Can office culture survive the work-from-home revolution? Yes, but you can’t force the fun

Groaning into the new working year? Of course it is an occupational hazard after the holidays, but nowadays there is (for some) the comfort of hybrid working.

For jobs that allow this, hybrid work is the new norm, where employees can work remotely, usually from home, or in the office.

But hybrid work is also driving cultural shifts, and employees and managers must find ways to keep people connected, social and happy in the blended workplace.

How to do that? Video calls can’t replicate real-world interactions, and the kinds of activities companies organize to build culture and morale can fail in a virtual format.

This is particularly relevant to me as my research interests cover the social aspects of working life, with a specific focus on fun, humor and happiness in the workplace.

To discover how we’re all adapting, I immersed myself in two local companies to experience how they maintained a fun culture when some employees were online and others worked in the office.

This allowed me to observe behavior, talk to employees, interview people from all levels of the company, and interact with people online. I also interviewed others from different workplaces. The research grew into my recently published book Hybrid Happiness: Fun and Freedom in Flexible Work.

What I found were fun, vibrant, vibrant cultures that the companies were proud of and were eager to maintain and develop. But fun is also subjective, and forcing it into a hybrid setting has its own pitfalls.

Hybrid happiness

Employees unanimously agreed that they wanted to maintain hybrid work. They claimed it made them happier because of the freedom, flexibility and autonomy it allowed – and, most importantly, the feeling that their company trusted them.

They listed the now-known benefits of hybrid working: saving time and money by not having to commute every day, being able to manage the care needs of your family and pet, taking a walk in nature during the workday, or working online from a café.

At the same time, employees agreed that fun and conviviality have changed. There is considerably less table tennis and the Friday drinks are no longer as well attended as they used to be.

Some teams had opted for ‘cheese and chat’ sessions on Thursdays, as there are likely to be more people in the office on the three middle days of the week. Laughter around the water cooler has been partly replaced by online chat streams with emojis, messaging and memes.

Quizzes and online games are becoming increasingly popular and can lighten the working day to provide relief from overload and stress.

‘Anchor days’ are also important, when everyone is in the office in person, which promotes social connection and collegiality (especially when the company provides bagels and coffee).

Getting the mix right

However, hybrid work is not all lightness and laughter. There are still frustrations and failures. Sometimes fun activities go wrong or fail to engage certain people, such as self-identified introverts.

A young employee described a personal catwalk event at the fashion market that he felt compelled to attend, even though he felt very uncomfortable. An online ‘fun’ quiz that starts at the end of the day can feel like another task to complete before you’re done.

Emojis in online messages can be misinterpreted or annoying, especially if colleagues use too many. Overdoing fun activities can seem contrived and distract people from their deadlines.

In short, you cannot force pleasure. A simple opt-out clause can be useful to prevent people from having to play if they feel uncomfortable or just don’t feel like playing.

This is where hybrid work can actually be a game-changer for some people. It feels easier not to click the link if you’re too busy or if the activity doesn’t appeal to you.

When you are online it is also easier to avoid colleagues who encourage and push you to perform an activity, while in the office and in person this can be more difficult to avoid.

Luck works

Why does this matter? Because employees want choice and flexibility – the freedom to work from home, but also the connection and stimulation of office time to connect personally and maintain relationships.

Some people work better when they are physically among their colleagues. Others are more effective, away from the hustle and bustle, yet connected through technology. Hybrid working offers all these advantages.

When people work in a personally optimal way, they are more likely to be happy. Individual happiness transfers to and fuels workplace culture, creating a vibrant, motivated group that interacts in multiple ways.

A thriving workplace culture is a collective ideal based on employee engagement and involvement. So while there may be challenges in making it work, overall it seems that workplace culture can actually improve in the new office environment.

Happy Hybrid New Year!