Once Upon a Blinktime - Gary Cookson, Author of “Making Hybrid Working Work”
Name: Gary Cookson
Company: Epic HR
Role: Director and Author of “Making Hybrid Working Work”
Q: Having written a couple of books on the subject now, what are the key ways companies can increase attendance and make going to the office appealing/worthwhile?
No one wants to go to the office and be the only one from their team there, that’s a waste of time. It’s also frustrating to spend the day on video calls instead of working with people face-to-face. Time in the office should be spent collaborating and building relationships.
To build trust from employees that time in the office will be worthwhile companies need to clearly explain why they want employees in the office, what they’ll be doing there, and why it’s worth their effort. Another big part of this is scheduling and coordination. Employees need to know when their teammates will be in so they can plan accordingly. Companies should also recognise that not everyone can commit to set office days or times due to personal responsibilities, so flexibility is key.
The office environment needs to be an inviting, dynamic hub of activity. If people spend their time isolated or working alone, the office loses its purpose. They might as well work from home. Instead, offices should feature creative, open spaces designed for collaboration, with configurable areas that cater to a variety of tasks. I call these 'touchdown spaces’. Places where people can drop in, do a bit of work, connect with others, and then move on. These spaces, alongside bookable and adaptable areas, make the office a vibrant and productive place to be.
Hybrid working isn’t about an arbitrary location split saying “Two days here, three days there.” That’s just moving work between locations. True hybrid working is more complex and requires thoughtful planning for tasks, spaces, and relationships but when it’s done right pays off massively.
Q: So if that’s the case, why do companies just go for a “days of the week” split? Are there better options?
Companies choose this because it’s the easy option. It sounds attractive and reasonable. It’s simple to explain and feels like a compromise, but it’s often ineffective. This approach doesn’t account for different work styles, tasks, or personal circumstances, and will often lead to frustration and missed opportunity.
The problem arises when companies treat this as their entire hybrid strategy. It’s not. A real hybrid model needs to align with the company’s culture, leadership, processes, and teamwork. Deciding on hybrid working should be the beginning of improving how people work, not the end result.
Failing to do this can make work harder for your employees, leading to lost talent. Worse, it might negatively affect DEI and ESG efforts. This reduces the talent pool and makes working at the company unnecessarily difficult or even unviable for people from diverse backgrounds.
Q: So are companies actually “flexible” when they say their hybrid policy is 2 or 3 fixed office days?
Not really. Splitting the week between home and office isn’t true flexibility. It’s just shifting rigid rules to a new format. Telling people where and when to work is not too dissimilar from telling them to be onsite five days a week. People don’t like to be told what to do and if they think you’re dismissing their preferences or needs for flexibility they’ll just try and find a way around the system or work under the radar. If they cant they’ll find a different system elsewhere that suits them better.
True flexibility starts with understanding what each person does, how/when/where they do it, and who they work with. Build your hybrid plan around that. A one-size-fits-all approach won’t work because everyone’s job, environment, and needs are different. Hybrid working needs a tailored, individual approach.
Q: Why are people so resistant to returning to the office?
During lockdowns, people grew accustomed to working when, where, and how they wanted. They developed personalised work patterns, some through trial and error, others through conscious choice. When organisations ignore these preferences and impose rigid schedules, it feels dismissive.
It’s a shift back to a collective, one-size-fits-all approach, which clashes with the individualised flexibility people have come to value. Being told, “You must be in the office on these days,” removes autonomy and doesn’t account for personal circumstances or preferences. Even people in identical roles face unique challenges and environments. Forcing everyone into a standardised routine creates resistance, as it fails to respect the diverse ways employees work best.
Q: Do people know enough about the digital tools available that can help them achieve the effective hybrid working arrangements you mention?
Not as much as they should. That’s why many companies fall back on requiring office attendance without proper consideration. Tools like yours (Blinktime) can help with scheduling and flexibility, providing employees with better visibility of their schedules and ensuring teams can coordinate more effectively. Tools like this also help managers balance workloads and adapt to changing employee needs, which is crucial for maintaining productivity and morale in a hybrid setup. Unfortunately, many businesses don’t realise these solutions exist or understand their full potential. Raising awareness and demonstrating how these tools simplify hybrid working could make the process much smoother and more successful for everyone.
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