Helen Bredenkamp | Group Head | People and Culture | The Unlimited | mail me |
When COVID-19 emptied offices in 2020, remote work wasn’t a carefully designed workplace strategy. It was an emergency response.
Kitchen tables became desks, meetings moved online, and businesses adapted faster than many thought possible. In the years that followed, flexibility became a defining feature of many workplaces. But for some, the pendulum is swinging back globally once again.
The leadership shift is needed to make hybrid work
Amazon introduced a five-day office expectation in January 2025. Companies, including JPMorgan Chase and Dell, followed suit. Google, on the other hand, has retained flexible work and is moving towards three office days a week.
Nevertheless, despite differing policies, all have emphasised the value of in-person collaboration and connection. Locally, we have retained our hybrid working model following more than five years of successful implementation.
These different approaches raise an important question: “Why does hybrid work succeed in some organisations and not others?” I believe the answer may lie in how hybrid work is managed.
Without deliberate leadership, the model can create real risks. Communication can become fragmented, people can feel disconnected, and leaders can struggle to assess performance. But that doesn’t necessarily mean hybrid work has failed. It may mean the business hasn’t built the structures needed to support it.
When we manage hybrid work well, I believe it creates a win-win. People gain flexibility and trust, while the business retains the accountability, connection and performance it needs.
Starting with a clear reason
Hybrid work should not be the default. It should serve a clear business purpose. That purpose could involve gaining access to a wider talent pool and specialist skills. It could also mean improving employee satisfaction and retention. In other cases, it could enable task-dependent work.
This has meant that we have been able to retain specialist skills, experience and institutional knowledge when employees have chosen to emigrate. At the same time, we have gained access to talent across South Africa. We can do this without requiring people to relocate to another province.
A clearly defined purpose also gives leaders a meaningful basis for evaluating whether the model is delivering its intended outcomes. For me, this is an important starting point. Organisations need to understand why they are adopting hybrid work before they decide how they will implement it.
Focusing on results, not visibility
Hybrid teams need clear outcomes, responsibilities and deadlines. Employees should know what’s expected of them. They should also understand how we will measure success and how their work contributes to business goals.
For example, we ground leadership in results. Every year, every person sets ‘big, hairy’ Unlimited goals. We measure these goals against the outcomes each person has committed to delivering. We use Scrum to stay focused and on track, alongside regular performance reviews.
This creates clarity and strengthens accountability. More importantly, it keeps performance focused on impact rather than presence.
In a hybrid environment, I believe this distinction matters enormously. We should measure what people achieve rather than simply measuring whether we can see them at their desks.
Making communication intentional
In an office, information is often shared through quick conversations. Those interactions don’t happen as naturally in distributed teams.
Regular check-ins can keep teams aligned. However, people also need to stay connected to the wider business. That’s why every other Friday, we bring all head office employees together for Engage, a one-hour company-wide meeting.
We use Engage to share updates, align around goals, reinforce values and recognise colleagues. We also create space for feedback. Communication in hybrid work requires deliberate effort. We cannot assume that information will reach everyone simply because we have the right digital platforms.
We need to create consistent opportunities for people to connect, ask questions and understand what is happening across the organisation.
Using the cloud safely
Cloud technology is a key enabler of remote and hybrid work. It helps people stay connected, collaborate effectively and access the tools they need from different locations. However, that convenience also brings additional cybersecurity risks that we cannot ignore.
We prioritise system security. We also provide regular practical guidance and awareness sessions. Protecting company and customer information is not only an IT responsibility. It’s something every employee is passionate about safeguarding.
As hybrid work continues to evolve, organisations must therefore consider security alongside flexibility. Technology can make distributed work possible. However, employees must understand how to use that technology responsibly and securely.
Making office days meaningful
Culture doesn’t happen by accident in a hybrid environment. We should reinforce it through shared rituals, consistent leadership and regular opportunities for people to connect. Face-to-face time remains valuable for solving difficult problems, building relationships and generating ideas.
Employees shouldn’t travel to the office to spend the day on virtual calls. Instead, we should design anchor days to bring the right people together for planning, collaboration, learning and relationship-building.
Shared experiences built around purpose also play an important role. Through “Love Days”, our employees come together to give back to communities. These initiatives create meaningful opportunities to connect beyond our day-to-day roles. They also allow us to contribute to something bigger than ourselves.
In conclusion
The office should offer something difficult to recreate at home. It’s not about people being present. It’s about using that presence well. This is why I don’t see hybrid work as simply a compromise between working remotely and working from an office.
When we approach hybrid working intentionally, it can become a way of working that combines flexibility with connection, accountability and purpose.
Hybrid work isn’t the easy option. Nor is it an argument against the office. To succeed, it requires clear expectations, purposeful communication and active leadership. When the reasons behind adopting the model are clear, and the risks are deliberately managed, performance and flexibility don’t have to compete.
