An expert on workplace trends has urged travel bosses to give their staff “clarity” to help them navigate the post-pandemic world of hybrid and remote working practices.
Christine Armstrong, founder of Armstrong & Partners, told Abta Travel Convention delegates that “talent has gone guerrilla” because of the changes wrought by the pandemic, which has left many employees feeling “burnt out and hugely overwhelmed”.
“Talent has gone guerrilla,” she said, referring to the struggle to retain staff, amid demands for pay rises and requests for flexible working.
“There are lots of people feeling invisible and unseen, they’re not part of their organisation…are they in the right organisation?” she said.
“There is a real change in the power balance between employers and employees.”
She explained people want clarity on their work priorities as they “worry about not doing the right thing” with new work practices.
Armstrong pointed to comments by high-profile entrepreneurs such as Elon Musk, Sir Alan Sugar and Stephen Bartlett, who have all said staff should now be back at their office desks – but highlighted how many employees want hybrid options to balance their work and life commitments.
Statistics show people are working 1.3 days in an office now if they have a hybrid option but said this is causing tension with employers who want staff back to traditional ways of working.
“The kings want their courts back,” she commented, citing a statistic that 65% of chief executives want staff to all be back in the office in the next three years.
However, hybrid working gives staff the chance to work productively and juggle household chores.
But there are problems with staff feeling overwhelmed with messages and not feeling valued by their bosses, she added.
She said six streams are emerging, ranging from completely remote, to WFO – work from anywhere – and two types of hybrid: one with a choice of days in the office and one without
There are also four-day weeks, with staff working 80% of the time for 100% pay, and the traditional 100% office model.
She urged delegates to be “a better boss”, spending 10-15 minutes a week on a one-to-one basis with staff.
“Get people together: people need a lot of love, they are anxious, they want to know you are ok and we will get through this,” she added.
Photo credit: Arif Gardner