Hybrid Work Model Benefits

Atlassian has been fully distributed for almost five years. We don’t have all the answers, but we’ve learned a lot about how to keep teams thriving across time zones—and we’re applying those insights every day.  ➡️ Asynchronous work: Async tools are at the core of how we operate. Confluence is our virtual hub where we share stories, celebrate new hires, and collaborate effortlessly. We also use Loom to share videos and give feedback on our own time—avoiding those dreaded “this could have been an email” moments. In fact, we’ve saved nearly half a million meetings using Loom! ➡️ Designing workdays: We’ve learned to structure workdays for focus, collaboration, and meetings (only when absolutely necessary). Teams work across no more than two time zones, ensuring at least four hours of overlap to get things done together. ➡️ Intentional connection: Data shows that real connection happens when teams meet regularly—not sporadically in an office. We provide Intentional Togetherness Gatherings (ITGs), curated experiences, and focused in-person time to collaborate. ➡️ Adapting for different needs: It’s not one-size-fits-all. For example, new hires and grads often benefit from more frequent in-person meetups, so we make sure to offer opportunities for them to connect early on. https://lnkd.in/g2sSbe3v

The 'Out of Sight, Out of Mind' Trap: How to Conquer the Distance Google is a global company with offices all over the world, and while this diversity is a strength, it also presents unique challenges for communication and collaboration. Especially when your key stakeholders and decision-makers are continents away! Those hallway conversations, spontaneous coffee chats, and quick desk drop-bys that teams at HQ take for granted? Yeah, those aren't happening when you're separated by oceans and time zones. And that can lead to a disconnect. Your team's amazing work might get overlooked, your challenges might go unnoticed, and your stakeholders might feel out of the loop. But fear not, fellow remote leads! Here are a few strategies I've learned along the way: ‣ Tailor your communication approach: Every leader has their preferred communication style. Some love detailed reports, others prefer concise bullet points, and some just want the TL;DR. It's your job to adapt and deliver information in the way they'll best receive it. ‣ Embrace Radical Transparency: The worst thing that can happen is your leadership feeling blindsided by a problem or a missed deadline. Over-communicate! Share updates regularly, highlight both wins and challenges, and don't be afraid to ask for help when needed. ‣ Educate Your Leads: Help them understand the unique challenges of leading a remote team in a different location. Explain why you might need more proactive communication or different approaches to stay connected and aligned. ‣ Build Relationships Beyond Email: Travel when possible. Occasional visits to the main office can be invaluable for building relationships and understanding the nuances of the company culture. ‣ Celebrate Wins: Make sure your stakeholders are aware of your team's accomplishments, both big and small. This reinforces the value of your team and keeps them top-of-mind. ‣ Iterate and Improve: What works for one lead might not work for another. Experiment with different communication styles, ask for feedback, and continuously refine your approach. Leading a local team in a remote site requires extra effort and intention. By mastering the art of communication and building strong relationships with your stakeholders, you can ensure your team's success, no matter where you are in the world! What are your favorite tips for leading remote teams across continents? Share your insights in the comments! 👇 #RemoteLeadership #Communication #TechLeadership #lifeAtGoogle

In the last two days, two Lords (Sugar and Rose) have secured huge amounts of media attention by making inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims about working from home. ROSE says that working from home is not proper work, that it is part of the UK's general economic decline and it isn't productive. He also said it has negatively impacted staff well being. He provides zero evidence for these claims. Sugar said people are sitting in their pyjamas, pretending to work by touching the keypad every few minutes with one eye on the football. He also said, and I quote: ''The pandemic was a disaster because all of these tossers were allowed to work from home.'' Really classy Alan, nice. So let's look at some of the evidence, shall we? 1) Research done by the University of Pittsburgh which looked at the impact return to the office mandates had on the S&P 500 found they did not improve employee or company performance. https://lnkd.in/enKBNSMn 2) A study from the University of Chicago found that workers at home often logged longer hours, and their output per hour remained stable or increased https://lnkd.in/ecyGRjBn 4) ONS data finds those who work from home exercise more and sleep longer both of which have huge benefits for health and wellbeing. https://lnkd.in/eCerz3eK. 5) Research by the Royal Society for Public Health found that long commutes (over 1 hour) negatively impact physical and mental wellbeing https://lnkd.in/eGRTFhxJ 6) A Stanford University study in collaboration with the Chinese travel agency Ctrip found that remote workers were 13% more productive than their in-office counterparts. https://lnkd.in/enaK4fAp 7) A study conducted by the University of Virginia found that for every 10% rise of working from  home within a sector the motherhood employment rate increased by 1%. So more working from home means more women in work. A Harvard business review also found that home working reduces the motherhood penalty. An Australian study found that mothers who work remotely or work hybrid reported a 12% increase in job satisfaction. Of course there are challenges and down sides with remote working - I get that. But the UK media, and an inordinate number of Lords, seem hell bent on dragging us all back to the office full time without a thorough investigation of the evidence, and it is driving me nuts. https://lnkd.in/eV2b-gxA

