https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Hybrid Work


Work is not where you go. It’s what you do. In today’s hybrid work world, it is no longer enough to solve for the challenges of remote work or support a safe office re-entry. It’s about finding solutions to not just recover in the face of change, but to thrive and innovate. Empower your workers at home, in the office, or anywhere.

Sponsored

When to ditch the sweatpants

When to ditch the sweatpants

  • Written by Cisco
  • 25th February 2022

A Cisco executive perspective from Denise Lee | The numbers are as certain as the comfort of your favorite sweatpants. According to the Hybrid Work Index, 64% of respondents agree that work from anywhere vs. coming into the office makes a difference on whether they stay or leave a job. The scales certainly seemed to tip in favor of flexibility of remote work. 

A Cisco executive perspective from Denise Lee

The numbers are as certain as the comfort of your favorite sweatpants. According to the Hybrid Work Index, 64% of respondents agree that work from anywhere vs. coming into the office makes a difference on whether they stay or leave a job. The scales certainly seemed to tip in favor of flexibility of remote work. And if you’re anything like me, you favor the flexibility of your waistband over the zero-stretch slacks we once wore daily to the office. For employees, flexibility is the hallmark of more satisfying work-life integration.

However, two years into life in a pandemic, I have some reflections and realizations that I’d like to share. Simply put, there is no replacing the power of human connection. When do we ditch the sweatpants? A truly hybrid working model, along with its long-term impacts, are here to stay. Here are some scenarios where I am ready to ditch the sweatpants:

Create, Innovate and Build

The magic of bringing forth a brand new creation – whether it starts with a wall-to-wall whiteboard session or building and developing in a lab – is that creation is at its best done in-person. I’m not a scientist, but I am a huge fan of the science, facts and all the data that shows creativity is often bolstered through physical and spatial presence. Then again, the obvious benefit of being able to read the room and tap into the diversity of thought, talent, and specialty by being present and working together cannot be underestimated.

Onboarding new staff or establishing a new relationship

It’s hard enough to be the newbie to any team in any circumstances. The pandemic has created some unforeseen circumstances such as new hires having never met their colleagues in person. This is also true of simply meeting a new colleague virtually. There is a different level of accountability and connection that happens through a screen than in person. As good as Webex can be for work productivity and collaboration, sometimes there’s just no substitute for an “in real life” experience. In fact, I believe from personal experience that just a simple coffee conversation in-person can equal months of virtual meetings in terms of genuine relationship building.

On-the-job training

People can learn new skills in a variety of ways. Some are better at learning through visual cues. Others say that they learn best audibly. But I believe that there is no replacement for on-the-job training like the type you get in person. This is especially true for jobs that require you to build or create such as software/hardware engineers. Go into any engineering conference room and you’re likely to see a great big whiteboard filled with a maze of diagrams and technical terminology. This ritual is an essential on-the-job training for new engineers who get a lot of critical information transferred this way. Yes, collaboration tools like Webex have whiteboard functionality, which can be super useful. But often it pales in comparison to in-person information exchange and training, especially if you’re newer to the job.

Celebrating meaningful moments

I have had the distinct pleasure of being able to promote many deserving employees to new roles. It’s one of the more awesome things any manager can ever do. Recently, I’ve had the privilege of promoting someone to Vice President, which is an incredible achievement at a company like Cisco. What made this even more special is that I had not seen this employee in person for almost two years. But with such a milestone moment, we made it a point to celebrate it in person. When somebody has worked an entire career to get to such an esteemed position, it deserves to bring the right people together in person and celebrate it as a team.

Of course, some of this is easier said than done. So, it’s even more important to make the effort and then maximize any opportunity to meet in person. Here are some simple guidelines to keep in mind on when to ditch the sweatpants in favor of meeting up in person:

  1. Can the meeting happen safely? What are the vaccination protocols and mask policies for this meeting?
  2. Do you have a productive agenda for this meeting in place and communicated? Are the right people going to be there and do they know their roles?
  3. Is the meeting taking place in an optimum time of day for the attendees? Is it more of an early-morning meeting or is it better over lunch?
  4. Speaking of food, will you offer food and beverages before, during, or after the meeting? Food can be such a great way for people to connect in person.

