of Biles, who acknowledged she herself was “super frustrated” by it. Yet, her courage in mak- ing her mental health a priority and being vocal about it has been applauded by
many, including those of us whose work is dedicated to helping people recognize the importance of mental health in their lives.
It is said that more than half of people with mental-health disorders fail to seek treatment out of such concerns as losing their job or being treated differently. MHA’s BestLife Emotional Health and Wellness Center works remotely as well as on site with individuals, families, and couples to address behavioral- and mental-health issues ranging from substance use to psy- chiatric disorders.
Having accomplished young women like Biles, considered by many to be the greatest female gymnast to date, and 23-year-old tennis star Naomi Osaka, who withdrew from the French Open in May, speak out about the pressures and expec- tations on them and the collective impact on their mental health gives others the perspective that no one is alone when it comes to inner trauma and that it is OK to get help.
“We have to protect our body and our mind,” Biles told reporters at one point after her withdrawal from the team final. “It
just sucks when you’re fighting with your own head.”
She also acknowledged that taking care of herself allowed those around her to offer their support and to pull together for the best outcome. After the July 27 team event, Biles said during a news conference that she “just felt like it would be a little bit bet- ter to take a back seat, work on my mind- fulness.” She added that she “knew that the girls would do an absolutely great job.”
She added that “I didn’t want to risk the team a medal for kind of my screw-ups, because they’ve worked way too hard for that. So, I just decided that those girls need to go and do the rest of our competition.”
Speaking out about how we are feeling emotionally requires strength and shows courage. Recognizing and addressing our mental health by seeking the support of a mental-health professional is an important first step to feeling better and living our best lives — no matter who you are. v
Kimberley Lee is vice president of Resource Development & Branding at MHA.
12 AUGUST 4, 2021
OPINION
BusinessWest