ASK THE EXPERTS
Mastering the Hybrid Work Environment: Cultivating Culture and Overcoming Challenges By Jon Barilone, Tripepi Smith; and Scott Carroll, Costa Mesa Sanitary District
Tripepi Smith Principal Jon Barilone and Costa Mesa Sanitary District’s (CMSD) General Manager Scott Carroll led a remote work-focused session at the 2022 California Special Districts Association (CSDA) General Manager Leadership Summit in Coronado in June. After necessary work environment experimentations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, more people and organizations are thinking about hybrid workspaces or not physically returning to an office. LinkedIn’s Economic Graph team found that, in April 2022, 13.4% of all paid job listings on LinkedIn offered remote work. That was nearly double the 6.9% rate for April 2021. The public sector is not immune from this trend. In 2021, “Government Administration” would not have cracked the top 10 categories on that list; now, it is number seven with 11.8% of its open job postings offering remote work. In their conference session, “Mastering the Hybrid Work Environment: Cultivating Culture and Overcoming Challenges,” Jon and Scott talked through how to maintain company culture remotely and the logistics of running a hybrid work environment. Tripepi Smith has been completely remote for more than five Volume 17 • Issue 4
years, while CMSD continues the hybrid work environment they began in early 2020.
I have worked without a daily commute for over eight years now, and I have seen Tripepi Smith grow from six to 40-plus fully remote employees. So, I know it’s possible to create a positive, sustainable company culture from your home. Jon Barilone, principal, Tripepi Smith “I have worked without a daily commute for over eight years now, and I have seen Tripepi Smith grow from six to 40-plus fully remote employees. So, I know it’s possible to create a positive, sustainable company culture from your home,” said Jon. “Even when you are
remote, you can still successfully build a set of shared goals, attitudes, and behaviors. All these work together to empower employees to serve clients, support their teammates, and care about the future.” As Jon and Scott discussed, any public agency can cultivate a culture both in a hybrid and fully remote work environment that encourages employees to grow and invest in your mission by making employees feel valued and invested in the agency’s future. As an agency, prioritize building “culture warriors” to help grow your culture. These “warriors” represent the agency by bringing the team together and repping your agency whenever possible. Employees should also receive regular reminders of the agency’s culture. In the session, Jon provided the example of Tripepi Smith’s creation of a team theme song that mentions its key culture elements. When workplaces started moving back into physical offices in 2021, CMSD found that their employees valued flexible hours. Scott shared how deciding to keep hybrid work an option boosted morale, employee retention and recruitment, employee trust and wellness, productivity, and accessibility. continued on page 16
15