Ultimately, we are all navigating these new norms. As we stand at the dawn of 2022, now is the time to embrace the blending of the best that remote and in-person have to offer to create something brand new that works uniquely for you. I also urge you to not be afraid to ditch the sweatpants and make real life experiences count!

 

Brought to you by:

Tags: White Papers Hybrid Work Sponsored

Most Recent


  • Modernizing government services for today's resident expectations
    How to deliver a delightful resident experience, even with legacy back-office systems. Upgrading IT infrastructure, back-office systems and user experiences lies at the heart of most conversations surrounding the modernization of state and local governments. Separating the resident experience from the back-office system of record is the first step to modernization. To read the whole […]
  • Preparing Your Community Now for the Next Generation of Older Adults
    As the population of older adults increases to unprecedented numbers, local government decision-makers will face new challenges. This exclusive report includes years of data collected from The Community Assessment of Older Adults (CASOA), a survey that measures what older people think about quality of life in their state, county, city, or town. In the white […]
  • Helping Government Fleets Achieve Their Goals
    Over 2000 government agencies trust Geotab to drive their fleets forward with data. Get insights into key metrics for safety, sustainability and efficiency. Learn how Geotab is helping agencies just like yours transform their operations and solve their biggest fleet challenges. Discover how: New York City reduced fatal traffic events using data-driven analysis The City of Seattle is leading […]
  • Strategic Procurement Guide for Disaster Prep & Response
    Tornadoes ripped through eight states across the central and southern U.S. in December killing more than 80 people. This is a powerful reminder to have a disaster preparedness plan in place for any time of the year. Incorporating the best practice of cooperative purchasing in a purchasing strategy is an opportunity for procurement teams to […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Henry Schein Expands Access to Point-of-Care Testing, PPE, and Essential Medical Supplies to Help Meet the Needs of Patients
  • Beyond COVID-19: How government agencies must innovate for the future
  • Is Your Equipment Fleet Ready For Winter?
  • Implementing an Alcohol Monitoring Program in Your Agency

WHITE PAPERS


Modernizing government services for today’s resident expectations

24th January 2023

Preparing Your Community Now for the Next Generation of Older Adults

18th October 2022

Helping Government Fleets Achieve Their Goals

30th September 2022
view all

Webinars


How To: Evaluate Digital Government Service Delivery Technologies

23rd January 2023

Using Technology to Enhance Communications

29th November 2022

Learn the benefits of transforming and automating your Contract Management process

4th November 2022
view all

Podcast


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


Report: While remote work is causing offices to empty out, walkable cities are still in high demand

26th January 2023

10 American cities with a great downtown

24th January 2023

Miami leads the way in FT-Nikkei ranking of best U.S. cities for foreign companies

20th January 2023
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Report: With increase popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters, there’s a need for ‘safe and connected infrastructure’ dlvr.it/ShlKmJ

31st January 2023
AmerCityCounty

New York mayor announces city-wide curbside composting program, impacting 8.5 million residents by 2024 dlvr.it/ShhRk1

30th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Federal funds help fast-growing Arizona city address several infrastructure challenges and needs dlvr.it/ShhBtf

30th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient dlvr.it/ShYNcx

27th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Shifting city demographics present an opportunity to build coalitions, address inequality dlvr.it/ShYMMm

27th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Spending American Rescue Plan Act funds: A primer for municipalities dlvr.it/ShXzvl

27th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Report: While remote work is causing offices to empty out, walkable cities are still in high demand dlvr.it/ShVhBW

26th January 2023
AmerCityCounty

Managing landslides along road corridors using remote sensing dlvr.it/ShTpL6

26th January 2023

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.