The Business Voice: Spring 2022 Cover Story

THE KEY TO EMPLOYEE RETENTION: Robust Benefits Strategies LOOKING AHEAD: Trends in Commercial Real Estate REBUILDING THE OFFICE CULTURE: The Next Phase

The Workforce of the Future is

HERE

...and it’s

HYBRID

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THE BUSINESS VOICE

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COVER STORY

The Workforce of the Future is Here and it’s

HYBRID

BY J O N AT H A N H U N L E Y

BROOKE WEDDLE Partner, Washington, D.C. office, McKinsey & Company

T

he scene has become familiar: An office fashioned out of a space that definitely wasn’t supposed to be an office, maybe a base of operations at the diningroom table, or a seat on the couch with a laptop at the ready. Throw in some kids and a dog, and you have the modern workplace, courtesy of COVID-19.

Yes, remote working became a regular feature of American society when the coronavirus was raging and businesses were shut down, not simply a fringe benefit for some employees but a necessity for nearly everyone.

But just because a lot of workers have been given the green light to go back to the office doesn’t mean they all will.

Nope. The hybrid workforce, with its combination of some wage earners in a central location and others logging in remotely, is here to stay, said Brooke Weddle, a partner in the Washington office of management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

A number of employees want to continue in the hybrid mode because they like the flexibility it offers, and, indeed, with a cellphone and a Wi-Fi

connection, you can do most jobs from anywhere.

Offering a remote option also allows employers to tap into new job markets, Weddle said, which means they can diversify their staff and create a more inclusive culture.

But inclusivity can also be a challenge, requiring businesses to ensure that there isn’t inequity in terms of roles, in other words that they don’t create separate classes of workers based on who’s remote and who works in the office, she said.

A hybrid scenario can also be difficult to figure out logistically, Weddle said, and the role of managers is pretty critical. If they aren’t given the right tools, productivity can drop.

“We have a long way to go in terms of equipping managers to do this well,” she said.

A lot of people are on the case, however. From 2020 to 2021, there was a sevenfold increase in the number of technology companies that had a designated leader for remote work, Weddle said.

To succeed with a hybrid workforce, she said, company leaders need to have

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THE POWER OF APPRENTICESHIP

Breaking down barriers of entry into the tech sector and beyond

BY J O N AT H A N H U N L E Y

I

s your business trying to hire in the midst of the current workforce shortage? And is a four-year degree not really necessary for all of your entry-level positions?

Then starting an apprenticeship program may be for you and the Greater Washington Apprentice Network can help.

The network, created in 2020 by the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce, helps companies adopt an apprentice-based model of “earn and learn,” meaning that employees receive on-the-job training while

they earn a living. The idea is that while some skills can be developed within an educational environment, others can best be nurtured within the workplace.

The program connects employers and academic institutions, along with the public and private sectors.

Businesses gain access to best practices from peers, sources of potential apprentice candidates, support services, training resources and more.

One of those academic institutions the network can steer interested Photo courtesy Alarm.com

Bethel, a test analyst apprentice in the Alarm.com apprenticeship program.

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KEILA LOUZADA Director of NOVA Workforce Northern Virginia Community College

companies toward is Northern Virginia Community College, which works with employers to design custom curricula for apprentice programs.

Customized training is attractive to participating businesses because it’s flexible enough to meet the needs of the company involved, said Keila Louzada, the college’s director of NOVA Workforce. Firms come to the college seeking help to train apprentices in certain disciplines, such as IT and technical skills, project management and business communication.

The apprentices may not have a bachelor’s degree like some other job candidates but have some skills and the willingness to learn. They’re taught by instructors who have industry experience, Louzada said, and the companies involved appreciate the community college brand.

“They trust the quality,” she said.

One company the college has worked with is Alarm.com. The Tysons-based business’ apprenticeship program began before the Greater Washington Apprentice Network was organized. It started in 2019 and has seen three groups of apprentices, a total of 35 people, complete the combination of work and study.

Alarm.com’s apprenticeship offers an approximately one-year program with full benefits, classroom learning

and industry certifications, and onthe-job training and mentorship.

The college prepares the apprentices for the certifications and provides study resources. It also tracks their scores and helps them to schedule their exams.

“These are very rigorous industrycredential exams,” Louzada said.

Alarm.com, in turn, trains the apprentices for their on-the-job responsibilities to begin after the certifications are obtained. The apprentices learn content critical to those certifications, how to operate in a corporate environment and technical skills associated with their roles at the company.

“This program has made an impact in our communities as it breaks down barriers of entry into the technology sector,” Alarm.com stated in an email.

Before coming to the Alarm.com program, the apprentices had jobs such as barista, baggage handler and shoe salesman.

For more information about the Greater Washington Apprentice Network, visit greaterwashingtonapprentice network.org.

For more information about apprenticeship programs at Northern Virginia Community College, contact Keila Louzada at klouzada@nvcc.edu.

HARRY KLAFF President of Clients, Global Avison Young

more of a catalyst or architect kind of style rather than one of command and control. Workers need to know the rules of the road, too: When are they expected to be online, and when are they not?

There also is still value in going into the office, said Kyle Armeny, president for the Washington metro area for Gallagher, an insurance, risk management and consulting firm.

Gathering in one spot is key for three Cs: to communicate, celebrate and collaborate.

But if workers are going into the office only to sit in a cubicle from 9 to 5 and not talk to anyone? That’s not a really good reason to make the trip.

“That doesn’t do them a whole lot of good,” Armeny said.

Of course, some jobs aren’t conducive to being done remotely. Lots of retail and manufacturing positions have to be tackled on site, obviously, as does aerospace and defense work, or really anything that involves professionals with security clearances. Employers in these situations can still offer flexibility to employees, though, Weddle said, by decoupling the notion from location.

Think flexibility in terms of time or functions.

Workers also are less likely to integrate quickly into a team in a hybrid situation, she said.

“That’s much harder now.”

Communication is crucial. If a company is communicating well with its employees, there are lower levels of employee burnout and attrition, Weddle said. And organizations with clear and consistent communication see five times as much productivity as those that don’t communicate well, according to a 2021 survey conducted by McKinsey.

In addition, offering a remote option may be necessary to attract top-quality talent, said Harry Klaff, president of clients, global, for real estate company Avison Young.

Some job postings now include a remote work provision. In 2016, only 2% of postings included allowance for remote work. By February of this year, that figure had ballooned to 13.3%, Klaff said.

“That shows a willingness of employers to allow for some level of remote work,” he said.

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