Hybrid 2.0 - Work Model Is Here To Stay

Ankur Pahwa, EY India E-commerce and Consumer Internet Leader, Transactions Diligence Partner Neha Sharma, EY India People Advisory Services Partner Which are the organizations taking a lead? Organizations have successfully adopted remote

BY Realty Plus
Published - Tuesday, 29 Jun, 2021

Ankur Pahwa, EY India E-commerce and Consumer Internet Leader, Transactions Diligence Partner Neha Sharma, EY India People Advisory Services Partner Which are the organizations taking a lead? Organizations have successfully adopted remote work models to ensure business continuity in unprecedented times. As we strive towards a new equilibrium, stabilizing after the second wave of the pandemic, there is an opportunity to fundamentally reimagine our workforce and workplace strategies. Future focused e-commerce organizations are taking a lead in deliberately designing a sustainable hybrid work model that will enable them to optimize their service delivery, expand customer reach and overhaul their existing talent landscape, in expected and unexpected scenarios, thereby adding to their competitive edge. The surging post-pandemic digital economy has ignited a battle for retaining and recruiting employees and companies will need to define strategies to compete for top talent and manage a hybrid workforce, to build and sustain high-growth companies. Is the next great disruption - hybrid work? Adopting a hybrid working model 2021 is the natural choice going forward; however, it is not an easy transition to ensure seamless coexistence of different types of employees. Organizations will need to go digital and transform for growth on the new S curve. Future—focused planning must place humans at the center, technology at speed and innovation at scale as the central values of transformation. Companies already operating with these value drivers are proving more resilient and will adapt even faster to the hybrid working culture, in the new equilibrium and beyond. The needs of people, employees and customers have been and continue to be dramatically reshaped by the pandemic. The e-commerce industry is riding the wave of change, transforming itself to retain competitiveness in the new world order. This creates a pivotal opportunity for leaders to reimagine the organizational landscape, along the key levers of workplace, culture and people practices, and define the future of work. While the eventual design of each hybrid model will be different, based on the business’s unique context, it is critical to fully understand, thoroughly deliberate and carefully conceive each of the contributing factors that lead to a supportive workplace, enabling culture and sustainable people practices. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all approach’ for bringing employees back to work. Companies are testing which strategy fits best for their business, culture, and long—term success. There is substantial value to be unlocked via the right hybrid workforce model The uncertain pace and inconsistent needs of the external and internal environment demands direct action and close involvement of the top leadership and subsequently, their next—in—lines. The leadership needs to listen (gather data on workforce, business and environment), align (agree on the future blueprint) and act (lead and measure enterprise—wide change). This exercise needs to be carried out in iterative cycles to continuously sharpen their hybrid workforce models, in order to ensure that it yields the desired results on business and people related fronts.