Elon Musk is a complex individual. The Tesla CEO has an estimated worth of over $165 billion and has successfully launched a number of brands but his latest comments in a CNBC interview on home working will have no doubt made the blood boil of many office workers. Musk was quoted as saying that remote working is “morally wrong” and people need to “get off the goddam moral high horse with the work from home bullsh*t” referencing the inequality with those workers who cannot work remotely.
Equality of experience should be high on the agenda for every organisation and it is something Sarah Bolas talked about in her recent blog. However, today I want to hone in on the moral high horse comment and whilst I am certainly not agreeing with Musk what I am seeing and hearing across many organisations is an expectation that working from home is the default and people will only come into the office when it suits them.
At HCG we have operated a hybrid way of working long before covid and our team are empowered to make decisions on where they work. However, this is providing they have considered the needs of our clients and the wider internal team. With no clients we do not have a business; no business means no salaries, bonuses or jobs. Yes, autonomy and flexibility are important, but organisations shouldn’t be afraid to put the needs of the business alongside the employee when designing/ communicating hybrid work strategies. Without a successful business, there are no roles where autonomy or flexibility can be provided.
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