Instead of mandating an RTO, ask yourself: “How can I equip my team to work together effectively - no matter where they are today?” Because here’s what the data actually shows: ➡️ Office mandates ≠ office attendance Despite big headlines from Amazon, JPMorgan Chase, and others, in-office attendance has barely budged… up only 2% ➡️ Hybrid is still the norm 67% of U.S. companies offer location flexibility ➡️ Most enterprise teams are already distributed Microsoft went from 61% co-located teams pre-pandemic to just 27% by 2023 ➡️ Cross-functional = cross-location Enterprise project teams are rarely co-located anymore - and need a new playbook to succeed. ⚠️ Yet only 23% of companies have provided training on how to lead and collaborate effectively in hybrid, remote, and distributed environments It’s time to build a new leadership muscle. Omnimodal Leadership - the ability to lead with equal impact in: ✅ Fully in-person settings ✅ Hybrid setups (in-location majority or minority) ✅ Fully remote teams And switch between modes - sometimes even in the same day. How do you build these skills? Over the past 6+ years we’ve helped thousands of leaders build measurable results by teaching how to: ✨ Co-create team working agreements ✨ Set clarity around time zones and responsiveness ✨ Use async tools intentionally to reduce meeting overwhelm ✨ Coach and mentor direct reports at a distance ✨ Mitigate Distance + Recency Bias ✨ Build connection and trust remotely ✨ Grow influence and exposure - without a desk at HQ This takes more than theory. It requires repeatable, proven techniques. 📖 Full article from Inc. Magazine: https://lnkd.in/eKv-P528 📊 Want credible data? Follow: Flex Index, Brian Elliott, Nick Bloom, Global Workplace Analytics

“Work from Where You Work Best” Works for Us at Tough Day. This isn’t just a policy. It’s how we actually work, every day. We’ve got teammates in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, and several cities across the US. Different time zones, different cultures, different work styles. Here’s what makes it work: 1. Clear Alignment We use the V2MOM invented by Salesforce's Marc Benioff – which stands for Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, and Measures – to help us all stay on the same page about where we’re going, how we’ll get there, and what success looks like when we do. 2. Team Agreements We facilitate dialogue about how we all work best as individuals up front. We negotiate and make these expectations clear from the start on any project team. That includes sharing a whole host of holidays that we can all celebrate! Happy Independence Day, Argentina! 3. Daily Stand-Ups No matter where we are, we make time for short daily check-ins. Each day has a designated theme and leader (Macro-Monday, Tech Tuesday, Waxing Wednesday...). The structure helps us stay in sync, talk through any issues, and help each other. 4. Intentional In-Person Time We don’t have a central office. Instead, we meet up for the kind of collaborative activities that are more productive in person. We time these in-person working sessions around other live events like client meetings or conferences. For us, it’s a much better investment than paying for office space. 5. AI-Native Collaboration AI is a valuable part of our team, and to state the obvious – AI doesn’t physically sit in the office (at least not yet for most of us). AI is our virtual co-worker. If you work with AI, you're already working remotely. But maybe the best part? This way of working requires us to be deeply thoughtful in our interactions. We are curious. We listen better. We learn from and leverage each other — across languages, locations, and backgrounds. And all of these behaviors make us stronger in everything that we do.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝘅 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘇𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗵. It’s leading in a way that doesn’t let the cracks show. Because here’s the truth few admit: Distributed teams don’t fall apart because of geography. They fall apart because the leader avoids the friction. In the last 20 years, I’ve led, managed, influenced and worked 60+ people across ANZ, India, Japan, Korea, ASEAN, and China. These aren't just different time zones - they’re different expectations of speed, hierarchy, and conflict. If you miss those nuances, the team disconnects immediately. Here’s what actually keeps the revenue engine running: 🎯 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 > 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘂𝘀 → Diverse regions = diverse viewpoints → Decision rights + clear rationale = speed → Consensus feels nice. Commitment moves revenue 🏆 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗹𝘆. 𝗖𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆. → Public wins must be specific, not generic applause → Real development happens 1:1 - curious, not critical → And please… stop giving the same award to every region. It lands differently 📊 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 → When cultural opinions clash, data settles it → One shared dashboard or you’re running six different realities → Transparency builds more trust than any offsite ever will 🤝 𝗥𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 → Different people should present to leadership, not just the usual suspects → Showcase regional innovations - APAC is not a monolith → “Learning across” beats “reporting up” every time Here’s the metric that actually matters: 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺. Awards look good on slides. Retention tells the truth. Six time zones don’t break teams. Poor leadership does. What’s your non-negotiable for leading across regions? #Leadership #RemoteTeams #SalesStrategy #JAPAC #B2B

