But there are hidden costs to flexibility.

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For example, if key decisions are made in hallway conversations at work, might some employees automatically be left out? Or, if working mothers take advantage of flexibility in time or location, could this hinder their ability to advance within the organization? Gallup's 2020-2021 data shows that during the pandemic, the more someone worked from home, the less likely they were to say they were receiving weekly feedback from their manager. In essence, the more you are out of sight, the more likely you are to be out of mind. At their core, these are issues of inclusion – making everyone feel appreciated for their uniqueness while also making everyone feel like they belong. Leaders must pay attention to the subtle ways in which new hybrid or flexible policies can ostracize certain employees. Action plan for leaders: audit your perks, benefits, and hybrid policies for equity and inclusion.

Include surveys and focus groups to understand who is taking advantage of what benefits and why. Consider who is being left out. Intentionally plan to have regular conversations with each of your direct reports. Include your direct reports   Japan Email List in important decisions. Dynamic 3: confidence + productivity what do we really mean by productivity? The pandemic exposed how much of corporate productivity was measured by presence in the workplace. If I see you at a desk and you look busy, you are being productive. If I can't see you and I can't see if you're busy, you're not being productive. We all instinctively knew that this was not a good measure of true productivity. Simply showing up and taking a seat has never resulted in exceptional results. And increased employee monitoring has never resulted in greater employee accountability and commitment to their work.



The pandemic has put all our bad practices to the test. And surprisingly, many managers found that employees were just as or more productive working from home than in the office. Conversations, now via video or phone, were more intentional and focused – perhaps even less intimidating. Gallup data shows that employee engagement soared at the start of the pandemic, likely due to increased communication, support and care shown by managers and leaders. How could so many professionals have improved their engagement and performance when so many people predicted that teams would struggle with productivity? The path to performance excellence is built on trust and relationships, not increased monitoring or arbitrary occupancy metrics. Employee engagement captures workers' intrinsic motivation when they feel supported and connected to their team. Great managers generate trust through relationships; they unlock the intrinsic motivation that takes productivity to new levels.