How Retailers and Businesses Can Capitalize on the Hybrid Workforce
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Here's your Money Briefing for Wednesday, May 31st. I'm J.R. Whelan for The Wall Street Journal. For a lot of workers, the new normal is possibly never working five days a week in the office again.
How big is the hybrid workforce and why does it matter to retailers?
And that hybrid work schedule has left a glaring opportunity for businesses and retailers.
When you're at the point where 40% of the workforce is working a hybrid schedule, that is to say, spending at least some of their time outside the office, typically working in their home, in their neighborhood, It's time for local shops and restaurants and coffee shops to actually think about how to serve those customers.
We'll talk to Wall Street Journal contributor Alexandra Samuel about how retailers could rewrite part of their business plans to appeal to the work-from-home crowd after the break.
What does a hybrid worker's day-to-day schedule actually look like?
Many employees have returned to the office, but 40 percent of the American workforce still works from home part of the time. And they don't keep to the traditional nine to five work schedule. Wall Street Journal contributor Alexandra Samuel joins us to discuss why retailers should make adjustments to cater to the hybrid working crowd. So, Alexandra, 40 percent of the workforce is a lot of people. What does that look like day to day for them?
Well, you're absolutely right about it being a lot of people. And so it looks really different depending on the role in the organization. And unfortunately, some organizations are still asking their hybrid workers to operate during the nine to five day the way they did in the office and keeping them nearly literally tethered to their desks with surveillance software. But the smarter teams and smarter organizations recognize that part of the magic of hybrid is that it allows people to work at the times when they're most effective, which might not be nine to five. It might be seven to 11 and then again from two to eight.
How can coffee shops and local businesses redesign spaces for remote work?
And when you give your team the flexibility to work a split day to work during the hours when they're most effective, it frees them up to get out into the world, into their communities, and to take care of some of their personal business during the middle of the day when they would otherwise have been trapped at the office.
Now, you're one of these hybrid workers with a schedule like that. And in the piece you wrote for the WSJ, you point out how businesses are missing out by not appealing to hybrid workers.
What networking opportunities are missed and how can businesses create daytime events?
How could they capitalize on workers who, when they're not in the office, can do their work from pretty much anywhere?
This month happens to be my 25th anniversary as a remote worker. And frankly, until five years ago, I did not expect the world to do a whole lot for the likes of me. I was kind of a unicorn. It wasn't that common for people to work remotely. When you're at the point where 40% of the workforce is working a hybrid schedule, that is to say spending at least some of their time outside the office, typically working in their home, in their neighborhood, it's time for local shops and restaurants and coffee shops to actually think about how to serve those customers. And for example, that means that coffee shops need to set themselves up for co-working, not just in a sort of afterthought way, But by thinking about how can we make this spot really comfortable for people who want to spend a longer stretch of the day here instead of kind of gently or not so gently shooing them out the door after an hour or two.
And a big part of anyone's career, whether they're working hybrid or in their office full time, is networking. We hear people talk about it all the time. How could businesses appeal to people who do want to do networking but are not really tethered to the office schedule?
networking is maybe especially important for hybrid workers, and also, frankly, a fantastic opportunity for businesses.
How should cities and transit services adapt to non‑traditional work hours?
Because when we aren't spending all of our days on the commute in the office, a couple things can happen. The downside is people can get pretty isolated. And even, you know, introverts need a dose of fellow humans in order to
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:02–0:14
2
How big is the hybrid workforce and why does it matter to retailers?
0:14–1:00
3
What does a hybrid worker's day-to-day schedule actually look like?
1:00–2:04
4
How can coffee shops and local businesses redesign spaces for remote work?
2:04–2:33
5
What networking opportunities are missed and how can businesses create daytime events?
2:33–3:57
6
How should cities and transit services adapt to non‑traditional work hours?
3:57–4:32
7
Which neighborhoods will be most affected by hybrid work and why does distribution matter?
4:32–5:06
8
What practical steps can hybrid workers take to encourage local businesses to change?
5:06–8:41
Speakers
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