Joyce Mullen, CEO of Insight, on Setting Up a Successful Hybrid Workplace

Whether your organization is hybrid, fully in-office or work from anywhere, a productive and engaged culture needs intentional and ongoing effort to last.  When I interviewed Joyce Mullen, CEO of Insight Enterprises - a $10.4 billion global organization in the Fortune 500 - on the Maestro Mindset podcast earlier this year, she shared some great examples of how her company has consciously evolved their work model. 

During their hybrid workweek, leaders are in three days a week and other teammates in two days. Tuesday to Thursday is highly encouraged as the in-office time, ensuring a critical mass in the office. They downsized and modernized their offices as well.

Role Modeling at Its Finest

What really caught my attention was this decision: leaders are in the office three days a week while other staff are in for two.  This policy is powerful for many reasons.  It’s role modeling at its finest.  Mullen shared that she and her leadership team believe that in-person interaction has value and they demonstrate this with their feet so to speak – by being in the office as much as or more than any other team members. 

Ensuring Meaningful In-Person Interaction

While the Tuesday – Thursday guidance isn’t a strict mandate, it’s highly encouraged.  I love this too.  Insight is smart enough to recognize that a critical mass is necessary for in-office time to be worthwhile. We all know those stories of people coming into a ghost town where they see only a handful of people – and most of those people have their ear buds in.  Furthermore, if most staff come in Tuesday to Thursday, a leader being in all three of those days guarantees in-person interaction with every teammate who reports to them. 

What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

Mullen embraced hybrid work immediately, seeing no benefit in bringing people back to the office five days a week. The key however was that she and her team recognized that their work practices needed to adapt so that their values of Hunger, Heart and Harmony and their extraordinary company performance would continue to flourish in a new work model.  (Mullen’s thoughts on the new world of work are worth listening to in full on the podcast (25 mins). 

How Have You Adjusted?

Whatever work model you’re navigating these days, it’s worth taking a minute to reflect on the practices and actions that can help it thrive. Just requiring folks to come in a few days a week guarantees nothing in terms of engagement and productivity. What role modeling can take your team to the next level? What actions could everyone on the team take to increase the value of days in-office and the days that are remote?

I'd love to work with you and your company or team to finetune the right style of work for you in this new world.  Reach out anytime.