Work Life Balance Is Out - Boundaried Careers Are In: The Keys To Success In a Hybrid Workplace
It’s time for the workforce to get a makeover 💅🏽If you’re feeling trapped between…
Being productive in the office and hating the commute…
Having to choose between the visibility of being in the office and loving remote work
Needing take meetings remotely so you can multitask doing chores at home
Wanting to grow in your career while also prioritizing work/life balance
I see you. Everything you’re feeling and wanting out of work and life is valid. Work/life balance will be a phrase of the past. In 2024, we call it boundaried careers. Because when you have 24/7 access to email, text, Slack, Zoom, and social media, you are always on. There is no separation between work and life. There is no balance.
The workforce needs a remodel.
The corporate workforce at large went from having all employees in office all of the time to completely working from home in a matter of months back in 2020. Fast forward to 2022, corporations started slowly rolling out ‘return to office’ (RTO) mandates without realizing the new culture that had been created in a remote setting. Now, in 2024, we are seeing a mixture of RTO mandates alongside a hybrid model. And this has all happened within the span of 4 years.
Moving forward, 2024 into 2025 and beyond business will need to start the process of a workforce remodel. The expectations of a hybrid workforce will need to be redefined and the redefining starts here.
If you are a manager or an employee looking to succeed in your boundaried career, here are 5 key insights to keep in mind -
It’s ok to demand flexibility
Whether business leaders like it or not, they gave us a taste of remote work and the flexibility it provides without the 2 hour daily commute and the ability to actually go to the dentist or doctors throughout the day. These are positive additions to our productivity as a workforce and it’s ok to continue to demand those needs and flexibility.
2. Your company will still require productivity
Similar to your needs as a person, the business has needs too. If you want to continue reaping financial benefits from your organization, you need to be sure you are still being productive - no matter where you work. Work to understand what makes you the most productive throughout your day, document it, communicate it to your team, and keep doing those actions.
3. Communicate explicit expectations
The hybrid workforce and your boundaried career cannot be successful without explicit expectations being communicated. Work to observe and document every action that is taken both in the office and remotely to understand what the process is. Where is the delta between expectations and what is actually happening? Understand the gaps and then communicate the expectations repeatedly and consistently with the people you work with.
4. Commit to implementing successful communication platforms
Hybrid workforces and boundaries cannot thrive without successful communication. 20 years ago the phone, pagers, and fax machines were mainstream. Now we have a multitude of different communication platforms demanding our attention and as a team, it is important to rely solely on one or two modes of communication. Anything more than two will be overwhelming for people to keep up with. Each mode of communication has a unique culture around it. Work to teach others the expectations and the culture of the communication platform you utilize until it is successful for both you and your team.
5. Be open and adaptable to new technologies and ideas
The world is constantly changing (especially with AI improving at rapid rates) so it is important to be open to when technologies advance and new technologies are introduced. Adapt, test, refine, repeat.
Living a boundaried career means you aren’t sacrificing your needs for your career. It means you are committed to your work and you are allowing yourself to have boundaries. It means you have strong communication skills in a hybrid workforce. Having a boundaried career allows you to evolve with the needs of the workforce.
Effective communication in the professional world can be difficult but as the workforce evolves, Career Civility is here to support you throughout your career!
