Maslow’s Hierarchy of Hybrid Work Needs

Wayfinding in Hybrid Work

We’ve been deep down the rabbit hole exploring hybrid work with our customer research.  In speaking directly with nearly 3,000 leaders tasked with figuring out hybrid work, we have a few crystal clear takeaways:

1. Different strokes for different folks -- hybrid work is not a “one size fits all” situation. Orgs and teams are taking different approaches depending on their respective cultures and needs.
2. This is only the starting line -- nobody is “nailing” hybrid v1, it’s going to be an iterative progression.
3. Data will be gold -- we’re all in uncharted territory with no quantifiable information to inform decision-making, and those who have data will have advantages in the future.

Quick Psych 101 Refresher

Way back in 1954, Abraham Maslow created the now well-known Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in an effort to better understand what motivates human beings. Maslow proposed that human needs can be organized into a hierarchy. This hierarchy ranges from more concrete needs such as food and water to abstract concepts such as self-fulfillment. According to Maslow, when a lower need is met, the next need on the hierarchy becomes our focus of attention.

These are the five categories of needs according to Maslow:

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Hybrid Work Needs

1. Health & Safety Needs -- let’s hope this one is in the rearview but if people are going to be working while co-located they need to feel physically safe.
2. Team Orchestration Needs -- teams need the ability to coordinate when and where they choose to work together vs. remotely. They need to communicate and coordinate both planned times together and enjoy more serendipitous or organic time connecting.
3. Engagement & Culture Needs -- there’s no denying that Zoom doesn’t work for everything…some things are just better done in-person. Purposeful time together for culture initiatives, bond-building, and employee engagement activities are critical.
4. Purpose Needs -- people are now asking “why” more than ever before. Why should I come to the office? Why should I give up time to commute? Why do we need to be in-person for this activity? Time together and workspaces need to answer the Why Needs in order to transform in-person experiences from obligations into destinations.
5. Balanced Work Lifestyle Needs -- in an unprecedented rate, people everywhere are now choosing where to invest their time. We see this in the “Great Resignation” and other movements. Ascending to the top of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for Hybrid Work is enabled when people can take ownership over where they invest their time with respect to their work/life mix.

At Kettle our purpose is to make time together count. Reach out if we can be helpful.