How to network in a Hybrid World
About half of UK employers are moving people back to work, so I’ve sought advice from Dr Maja Korica, professor at Warwick Business School.
The risks of diminished diversity
Maja is concerned that as workplaces reopen, business decision making will become narrower rather than more diverse; this will inevitably lead to over-representation of those with no caring responsibilities, health vulnerabilities, and close proximity to work.
Just look at Facebook—who proposed paying people with lower housing costs less… surely evidence of a limited range of views at management level.
She is also concerned that as a consequence of primarily remote work, our networks will shrink to a small group of trusted people, and we won’t nurture weaker ties. For those progressing their careers, this reduces their access to information. Finally—and I know we can all empathise here—she sees the lack of boundaries between our home and work lives as increasingly problematic.
Maja’s proposed actions:
Leaders should actively seek different views from colleagues (senior and junior), and across specialisms: Use research, calls, interviews, data, and whatever else you can to check thinking and get wider input and robustly test ideas and strategies in psychologically safe spaces.
All of us must create habits and diarise time to maintaining—and yes, building—our networks at this time. It could be as simple as diarising once a week to get in touch with someone you haven’t spoken to for a while, or making a connection through social media. The goal isn’t 2000 connections on LinkedIn; it’s a group of people you like that you can both learn from and offer value to.
Now is the time (organisationally and individually) to establish boundaries between our home and work lives: Prioritise your mental health and the quality of your work.
To which end, it is time for me and the team to take a break. This is the 20th film we’ve made since lockdown started in the UK on March 23rd. We’re a bit knackered now, to say the least. We’ll be back soon with a new schedule and the tips you need to thrive in the world of Hybrid Work.
Thank you to everyone who has watched, shared, contributed, supported and reminded me not to tilt my head!
Christine x
Show notes
Additional resources Maja mentioned in the above audio:
Jane Dutton and colleagues research on Issue Selling
Gillian Tett and The Silo Effect
Christina Nippert-Eng Boundaries
