HR Disrupted7 Okt 2025

In praise of the office: Why hybrid is broken

In this episode, Lucy digs into one of the big questions right now: if most organisations have landed on hybrid, why does it still feel so clunky? Ranya Nehmeh, senior HR strategist, lecturer and co-author of In Praise of the Office: The Limits to Hybrid and Remote Work - joins to unpack why many hybrid set-ups deliver the “messy middle”: full calendars, half-empty offices and confused norms. She makes the case that the office still offers something distinctive: spontaneous interactions, faster trust-building and the sort of collaboration you can’t schedule into a diary.

Lucy and Ranya explore the long-term culture risks of ineffective hybrid working such as lower discretionary effort, individualism over collaboration, and promotion decisions skewed by proximity bias. They look at practical ways to make hybrid better including designing anchor days around activities that need co-location, fixing meeting hygiene and measuring outcomes not optics. They also discuss a divide many miss - pre- versus post-pandemic hires—and how HR can act as “architect of connection” through extended onboarding, mentoring across cohorts, and rituals that make everyone visible.

This episode looks at how you build flexibility and a healthy culture. The answer isn’t blanket policies; it’s clarity and intention. Think presence with purpose, flexibility with structure, and leaders equipped to have grown-up team conversations about what works now—for the work, the customer and the people involved.

Chapters

(00:03) The Future of Hybrid Work

(15:24) Optimizing Hybrid Work Strategies for Success

(21:54) Bridging Pre & Post-Pandemic Workplace Gap

(26:15) Hybrid Work Flexibility and Structure

(31:17) Importance of Office Relationships

(34:53) Exploring Hybrid Work Strategies

Contact Rayna https://www.linkedin.com/in/ranyanehmeh/

Discover more about Disruptive HR

Find out more about Disruptive HR: www.disruptivehr.com
Get in touch: hello@disruptivehr.com
Check out The Disruptive HR Club: https://disruptivehr.com/the-club/

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(91)

The New HR Playbook: Leading Change in an AI World

In this episode of HR Disrupted, Lucy Adams is joined by Andy Doyle, Chief People and Agent Officer at Kantar. While much of the conversation around AI focuses on hype or fear, Andy shares a grounded,...

12 Maj 50min

Rethinking Careers When No One Leaves

n this episode, Lucy Adams is joined by Eva Murciano to explore one of the biggest challenges facing organisations today: how to keep careers moving in environments where people stay for a long time. ...

14 Apr 27min

The HR and Work Trends That Will Matter in 2026

In this episode, Lucy Adams and Karen Moran take stock of the people and work trends that are likely to shape 2026. Drawing on what they’re seeing across organisations right now, they focus on the cha...

30 Dec 202525min

Turning HR Data Into Real Insight

HR doesn’t struggle with not having enough data - we’ve got tons of it. Engagement scores, churn and absenteeism rates, performance ratings, DEI metrics - the works. But can we honestly say we’re bril...

16 Dec 202534min

From resistance to buy-in: Influencing the toughest leaders

Lucy and Karen get honest about one of HR’s toughest challenges: helping leaders and managers actually change how they behave. Drawing on their own “humiliations” as former HR Directors, they unpack w...

2 Dec 202536min

AI Coaching: The New Frontier for Developing Managers

One of the biggest challenges facing HR is the perennial challenge of leadership capability. Despite years of investment in programmes, frameworks, and workshops, many organisations still struggle to ...

18 Nov 202532min

The AI you can actually use: Real adoption and results inside HR

As we know - AI isn’t something that’s coming in the future — it’s already here, and it’s already reshaping how we hire, develop and engage our people. The pace of change can feel daunting at times, b...

4 Nov 202538min

When One Size Doesn’t Fit All: When to personalise your HR practices

In HR we have always tended to prefer standardisation. The instinct to make everything and to treat everyone in the same way comes from a mixture of practicality, compliance, and tradition. Standardis...

21 Okt 202523min