无界蓝图：在分散的员工队伍中提高员工体验+The+Borderless+Blueprint-Enhancing+the+Employee+Experience++Across+a+Dispersed+Workforce

TheBorderlessBlueprint:EnhancingtheemployeeexperienceacrossadispersedworkforceCContentsIntroduction:Theriseofborderlessworking3ChapterOne:Buildingaculturethatworksforall6Embeddingappreciationinaborderlessemployeeexperience7Promotingyourpurpose8Thetopfivecontributorstoastrongcompanyculture9ChapterTwo:Theimportanceofpersonalisation10Individualsolutionsforindividualchallenges11ChapterThree:Atech-enabledEmployeeValueProposition13Removingfrictionfromrewarding14ChapterFour:Deliveringpoliciesfitforadiverseworkforce15Acknowledgingindividualneedsbutcreatingaunifiedidentity17Buildingborderlessworkingpracticesfitforthefuture18Thefivekeystepsforabullet-proofborderlessblueprint1922|THEBORDERLESSBLUEPRINTIntroductionIntroduction:TheriseofborderlessworkingOneofthemosthotlydebatedtopicsacrossacademiaandbusinessleadersalike,hasbeenthepost-pandemicchangetoofficeworkingpatterns,andtherightwaytotackleit.Andrightlyso.Ifmanagedincorrectly,therepercussionsonculture,employeewellbeing,productivityandeventuallythebottomlinecouldbehuge.What’sclearisthatthelandscapeofworkhaschangedforever.Thishasledtotrendslikeborderlessworking—whichmaypreviouslyhavebeenconsideredproblematictosomeandimpossibletoothers—becomingmuchmorecommon.Infact,accordingtoourpollof500businessesacrosstheUK:ȩ51%haveincreasedborderlessworkingsince2020ȩ62%plantoincreaseitinthenext12monthsBorderlessBorderlessworkingisthepracticeofhiringstaffbasedoutsideofacompany’smaincountryofoperations.Typically,borderlessworkersareremote,ratherthanbasedininternationalofficesandoperateassatelliteemployeessittingoutsideofacompany’scentralorregionalHQs.Themovetoborderlessworkingalsoreflectschangingemployeeexpectations.Workersnolongerwanttobetieddowntoonelocationoroffice.Theywantthefreedomtoworkwhereandwhentheywant.Thisgoeshandinhandwithagrowingdemandforbetterwork/lifebalance,morewellbeingsupportfromemployers,andasenseofpurposeintheworktheydo.TheseshiftingprioritiesareleadingtoinitiativessuchasHiBob’s‘workfromanywhere’policy,whichallowsemployeestoworkfromtheirlocationofchoiceforuptotwomonths.33|THEBORDERLESSBLUEPRINT44|THEBORDERLESSBLUEPRINTThebenefitsofborderlessForthosecompanieswho’vealreadyadoptedborderlessworking,orarethinkingofmakingthetransition,therearemanyadvantages.Theycanretainhighperformingemployeesevenwhentheymovetoanewcountry,expandglobalfootprintsandenablenewgrowth.Plus,thistrendhashelpedemployerswidenthenetwhensearchingfortalent,tocreateamorediverseandinclusivebusiness.Businessesarenolongerconstrainedbyafixedhubwithpotentiallyunsuitablefacilitiesthatallemployeesneedtocommuteinto.Theyhavemuchmorefreedomwhenhiring—withacandidate’slocation,disabilityrequirementsorchildcareneedsalleasiertomeet.ThechallengesaheadIt’sprettyclearthatthebusinessworldisstartingtoembracethenecessarychanges.Butlet’salsobehonestaboutwhatitcouldmean.Formanycompanies,thetaskisdaunting,especiallyincountriesthatarelessadvancedinthetransitiontoborderlessworking.Tomakethemostoftheopportunitiesoutthere,businesseshavetostriketherightbalancebetweenenablingemployeestoworkinwaysthatsuitthem—butalsodeliveringthebestbottomlineresults.It’salsoimportantthatthey’renotrelyingpurelyonsalaryandflexibilitytoattractandretaintalent.Ifwe’rebeinghonest,that’sanoldschoolwayoflookingatthings.Morethanever,workforcesneedtobeinspiredandmotivated,withanengagingemployeeexperiencethatkeepspeoplein-roleandengagedforthelonghaul.ResearchfromMcKinseyhighlights1thatemployeeswithapositiveemployeeexperiencehave16timestheengagementlevelofthosewithanegativeone.They’realsoeighttimesmorelikelytowanttostayatacompany.11.Thistimeit'spersonal:Shapingthe'newpossible'throughemployeeexperience/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/this-time-its-personal-shaping-the-new-possible-through-employee-experienceQuiteQuitesimply,theemployeeexperienceisthelinchpinthatkeepspeopleengagedandloyal.Don’tthinkofitastheicingonthecake,oreventhedessert—it’sthemaincourseofyourpeopleinitiatives.Inthisreport,weprovideablueprinttoborderlessworking,andbuildinganemployeeexperiencethatworksacrosstheglobe.Withdatafromourrecentsurvey,aswellasbestpracticeadvice,ouraimistosupportbusinessleaderswiththisnewandessentialwayofworking.55|THEBORDERLESSBLUEPRINT6|THEBORDERLESS6|THEBORDERLESSBLUEPRINTChapterOne:BuildingaculturethatworksforallCompanyculturehasarguablyneverbeenmoreimportant.Thereareacoupleofdifferentstrandstothis.Firstly,organisationsneedtoalignemployeeswiththecompanymission.Morethanever,peoplearelookingforasenseofbelongingandpurposeinthejobstheydo.What’smore,theyarelookingtotheirmanagers,HRteamsandC-suitetoleadfromthefront.Infact,McKinseyresearch2saw70%ofemployeesadmitthattheirsenseofpurposeisdefinedbytheirwork.Companyleadersthereforeplayacrucialroleinhelpingtheirworkforcefindpurposeandlivebyit.Theyalsoneedtocreateaculturethatmeetstheneedsofthemodernemployee,intermsoftheirwellbeingandlifestyle.Somebusinesseshavealreadymadestridesinthisarea.They’veadaptedtowhatemployeesarelookingforandrespectthegrowingcallforgreaterwork/lifebalance.Forexample,ourresearchfoundthatalmostathird(32%)ofUKbusinessleadershaveintroducedpoliciesthatallowemployeestotravelfreelyandkeepworking.Inaddition,31%havebroughtinmeasurestoprovidefinancialandwellbeingsupport,recognisingthewidersocio-economicpressurestheirpeopleareunder.However,notallbusinessesaregettingitright.Infact,onlyaquarter(25%)ofcompaniesthinkculturesharinginitiativesareimportantandjust12%thinktheiremployeesvaluetherewardsandbenefitsonoffer.Thisshowsthattherearemanyorganisationsthathaveyettorealisetheimportanceofthesemeasuresinbuildingaculturethat’sfitforaborderlessworkforce.22.Helpyouremployeesfindpurpose–orwatchthemleave/capabilities/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/help-your-employees-find-purpose-or-watch-them-leaveEmbeddingappreciationinEmbeddingappreciationinaborderlessemployeeexperienceAcoreelementofapositiveborderlessemployeeexperienceispeer-to-peerrecognitionthatworksonatrulyglobalscale.Enablingemployeestovisiblyshowtheirappreciationforacolleague—wherevertheyare—leadstoimprovedmoraleandbetterengagement.Thishasalwaysbeenthecasebutbecomesevenmoresignificantwhenpeoplearephysicallyapartfromeachother.Similarly,empoweringmanagerstorecogniseteammemberswhoareindifferentcountriesortimezonescanbehugelyimportantinfuellingmotivation