Flexible work is a potential boost for more diverse and inclusive workplaces. Four years after being shoved into a giant work-from-home experiment, we no longer presume that 5 days a week, 9-to-5 in the office is where work happens. International Women's Day seems like a good time to remember that we've had data for 3.5 years showing that women more than men, and women with children more than men with children, want flexibility in where and when they work. Ben Casselman, Emma Goldberg and Ella Koeze get into the macro-level impacts in The New York Times: "Parents have been some of the biggest winners in the flexible-work era. Remote flexibility made more feasible the constant juggling of professional and caretaking obligations. But it is mothers, not fathers, who appear to be taking the most advantage of workplace flexibility, whether out of choice or necessity. Among college-educated men, having children does not make much difference to whether they work at home or in person. Among women, it’s a different story. Mothers of young children are much more likely to work remotely than women without children or mothers of older children." It's not just gender and caregiving. There are benefits for every historically under-represented group at work, including workers with disabilities: "For many workers with disabilities, the normalization of remote work has offered an opportunity to avoid energy-draining commutes and offices that are not designed to accommodate their needs." As Lean In research shows, all of these people are just as driven as their in-office counterparts, whether male or female. They just want a level playing field: to be judged on the merits of their work and the outcomes they produce, not just showing up. While you're at it, read Erin Grau's fantastic OpEd, "Flexible Work is Feminist" 🔗 Links to both articles in comments #iwd2024 #internationalwomensday #FutureOfWork #flexiblework #flexibility #remotework #hybridwork #hybrid

As back-to-the-office policies gain momentum, we must stay focused on the advantages of flexible work to everyone. We all know that women, and minoritised groups all benefit from remote working. Yet we also know that deeply ingrained gender stereotypes also mean that women are more likely than men to seek - and have approved - remote working schedules. This risks the development of a two-tier system where women are more likely to work remotely and men are more likely to be office based. The reality is, there can be major disadvantages for those who work remotely in such a two-tier system, and these centre around a power imbalance, defined in this HBR article into three categories: 👉 Access to mentoring and sponsorship: there's a lack of visibility for those who aren't present in the office, fewer opportunities to connect informally and a greater hurdle to making time for these conversations. 👉 Assumptions about committment: research stereotypes confirm that women are often assumed to be less committed to their work and careers than men (especially if they are mothers). Remote work can exacerbate this assumption and in fact this is a phenomenon that men also suffer when they choose flexible or part time work to accommodate parenting responsibilities. 👉 Speaking up and being heard: this is hard enough for women (our Shape Talent Three Barriers research found that 54% of women worry about how they come across in meetings and 23% do not feel they can communicate openly without being negatively labelled), a Catalyst survey of 1000+ US working adults found that 45% of women business leaders reported that it's difficult for women to speak up in virtual meetings. So what can be done about this? 1. Look for ways that your organisation can support a flexible, hybrid model of work and encourage this for people of all genders. This provides a more level playing field and provides flexibility for your employees who have parenting or caring responsibilities. 2. Formalise your mentoring and sponsorship programmes and keep an eye on the gender balance with these. It's critical that women have an equitable access to development. 3. Track air time in calls (and face to face meetings, for that matter), to ensure people aren't being excluded. Many AI tools, such as Copilot, enable this easily. What does your organisation do to accommodate a flexible model of work? #ThreeBarriers #GenderEquity #EDI #FlexibleWorking https://lnkd.in/edM7T7cW

