THE EVER-CHANGING WORKING WORLD

For many Americans, work looks and feels very different these days. Since the COVID-19 pandemic proved that all work doesn't need to be done at the office, employees are openly questioning the "why" and "how" driving workplace norms, says Lynda Gratton, a professor of management practice at London Business School

- Megan Leonhardt

"We never really designed work. We just had a norm that everybody was in the office, and we sort of muddled through, and it was fine," Gratton says. "But now we [are] actually intentionally designing" how we work.

The best companies understand this dynamic and are actively shifting their strategies in a variety of ways-from physically changing office layouts to offering flexible scheduling options to ensuring greater equity in who gets to take advantage of opportunities for advancement. "There's a whole set of reimaginings going on right now," Gratton says.

THE CHANGING WORKPLACE 

FOR SOME EMPLOYEES, their workstation is a laptop at the kitchen table. But other workers want and need to be at their employer's office, either because their job requires it or they find it to be more productive.

That presents challenges for companies that want to offer flexibility in order to stay competitive in their recruitment and retention of workers, while also maximizing the returns on their real estate expenses.

Companies like American Express (No. 3)— which in 2022 introduced Amex Flex, providing formal hybrid, remote, and in-person work models-report employees are using offices differently than before the pandemic. Instead of requiring all employees work in person, Amex's approach gives workers the option to come to the office when there's true purpose, whether that's to collaborate with coworkers, meet new colleagues, or build relationships across teams. This flexibility helps businesses too: Research has found that remote work can boost productivity.

"We have to be much more intentional," Gratton says. "If you want people to be in the office, they have to do things that are really about cooperation-where being in the office is worthwhile."