How 'the Great Reshuffle' can drive business value
No company can succeed without a dedicated team and yet the very nature of what it means to be an employee has changed dramatically over the past two years.
The "Great Resignation," has now become the "Great Reshuffle" - creating new sets of opportunities and challenges for organisations.
As a VP of Information Technology for a top sports apparel firm, I've observed these changes first-hand and their impact on our hiring of individual talent. I've also learned that compromises are sometimes inevitable and even beneficial for the greater good.
Ultimately, business leaders must strive to build a team culture where everyone fits in, feels empowered, and is committed to bringing their best selves to work each and every day.
Challenges and trade-offs in today's remote work culture
TYR is a sports apparel company, which means that like all athletes we work with an intense spirit of competition in business. To that end, we've been pushing in recent months to recover a sense of normalcy in how and where we work. TYR believes that we can better serve our customers by creating a collaborative culture within an office setting.
However, this has created some obvious challenges along the way. For example, we recently tried to hire a business intelligence developer and our recruiter handed us a dozen CVs. Each of the candidates had a requirement to work from home five days a week.
Expectations have obviously changed over the past two years and I totally get that. However, this was a wake-up call for our hiring team.
We went back to our search firms and asked them to write a small line item in the job posting that this was an onsite position. Of course, we were also willing to be flexible and sensitive to the changing job market. If we found the perfect, talented, skilled individual who was willing to make a compromise by being in the office three days a week and Monday and Fridays at home, then we'd be willing to work with that person.
At TYR, we never believe in "my way or the highway." The tempo of business today is about ensuring that our people are happy at all costs. After all, we realise that if our employees aren't happy, our customers won't be either!
Collaboration and commuting are all part of the game
I know there's a lot of debate and mixed feelings today in the corporate world about remote work, and I won't get into all the details here. Perhaps I'm a bit old school, but I like being able to meet face-to-face and engage with my colleagues personally.
By no means, do I subscribe to the old mentality that says, "If I don't see you, I don't know you're working." But there are advantages to meeting in person, which you can't replicate via a Teams or Zoom call. If you want to grab coffee, it's easy! That face-to-face time is irreplaceable in our line of business.
At the same time, we are accommodating and sensitive to the fact that people have been away from the office for a while.
No one ever said that commuting is fun, but we feel it's the price of being collaborative and competitive in our market. In fact, our people have jumped back into the routine quite seamlessly.
Most folks live anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes from the office. I drive down from north Westchester County and on any given day the commute is between 90 minutes to three hours, depending on traffic. I leave early in the mornings and arrive at the office right behind the person who's responsible for opening the doors at 6:30. And I will say that those first couple hours of quiet are the best and most productive parts of my day!
Key takeaways
Corporate life hasn't always been kind to the employee. Traditionally, working 12-hour days plus weekends and holidays was perceived by some as a badge of honour (Editor's note - less so in Europe).
The pandemic showed that this approach isn't sustainable. Now employees are saying, "Hey, wait a minute. I have a life too and if I'm going to be the best version of myself, I also need time to take care of my mental health, family, personal needs, etc."
One of the things I really appreciate about TYR is the investment in our team members. We're a competitive company where everyone is committed to cultivating a spirit of greatness. But to get there we know we must bring our best selves to work, even when it's not always comfortable or convenient.
Even as we strive to return to normal in-person collaboration, we realise that sometimes we have to make small compromises to win the game. While some companies probably operate better as remote companies, at TYR we've built a meaningful culture around in-person collaboration. And we happen to think this arrangement gives us the edge over our competition by empowering us to synthesise creativity, experience and sheer willpower into supplying the best experiences and products for our employees and customers alike.
Ed Eskew is VP of Information Technology at TYR Sport
This article originally appeared on the MES IT Leadership Network, a tool for IT leaders to connect, talk and share their real-world experiences