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Summary
Join us for a conversation about what’s involved with getting teams back to work in person. This session features perspectives from Jennifer Bolduc, Head of People and Culture at HappyCo (formerly Capital One), Diane Gregorio, Head of Product Experience Operations at DocuSign, and Emily Day, Director of Global Workplace Services at HashiCorp (formerly at Pivotal), and will be moderated/facilitated by Lou and the DesignOps Summit conference and community curators - Alana Washington, Head of Shipper Experience, UberFreight, Bud Caddell, Founder/CEO Nobl.io, and Kristin Skinner, Head of Experience Design Operations at Expedia Group.
Key Insights
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DocuSign empowers managers to decide office attendance, promoting flexibility in hybrid work policies.
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Happy Cow operates fully remote in the US but maintains an in-office culture in Australia, creating cross-continental hybrid challenges.
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90%+ of employees in surveyed companies prefer remote or hybrid work over full-time office presence.
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Intentional rituals like themed virtual meetups and guilds help maintain connection and belonging in distributed teams.
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Attrition rates have soared in 2021-2022, reflecting broader 'turnover tsunami' trends driven by shifting employee priorities.
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Open conversations about employee goals and honest feedback can preempt unwanted attrition and improve team dynamics.
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Leadership must coach managers on relationship-building and trust in remote contexts, avoiding mistrust of remote work.
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Meeting design needs rethinking to prioritize collaboration moments in person and keep hybrid meetings inclusive.
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Operational complexities like compensation and tax implications vary greatly with remote work and require thoughtful policies.
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Return-to-office is not a return to normal but an ongoing experiment requiring agility and frequent reassessment.
Notable Quotes
"We asked our employees if they wanted to come back and 95% said no to regular office attendance."
"Covid proved people can work from anywhere, the real challenge is trust and managing that well."
"We empower managers to decide how many days their teams come to the office, not leadership top-down."
"The best way to build trust and bond in teams is just breaking bread together and sharing meals."
"Attrition is real and painful but also an opportunity if we have a deep and broad hiring funnel."
"Having honest conversations about where you want to grow can turn around a relationship or project."
"Every meeting now should be treated as if it’s fully remote to avoid creating uneven hybrid experiences."
"We need to redesign work and meetings with the newness of hybrid work in mind, it’s a new experiment."
"There’s a class distinction in who can or cannot avoid going to the office; 70% of workers never left the office during the pandemic."
"Remote work is becoming less niche and more of a standard in attracting and retaining talent."
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