Our opinions about the workplace have changed a lot in the past year.
According to a survey by Glassdoor in May 2020 — two months following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic — 75 percent of participants said they were ready to return to working in the office. Less than a year later in January 2021, nearly one-third of respondents in a LiveCareer survey indicated that they would quit their jobs if forced to return to the office. (According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 4 million people quit their jobs in April, a record-setting figure.)
The about-face isn’t unwarranted. Over the past year, workers have been given more freedom and autonomy about how and when they do their work than ever before. With the convenience of never having to leave home — thereby saving time and money when considering factors like commuting and meals — many are left wondering: How did we use to go to work every day for all of those years?
But employers are taking note. At global companies like Google, American Express Co. and Unilever, they’re instituting a hybrid approach — allowing employees to balance working from home and the office — once and for all. Inspire, a Santa Monica-based clean energy technology company, is also adopting the model after learning that a “one-size-fits-all” model doesn’t work for everyone.
“We trust our employee base to do what best supports their productivity and well-being,” VP of People Christine Ponzio.
Below, Ponzio told Built In LA more about Inspire’s plans for returning to the “new normal,” how the company developed the plan, and why employees are the most vital part of the equation.
Tell us about your current plans for returning to the office.
Inspire has opted to take on a hybrid approach starting in September. Over the past 18 months, our employees have been incredibly productive from home. At the same time, we believe innovation and teamwork are strongest when teams can collaborate onsite, and we are committed to keeping Inspire’s unique company culture alive. We have made improvements to our office space to be more conducive to collaboration and we will continue to offer the in-person programming, perks, bonding opportunities that have earned us accolades like Great Place to Work Certification five years running, a B Corp certification, and a spot on Built In LA’s Best Places to Work list.
With our hybrid model, the majority of our employees will be asked to visit our offices 50 percent of the time, and the cadence in which they divide up their time is completely up to them. This combination is the perfect balance for our community; employees have the ability to focus and maintain balance in their home office while still having the opportunity to collaborate, ideate, and engage with the Inspire community at our clean energy campus.
What were the most important steps you took to develop this plan?
Our philosophy throughout this planning process has been simple: Hire the best people and empower them to make the right choices to achieve our mission. As a tech organization in a complex industry, we know that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work, and we’ve consequently chosen to embrace flexibility. We trust our employee base to do what best supports their productivity and well-being.
Our philosophy throughout this planning process has been simple: Hire the best people and empower them to make the right choices to achieve our mission.”
Obviously, there are still a lot of unknowns around when it will be safe to return to the office at full capacity. How are you adapting to and preparing for these unknowns? How are you communicating shifts in planning to your team?
Just like with any new initiative at Inspire, we plan to learn and optimize as we go. We’ll be looking into three main areas as we assess the success of our hybrid approach: productivity, team engagement and results. Do employees have what they need to meet their goals? Are our people and teams enjoying their work and feeling empowered and fulfilled? Are we delivering the results we need to push forward our mission of accelerating a net-zero carbon future? These are the aspects we’ll dive deep into to ensure this approach is working effectively.
At Inspire, we view our people as our greatest resource, and we’ll offer them a variety of avenues to share their feedback with us throughout this transition to our “new normal” as well. We hold biweekly all-hands meetings and send out monthly pulse surveys to get up-to-date insights into team engagement. We’ll utilize these two platforms as we roll out our hybrid model to ensure we’re doing right by our team and providing them the world-class employee experience we strive for.
