Making a hybrid workplace is a bit like navigating through Chicago traffic — it’s an evaluation of priorities.
When planning a route to, say, an MLB game (we won’t get into the Sox vs. Cubs debate), a fan has to decide what is most important to them that day. Is it the Red Line for an easy ride but a potentially longer commute time? Or is it a faster commute by driving, but maybe a pricey parking fee?
Choosing how to get there requires a subtle evaluation of what’s important.
When an HR team needs to decide how to craft a hybrid workplace, they have a similar evaluation ahead of them. They have to decide how many days a week in the office is enough to foster collaboration, and how much that time will take away from focused work hour and employee happiness. They have to figure out if they should offer additional benefits to come into the office — such as commuter, parking, food and childcare stipends — or if the number of employees who will use it won’t justify the cost. They have to prioritize what the team is gaining and what the team is losing with each decision.
Built In Chicago spoke with two talent managers who were eager to share how they sort through what is important for their teams.
Vivid Seats is an online ticket marketplace connecting fans to the live events they love.
Explain the evolution of hybrid work at Vivid Seats. What did different stages look like?
As a ticket marketplace company, we strongly believe in the power of experiencing live events together, so it’s only natural to look to replicate energizing experiences for our employees.
Our evolution to hybrid was incremental, taking a test-and-learn approach as businesses and events reopened in 2021. We started with an optional nudge to come into the office and incentivized in-office attendance with catered lunches, games, intentional collaboration activities, town halls and social events. As a critical mass of employees saw the value and engagement, attendance became more organic.
“As a critical mass of employees saw the value and engagement, [in-office] attendance became more organic.”
From there, we set expectations on what days would be in-office days to help teams organize their work with the teams they collaborated with most. Today, teams are in the office three days a week with their designated office days matching those of the teams they collaborate with the most.
What is one lesson you have learned since the start of your hybrid work setup?
We are always learning and adapting our programs that support our people. We learned we were able to amplify the benefits of hybrid work by structuring certain types of work while in-office, and other types while remote. Early in our transition, we learned that some employees felt more productive when tasks — such as heads-down coding or research — were completed at home.
Based on this feedback, we put together resources for teams to rethink their work norms. Team meetings, one-on-ones, strategy sessions, pairing or onboarding are great in-person interactions, so we suggest that these types of work are scheduled during in-office days. This leaves more individual work and longer periods of focus for at-home days.
Equally important is communicating why we believe in a hybrid approach and how it benefits both employees and the business. When we know our purpose for coming into the office is to interact with one another, we start to form habits that build connection, trust and deeper business understanding. We know we are successful when connections that are made at a catered lunch or social event turn into learning something new about the business or create a deeper professional partnership.
What do you think is the secret behind your success when it comes to hybrid work? Why do employees like it?
When we think about the employee experience, we intentionally build programs that can flex to a variety of interests and needs. As a company, we can provide foundations: which days are in office, hybrid tools to be successful, a modern workspace, engaging in-person activities, etc. These foundations are meant to be built upon, catering to the unique needs and motivations of our employees.
We want to empower teams to own how they work in the way that makes them most successful. Ultimately, it’s our employees’ actions — how they engage, ask questions and learn, mentor others, share perspective and have fun — that really creates an environment that allows us to take full advantage of a hybrid structure.
To further enable our hybrid work structure, we’ve heavily invested in our physical office space with a brand-new Chicago headquarters and renovations across several of our other offices. Office designs have prioritized collaborative and interactive spaces that are built to inspire and connect — just as live events do for the passionate fans we serve.
Crafty offers a centralized platform for workplaces to manage food, beverages and supplies for their in-office, remote and hybrid teams worldwide.
Explain the evolution of hybrid work at Crafty. What did different stages look like? What is your current hybrid work setup?
Crafty’s mission is to help companies craft a better workplace. Since the beginning, it’s been ingrained in our business to support organizations on their path toward creating an office environment that works best for them. To live out this mission, it starts with ourselves. After the pandemic shutdown, and supporting over 300 clients with their return to office, we deeply believe that hybrid working is the way forward.
We opened a new headquarters in Chicago and reopened our NYC and Bay Area offices in November 2022. Initially, we asked our team members to come in on the days that worked best for them. We soon realized the scattered attendance didn’t allow for in-person collaboration from which we have always benefitted.
After a few months, we increased office attendance to a required two days a week, monitoring how our teams utilized the office. We found a pattern that emerged — attendance spiked on days we catered food or hosted in-office events and collaboration increased as a whole. After experiencing the benefits of those in-office days, we’re asking our team members to come in three times a week, with Tuesdays and Thursdays as our main gathering days.
What is one lesson you have learned since the start of your hybrid work setup? What tools set your people up for success?
While our policy is mandatory, we like to focus on a magnet versus mandate approach. Simply put, how do we create an environment that draws our team members into the office instead of forcing them into an office they don’t feel is worth the commute?
“We like to focus on a magnet versus mandate approach: How do we create an environment that draws our team members into the office instead of forcing them into an office they don’t feel is worth the commute?”
As mentioned, we’re in the business of crafting better workplaces, and we understand that we need to start at home. To ensure we created the right environment, we formed a committee with passionate team members, focusing on four key areas: facilities and decor, food and beverage and kitchen equipment, IT and events. This way, our team shapes the very environment they thrive in. We believe that the best workplace is built by those who use it every day. We don’t guess what makes a great office — we live it. That’s how we deliver top-notch programs for our clients, fueled by our own hands-on experience.
What do you think is the secret behind your success when it comes to hybrid work? Why do employees like it?
Our success boils down to two key secrets. First, we embrace structured flexibility. This means our team can shape their schedules to fit their lives. But, we also add a touch of structure. After all, hybrid work thrives on a mix of productive, in-person collaboration and solo, creative time. If you don’t build in some structure, the collaborations in person won’t happen as often because people won’t be in the office at the same time as their coworkers. If you can’t get people on a similar schedule, you miss those golden opportunities for in-person work.
Second, we make the office worth the commute. If you aren’t investing in the in-office experience, there isn’t much justification for asking people to come in. When the team doesn’t worry about grabbing a bite to eat or looks forward to a fun coffee tasting in the morning, it puts a pep in their step and helps them know that their effort to make it in is appreciated. It also gets them ready and focused to deliver great results.
