| | JUNE 2025MANAGEHRMAGAZINE.COM8In MyOpinionHYBRID- NOW WHAT? OPTIMIZING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT BACK IN THE OFFICEBy Dawn Farahani, Vice President, People & Culture, BCAAAs pandemic restrictions eased and returning to physical office environments became feasible again, leaders and organizations across industries spent countless hours analyzing, developing, and communicating the perfect hybrid model. The length of time spent deliberating the decision belied the simplicity of the question at hand: Would we ask our employees to work in the office 1, 2 or 3 days each week? The answer was not as easy as the question implied, and the response looks and feels a bit different in every organization. However, now that we've adjusted to the `new normal' of hybrid work, the even more important question is this: How do we engage our employees now that they're back in the office?It was only a few years ago that most employees worked in an office environment full-time and interactions with each other were natural and organic. In a short time, this has disappeared. While some employees were keen to return to a more familiar work environment, others grew accustomed to working remotely and were hesitant to return. Above all, each day in the office must be purposeful and intentional for employees. Nothing is worse than requiring employees to come into the office only to have them sit on Zoom/Teams calls all day and not have any in-person, face-to-face interaction. It is the responsibility of the people leader to make sure each in-office day has a positive impact on the professional and personal well-being of the employee. So, how do you do it?Create meaningful connections. Coming together to connect in person feels different than any virtual meeting, no matter how good the technology is. As a leader, connecting with your people each time they Dawn Farahani
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