One of the great changes brought about by the pandemic was seen in the transformation of work models. Employees working from home made us rethink the ways in which companies operate. But this change also opened great questions regarding the business culture, which for many began to blur in the distance.
In this way, today many companies face the crossroads of returning to face-to-face work, maintaining the remote mode or betting on a hybrid system, with a few days in the office and others at home. But this dilemma, for some experts, must be seen from another perspective that goes beyond of an employee working from his place of residence: must be based on the construction and strengthening of an open and collaborative culture able to offer flexibility, strengthen connections, improve engagement and promote good employee experiences.
To make it, redhat, world leader in open source business solutions and one of the pioneering companies in bringing the pillars of ‘open source’ technology to the corporate market, considers that collaboration plays a central role in this system, since encourages the exchange of experiences to generate better ideas.
“At Red Hat we have always believed in flexibility. Before the pandemic, more than 30% of our employees were already working remotely. We don’t believe the team needs to be in an office to be successful because we’ve seen, through the years, the importance and value of providing flexibility,” says Jennifer Dudeck, Red Hat’s senior vice president and chief human resources officer.
Flexibility: the key to the future of work
A study conducted by Atlassian in partnership with PwC with more than 6,000 employees in various countries showed that 78% of respondents believe that A flexible working model is essential to staying on the job.
In this sense, the experts say, the important thing is to begin to see flexibility not as just another way of working, but also as a range of options focused on promote the well-being of each employee. Thus, by offering autonomy and balance between personal and professional life, a culture of trust and mutual respect is also promoted, which helps to maintain the commitment of the team and attracts new talent.
“You have to be clear that nothing will ever be the same again. Although it is possible to bring the entire payroll back to the office, professionals arrive with a new vision of work. And equating personal purposes with those of the company goes well beyond the definition of operating models: requires rethinking and rebuilding the organizational culture”says Alexandre Duarte, Red Hat’s VP of Customer Success for Latin America.
Likewise, Duarte adds that culture is not connected to a physical workplace, so contrary to what is believed, it can be strengthened in a remote/hybrid environment.
“The challenge is to create a pleasant and meaningful experience for employees, prioritizing collaboration, error tolerance, inclusion, empathy and the exchange of ideas that generate innovation. Companies need to change the way they work to foster an engaged team and a sustainable, adaptable business,” she says.
But if you create an open and collaborative culture does not happen overnightthe experts of red hat have identified that leadership is ultimately what should be the engine of change and that as such must be reflected in all company processes. In this sense, they highlight the importance of employee participation in decisions and the promotion of feedback, because only in this way can a solid culture be built.
Humanisation, recognition and solutions
Red Hat recently implemented the ‘Open Decision Hub’, which allows leaders to make decisions transparently, involving employees in processes that directly impact their work. The company also expanded open office concepts, with spaces designed to promote integration and collaboration between teams and also with clients.
“The idea is to provide a place for our associates to connect with the Red Hat culture, collaborate and fully interact. The open and collaborative culture is at the heart of our identity and our essence. It defines us and influences the way we interact with the world, a commitment that must be reflected in our solutions and in the way we live, work and create”, explains Olivia Salas, director of marketing at Red Hat for the North region of Latin America (NoLA).
Another initiative to strengthen culture is the campaign “Red is more than colour”, that seeks to reinforce the principles, values and purposes of the organization. Inspired by the idea of building a diverse, integrated, inclusive and committed work network, it encourages collaboration and seeks to bring out the best in each collaborator.
In this order of ideas, rethinking the future of work is becoming easier, because hand in hand with freedom of expression, constructive responsible opinions and incorporating knowledge and technological innovation, it is not only possible to change the way in which companies operate, but also generate a positive impact for people and society.
The post How to bond with employees: this is how technology rethinks organizational culture appeared first on Tech Markup.