🛰️ Claudia thought hybrid-working schedules would save her: Two days at home for deep work and the invisible care work, wherever she could breathe. One day on-site to be seen. Although she kept over-delivering. She was seen less and remembered less. The promotions went to people whose jokes landed in hallways, not Slack. Her work traveled by email; their faces traveled by elevator. 🌓 Here’s the trap: working from home is both blessing and curse for women. The blessing is focus and flexibility for the invisible labor we carry. The curse is that we avoid the spotlight. We’d rather deliver quietly and trust merit to carry us, and we get passed over by people who were seen. 🧠 The truth is that people remember who they see, not just what they read. Being in a few key rooms still moves careers, even if it shouldn’t. The 9–6 badge-swipe culture punishes anyone doing school pickups, elder care, or real life. So don’t swing to either extreme, always on-site or always invisible online. Design your visibility like a workflow: pick the two moments each month when decisions get made, show your face there, and cover the rest with tight written receipts and short live updates. 🔧 So, how to design this now: 1. 🎯 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀.    Forecast week and exec reviews.    Walk three specific people who need to know your work before the meeting with a one-minute “here’s the impact, here’s the ask.”     2. 🧾 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹.    For every major deliverable, ship a 6-sentence note: problem → action → business result → risk removed → next bet → what I need from you. CC two people not in the room. If it isn’t written and witnessed, it isn’t yours.     3. 🗓️ 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.    Publish your office rhythm: “Tuesdays I’m in for decisions; Thursdays I’m in for cross-team syncs; other days async, 2–4pm live window.” Leaders invest in what they can reliably find.     4. 🔁 𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘅𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲.    Pre-brief an in-room ally with your two lines and your ask;    Post-brief them for the echoes.    Rotate proxies so you’re not indebted and return the favor when you’re on-site.     🚀 Today Uma and I are running a 90-minute working session, “𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸.” Last chance to join us live and get the exact scripts, pre-wiring moves, and the one-page receipts template: https://lnkd.in/gte3PVrM 👊 Because remote can do the work, but only designed presence gets you the credit, the mic, and the raise.

The workplace in 2026 hasn’t changed much from the 1920s when the 8 hours / day, 5 days a week, 40 hours a week was introduced. But that was under the assumption of 1 parent (usually the dad) working and 1 parent (usually the mum) at home. But today dual income families make up 71% of Australian couples with children and then ~16% families are single parent - so the traditional working models and hours are a big barrier for many families - especially mothers carrying much of the load. I really enjoyed my chat with Karis Dorrigan on the Working Mumma podcast. She’s a single mum that has a 2 hour commute each way at least twice a week and was also made redundant whilst on her first maternity leave - yes, she has many great experiences and insights to share. During our chat we spoke about some key changes that would actually help working mums/parents and here they are: 1️⃣Pay based on outcomes, not hours at the desk. Working mums are productive and should have the option to deliver full-time results in four days, every day 2️⃣Build flexibility into every role from day one. Not as a special favour when the request is submitted, but as a default. Men are twice as likely as women to have their flexible work requests rejected - this doesn’t help mothers and only increases the mental load. 3️⃣Start meetings at 9:30am so parents can do drop-off without stress 4️⃣Offer hybrid and remote options because a 1+ hour commute plus double drop-off is a full-time job in itself 5️⃣No-meeting days. Deep work matters and every employee deserves time to think rather than back to back meeting What would systems or structures would you change in the workplace? drop your ideas in the comments Listen now https://lnkd.in/gGQXaU8w