The original version of this article was published in Half Times, the digital magazine for Robert Half employees.

Over the past year, Robert Half’s leadership team has been working to define our company’s long-term approach to work. Taking into consideration employee feedback, new hire needs and company success, our new work philosophy is grounded in offering greater flexibility and enhancing work-life integration for employees while continuing to meet the needs of the business.

But what does that mean exactly, and how did we get there?

“People first,” says Lynne Smith, senior vice president of global human resources (HR) at Robert Half. “Everything we do here comes down to considering our people, their resources, their needs, opportunities, fair treatment, satisfaction and more. When it came to putting concrete guidelines around our work approach in a post-pandemic world, we knew our people and their success had to be at the center of our philosophy.”

Robert Half decided on three flexible work options for our employees in the United States. (Note: Global flexible work options vary.):

• Hybrid: work location and schedule are based on business needs
• Remote: limited in-person attendance, if necessary
• In-office: employees who prefer or are best supported by an in-office environment

“Positioning our employees for success is incredibly important,” Lynne says. “For new hires, particularly in the field, we feel we can capitalize on the power of in-person learning to quickly get them up to speed and demonstrate a proficiency for their position. A blend of in-office and remote activities during the onboarding period will allow for more effective relationship-building with managers, training opportunities, and the adoption of tools and technology that are essential for long-term success.”

The ‘Flexible Work’ task force

Cecil Gregg, a senior district director at Robert Half and member of our recently formed Flexible Work task force, notes, “We have an opportunity to put our people in the best position ever to attain work-life harmony. I’ve gained a much better understanding of the challenges we all have in balancing our lives away from work by getting to know colleagues on a more personal level.”

Lizza Diaz, Robert Half’s senior director of HR and change management, also took part in Robert Half’s Flexible Work task force, helping to shape our hybrid work culture. “It’s been impressive to see the collaboration across the organization to transition and provide a flexible work environment for our employees,” she says. “Headed by Kate Miller, our director of employee experience, our employees’ survey feedback was taken into account in every aspect of the development, communication and rollout of the new flexible work options.

She continues, “Every task force member from the cross-functional teams was highly invested in keeping top of mind our employee experience and the need to cultivate a culture of trust, accountability and adaptability in the new hybrid work model.”

Building connection through intentional listening

Lynne says all the tools are already in place to help Robert Half meet the challenge of creating a strong company culture and fostering employee connection in an evolving and hybrid work environment.

“We’ve changed as a company over the past few years, partly because of COVID-19, but also because we were already headed in a new direction,” Lynne explains. “Our technology enhancements and operational changes have been instrumental in enabling us to be successful. This — coupled with evolving our learning and development, recognition, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), manager tools, and other programs — has positioned us to be leaders in providing flexible work options.”

With a people-first philosophy, listening is essential, says Lynne, noting that our “employee voice” surveys have been valuable in helping understand what employees want and need. But it goes even further than that — to successfully build connection, we must be intentional in listening to each other. It’s particularly significant for people leaders to think differently about how to connect and manage their teams.

“For all employees, it’s more important than ever that managers have a listening strategy to recognize what their teams need,” Lynne explains. “I believe our people leaders will be vital to keeping a thriving, positive culture. Robert Half will provide programs to foster connection, but we as managers need to be planful and purposeful in building relationships and taking advantage of the opportunities available.”

Interested in a career at Robert Half?

Did you know that Forbes recently named Robert Half as one of the World’s Best Employers in the Business Services and Supplies category?

Also, in May 2022, we earned the top spot on Forbes’ annual ranking of America’s Best Professional Recruiting Firms, America’s Best Temporary Staffing Firms and America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms for 2022.

And in February 2022, Robert Half was recognized by Forbes — for the 25th consecutive year — as one of America’s Best Large Companies.

Discover more reasons to build your career at Robert Half. Learn about opportunities in corporate or talent management, and join our team!