Page 27 - BusinessWest August 4, 2021

While working from home saves on “By making sure our employees have the “We’re big on culture here
travel time and can boost productiv- ity in other ways, he admitted that it’s important that colleagues come in a few days a week to make sure they’re not missing out on the collaborative components of their jobs. Therefore, managers are expected to work on site at least three days a week, and every- one else at least two.
“Again, it depends on the business needs. That’s a very important compo- nent of it,” Galat said. “There may be weeks they have to come in every day, and there may be weeks they can work more from home. Each area supervi- sor works with them to find that bal- ance based on the business needs and what’s going on in their personal life.”
Workers appreciate that kind of consideration, Cicco added. “By mak- ing sure our employees have the flex- ibility to take care of their families, we set off a virtuous cycle where our peo- ple are taken care of, and in turn they can take care of their communities, and that extends to how we can take care of our customers.”
Culture of Collaboration
That said, companies see value in making sure their workforce is physi- cally present, at least part of the time,
“We think there’s value in both in- person collaboration and the flexibility created by working remotely,” Cicco said, adding that most MassMutual employees responding to surveys or other outreach preferred the hybrid option.
“We’ve learned that, while we appreciate the increased flexibility of remote work, we also miss the value we get from face-to-face meetings, impromptu conversations, collabora- tion across work groups, and what we learn when we’re together,” she went on. “Not to mention the social aspects — having lunch, bumping into friends around the building, and catching up over a cup of coffee.”
In addition, “we believe the connec- tion that comes with being face-to-face brings energy, encourages innovative thinking, accelerates learning, and strengthens relationships and commu- nity,” Cicco noted. “With this in mind, we will encourage work groups to come together regularly, for the benefit of their work and their team.”
Giombetti said most of his clients offering hybrid work stress the need to be physically present at times — brain- storming and working through critical issues at a staff meeting, for instance. “Some things are best done in a room with other people. And most clients have found their employees are totally comfortable with that.”
The other challenge for companies has to do with culture, camaraderie, and the kind of collaboration that can’t be easily achieved over Zoom.
“A lot of organizations are train- ing specifically on that topic,” he said. “While you’re honoring the flexibility of your teammates and employees, it’s
SUE CICCO
flexibility to take care of their families, we set off a virtuous cycle where our people are taken care of, and in turn they can take care of their communities, and that extends to
how we can take care of our customers.”
— that’s a very, very important part of it. When you don’t see people at least part of the time, it’s hard to strengthen those relationships. It’s all about relationship building, and that goes back to who we are as
an organization, caring about employees. Yes, we’re allow- ing them to work from home, but building relationships with people over the years when we
important to make sure you can main- tain that great culture you’ve built.”
Galat agreed, noting that, while Zoom and similar tools have their
place and have been an important piece of keeping staff connected, some collaborations are more effective in person.
don’t see them some of the time, that’s difficult.”
Hybrid
Continued on page 28
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