Giorgia Marletta explores how hybrid working is going to affect the software industry. Especially in the context of SoftSolutsions.
At SoftSolutions, as a company providing mission-critical software to the capital markets, we are always looking for ways to work better, driven by an attitude of self-assessment and continuous improvement.
In a recent study conducted by McKinsey & Company*, the future of post-pandemic hybrid work was explored, referencing the views of managers within 100 companies from various sectors and geographical areas.
Prompted by this survey, we decided to ask our managers at SoftSolutions for their views on remote working, compared to the “productivity leaders” identified in the McKinsey research.
Here are the results of our internal observations:
- The survey explores expectations of hybrid working post-COVID19. Managers surveyed predict that the hybrid model (where employees work both remotely and in the office) will become much more common and that employees will be on-site between 21% and 80% of the time. As the pandemic waned, SoftSolutions immediately placed itself among the virtuous companies, with 40% working on-site and 60% working remotely.
- The McKinsey survey shows that most organisations do not yet have a detailed view of hybrid working. Again, by asking the question, “What is the state of our planning post-COVID19?” we find that we are among the few companies that have had a defined vision of hybrid working. At SoftSolutions this vision has been implemented in a work plan that has been formalised, communicated and carefully guided since the very early stages of post-COVID19.
- “What impact has pandemic remote working had on the performance of organisations?” According to our managers, productivity has not been affected by the advent of remote working, but rather has improved in many cases thanks to the greater availability and focus of people and teams. Our customers are also more satisfied, which ranks us highly out of the companies surveyed.
- Interestingly, There is a correlation between the company’s ability to support micro-connections between employees (to circulate discussions, ideas and networking) and increased productivity. Our managers have stated that the amount of remote working connections has increased. Fixed coordination appointments have developed, both daily and weekly and the amount of time dedicated to mentoring people has also increased.
- Almost all the managers surveyed by McKinsey recognise that managing people who work in hybrid mode is different compared to when all employees are on-site. So-called ‘productivity leader’ companies have in fact trained their managers on how to lead remote teams more effectively. SoftSolutions aligns itself to the leading organisations with a focus on training of managers (already during the remote working pandemic phase). Our managers have been trained in the development of the soft skills as the basis of effective remote leadership.
- “Has the recruitment process changed post-COVID19?” According to the McKinsey survey nearly two thirds of organisations moved recruitment activities to remote environments during the pandemic, but only a third has comprehensively redesigned their recruitment accordingly. SoftSolutions already had a remote selection procedure in place for certain profiles before the pandemic. Today, all recruitment has been moved to remote modes. In addition, the hiring and on-boarding process has been redesigned to allow talent to be recruited worldwide and to connect with the best talent within the job market.
- The additional questions the McKinsey research asks the 100 companies surveyed are: “To what extent have processes been redesigned for a more remote workforce?”, “To what extent has the number of people in each role or function been re-evaluated given the move to a more remote workplace?” SoftSolutions has worked to optimise processes but there is still a lot to do. In order to adapt to the new hybrid environment, we know that we have to deal with great complexity. Process redesign has to be carefully planned and this is indeed a big challenge. However, we are not afraid of challenges.
Since SoftSolutions was founded, we have taken great pride in a forward-thinking and progressive company; the internal survey confirms this. It also emphasises our willingness to listen to our employees and it is this same commitment to listen that makes us a powerful partner for our clients.
*(https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/what-executives-are-saying-about-the-future-of-hybrid-work)
