It’s already tomorrow. Not very present in companies before the pandemic, telework has made a breakthrough in many companies, which were still reluctant two years ago to set it up. This habit, the employees, seniors as juniors, do not intend to let go anytime soon, and the directions have understood it well. Of the 588 respondents to the BCG x ANDRH study – 85% made up of HRDs – nearly half (46%) believe that in 2025, hybrid work, with two days of telework per week, will become the norm. . A quarter of them rather foresee an average of three teleworking days per week and less than 1% of full-time teleworking. A phenomenon that we already identify in the United States.
The time when GAFAM announced that the full remote would become the norm is now over. Tech giants reinvest in office real estate to attract employees back to their ranks. No doubt because they have understood that applications such as Teams and Zoom will never replace informal exchanges at the coffee machine or a little advice offered on the fly.
More flexibility on working hours
However, the importance given to telework is real and it is already reflected in a reorganization within companies. In 2020, BCG and ANDRH survey respondents believed that the two areas most impacted by remote working were managerial practices and corporate HR policies and practices. The organization of work within the company only came in third place. Two years later, it’s the seesaw: this notion is in the lead (58% of voters), just ahead of managerial practices.
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We note that 40% of respondents say they are ready to open more telework positions or to think about this possibility. The real change lies in the extension of telework to jobs that we did not think could be done remotely. Audrey Richard, national president of ANDRH and Group HR and employee engagement at Up, gives the example of chefs who are, for some, granted a morning at home to place orders from suppliers.
The introduction of new HR policies is considered important by only 30% of respondents. However, neglecting this point would be a mistake because candidates have had new expectations for 2 years and human resources departments will have to respond to them to attract them and retain them in a context of talent wars. Other studies conducted by the BCG show, in fact, that 80% of candidates expect more flexibility in their workplace and 46% in terms of working hours, while 44% require more weeks of training per year. HRDs are also aware of this, 58% note that work needs to be personalised.
With telework, micro-management is counterproductive
On the front line during the pandemic, managers had to learn to lead their teams differently. 93% of respondents believe, in fact, that hybrid work has changed the role of manager. The classification of the main missions of managers has been completely turned upside down by the arrival of hybrid work at a forced march, even if their main mission remains to motivate teams and give meaning to their work.
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The graph thus shows that the second priority of managers is to delegate part of their prerogatives. Forced telework at first, then hybrid work, have generally enabled employees to gain autonomy and independence when micro-management has clearly proven its counterproductive nature. Another important task for managers is to adapt the control and evaluation of their teams so that they respond to their new responsibilities, while avoiding falling into micro-management or, conversely, a total absence of verification.
For 60% of respondents, the pandemic has reinforced the strategic role of managers. Unfortunately, we note at the same time that the function of manager is no longer a dream and that many employees no longer wish to take over this function which enjoys a degraded image. ” LHRDs must invest accordingly, in particular through a training offer and long-term support. Making the job of manager attractive is essential to shaping the future of work “, believes Laurence Breton Kueny.
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