Book: Remote, Not Distant: Design a Company Culture That Will Help You Thrive in a Hybrid Workplace
Author: Gustavo Razzetti
Genre: Non-fiction, business
Review copy: Reedsy Discovery
Available at: Amazon.in
Recommended: Must Read
The “new normal” became the buzzword in most professional circles during the pandemic years. Today, the “new normal” is the “new world” demanding a mindset change and adjustments. The diktat for return-to-office has led to an upheaval that is said to feed the Great Resignation, particularly in the corporate realm. Remote, Not Distant by Gustavo Razzetti is one of the most relevant books that leaders and employees can read to build bridges and settle down in a hybrid work mode.
Gustavo’s book is well-researched and well-organized. It puts together details in a succinct and meaningful format. The book endorses that corporate leaders have to accept that “The hybrid workplace is here to stay.” Employees expect leaders to understand their perspectives and include them in decisions about flexibility and a hybrid work model.
The book provides a 5-step Anywhere/Anytime Culture approach to tackle the issue head-on. The writer has used examples and quotes from industry practitioners and consultants to explain how a hybrid work model requires resetting prior notions. He breaks down jargon to their basic connotations to showcase why words must truly convey our intentions – be it culture, purpose, employee engagement, rituals, or ideas. He mentions asynchronous communication, proximity bias, single-source of truth, and conflicts.
Readers are presented with an array of frameworks and tools, downloadable with QR codes and topic recaps. My copy of this book has several highlights and notes. It is insightful to read how some companies got it right with their employee-first approach, while some took a fall. A storehouse of information, this guide, can help leaders define what they need to make the hybrid workplace work. It can assist employees to see where the lines converge and how they can contribute to their organizations in a remote or hybrid setup. They can be equipped to bring suggestions to the table.
This guide endorses a switch in our thought process and provides actions to redraft our way of working for a “unique opportunity to reset your culture and leverage the best of both worlds: in-person and remote.” Gustavo Razzetti, the CEO and founder of Fearless Culture, a culture design consultancy, is vocal about integrity, trust, conversations, connections, and letting go of control tactics. Behaviors and emotions are more important than physical perks. The bright-yellow book cover is unmistakable and brings to attention one of the most crucial issues of the employer-employee relationship in a post-Covid world. This is a book for keeps.
Blue Pen Strokes 