,Thereareanumberoftoolsonthemarketthatcanhelpremovetheheavyliftingfromthisprocess.Forexample,ourcustomersareusingPerkbox’sCelebrationhub,whichwasbuiltwiththisinmind.Itallowsbothmanagersandemployeestothankcolleaguesinanengagingway,whetherit’sforgoodwork,teamworkorpersonalmilestones.Inaddition,peopleshouldbeencouragedtorecognisebehaviourthatalignswithyourcompany’smissionandvalues.Notonlydoesthisboostthemoraleofthosebeingrecognised—butitincreasesthechancesofthesebehavioursbeingreplicatedbyemployeesinalllocations.ensuringseenandvaluedfortheworktheydo.Ultimately,recognitionshouldbecomeakeytoolforbusinesseswantingtocreateaunifiedcompanyculture—onethat’sconsistentforeveryone,nomatterwherethey’rebased.It’svitalthatfullyremotestafffeelasconnectedtotheircompanyasthoseintheoffice.Onlythencanbusinessestrulyreapthebenefitsofthediversetalentpooldescribedearlier.andthatpeoplefeel7|THEBORDERLESSBLUEPRINTPromotingyourpurposePromotingyourpurposeMakingiteasierforyourpeopletoengagewithandunderstandyourcompany’spurposeisalsoanimportantstepinbuildingastrongculture.Itcanhelpcreateasharedsenseofteamworkandunityacrossborders.Thinkofitasawaytomakethephrase‘oneteam,onedream’bemorethanjustasloganonawall.Wementionedrecognisingpeoplefordoingthingsinlinewiththecompanymissionandvalues—buttheseneedtobeclearlycommunicatedsoemployeesknowwhat’sexpectedofthem.ThedaysoftheCEOhavingaphysicaltownhallsessionforeveryonearefastdisappearing,andevenvirtualoneswon’tbeabletocoveralltimezones.That’sjustoneofthereasonsourplatformincorporatesCulturehub,whichactsasasinglesourceoftruthforallcompanyinitiatives.It’ssomewherebusinessescansignposttheirvalues,explainKPIsandsharenewswithallemployees,whetherthey’reinanoffice,onashopfloororanywhereelseintheworld.Toolssuchasthesecanmakeiteasiertoalignpeoplewiththecompany’spurpose,aswellasstrengtheningcultureinanorganicandauthenticway.8|THEBORDERLESSBLUEPRINTThetopfivecontributorstoastrongcompanyculture1.Agood/fairsalary:51%2.Empoweringstafftorecogniseeachother'ssuccessesthroughrewardsharingorcompany-wideshoutouts:40%3.Adiversegendermix:36%4.Ensuringdifferentbackgroundsarerepresentedintheworkforce:34%5.Providingawidearrayofrewardsandbenefits:33%Source:ConductedbyCensuswideonbehalfofPerkbox,surveying508workplacemanagersandleadersintheUKbetween20.06.22–24.06.22.99|THEBORDERLESSBLUEPRINTChapterTwo:TheimportanceofpersonalisationOverthecourseofhistory,there’vebeenmanyinflectionpoints–thinkindustrialrevolutionsandfinancialcrises—whichhaveforcedbusinessestoreact,pivotandadapt.TheCOVID-19pandemicwasoneofthese,especiallywithregardstothedemandforflexibleworking.Infairness,somebusinesseswerealreadyrespondingtothisbeforethepandemichit,byprovidingtherighttechnologyandadaptinginternalstructuresandpolicies.However,thepandemicbroughtthisintothemainstream.Italsodemonstratedhowproductivitycanbemaintainedevenifpeoplearen’tphysicallypresent,andareinmultiplelocations.WhenwespoketoUKmanagersandleadersabouttheirpeoplestrategyinthelasttwoyears,43%ofthemreportedthatthey’dintroducedflexiblehours,while42%saidthey’dbroughtindedicatedremoteworkpolicies.Whilethisindicatesawillingnesstosupportnewwaysofworking,thesemeasuresdon’tfullycaterforsatelliteworkersaroundtheworld—particularlyinareassuchasbenefitsandrewards.Infact,ourresearchfoundthatlessthanathird(29%)ofbusinessesaredevelopinglocalisedbenefitsofferingsalignedtomarketneeds.Businesseswantingtosupportaborderlessworkforcethroughbenefitsandrewardsneedtoensureconsistencyofdelivery,inawaythat’sfairandtakeslocalnuancesintoaccount.Whetherit’scateringtothedifferingnatureofhealthcarecoverageacrosstheworld,orprovidingdiscountsonlocallylovedbrands,allowingpeopletochoosebenefitstheyfindmostrelevantwillhelpthemfeelcaredfor.Whenitcomestorewards,givingemployeeschoiceempowersthemandmakestherecognitionthey’vereceivedthatmuchmorepowerful.ProvidingmaximumchoiceisoneofthereasonscustomersutiliseourPerkshuboffering,whichincludesaccesstoover4,000dealsanddiscountsacrosstheglobe.Withthecostoflivingcrisismakingfinancialhelpfromemployersmoreurgent,thisisseenasawaytomakeemployees’moneygofurther—butcrucially,itensuresthishappensforpeopleinalllocations.110|THEBORDERLESSBLUEPRINTIndividualsolutionsforindividualIndividualsolutionsforindividualchallengesHelpingemployeesduringtheglobalcostoflivingcrisisisn’tsimplyrelatedtofinancialchallenges.Theimpactonpeople’shealthandwellbeingisalsosomethingemployersneedtobeawareof.Thingslikeanxietylevelscanbeheightenedduringthisperiod,andwhilemanagersmaybeabletospotthiswhenthey’reinthesameroomastheirteammembers,itisn’taseasywhentheirteam’sdispersedacrosstheglobe.ȩLasttimewespokeyousaidXwasachallenge—howisthatgoing?ȩWhat'sonethingwecouldchangeaboutworkforyouthatwouldhelp?ȩIsthereanythingreallymotivatingyouatthemoment?ȩIsthereanythingdemotivatingyouatthemoment?ȩIsthereanythingmoreIcandotosupportyou?Ensureyourlinemanagersaretrainedintheartof1-2-1meetingswiththeirremoteemployees.Regularcheck-insshouldbepartandparceloftheirworkingweek,butequallyimportantisknowingwhattoask.Thesemeetingsshouldbemorethanjustdiscussingprojectsandobjectives.Hereareexamplesofquestionsthataregoodtoask:ȩHowdoyoufeelyourwork/lifebalanceisrightnow?ȩArethereanychallengesyou’refacingatthemoment?It’sequallyimportanttorecognisethatthere’snoone-size-fits-allsolutionwhenitcomestohealthandwellbeing.Personalisationinthisaspectisalsokey.11|THEBORDERLESSBLUEPRINTWithemployeesspreadacrossseventerritories,itwasimportantWithemployeesspreadacrossseventerritories,itwasimportanttohaveacentralsolutionthatcouldspeaktoeverybody’swellbeingneeds.ChiefCommercialOfficerCressidaSergeantfoundthatWellnesshubsupporteditsemployeesatatimetheyreallyneededit.Sheexplains:“We’dhadfeedbackfromourteamsaroundwantingtodoactivitiesthatwouldimprovetheirmentalhealth.ThereweresomebrillianttoolsonWellnesshubthatourstaffhavebeenabletoutiliseandwehadsomereallybrilliantfeedbackonthequalityofsomeofthoseworkoutsessionsandsleepstories.”employerscanusetohelptheirpeople,whilealsorecognisingthatwellbeingisaverypersonalchallengeforeachindividual.Ithasalibraryofcuratedcontent–rangingfromworkoutvideos,tosleepstoriestomindfulnessguides—thatemployeescanaccessasandwhentheyneed.Available24/7inanylocation,itenablesthemtotakecontroloftheirhealthinawaythatworksforthem.ThishasbeenparticularlyusefulforglobalsoftwarecompanyTraveltek,helpingtoaddressthenegativeimpacttheiremployeesfeltduringCOVID-19andtheresultinglockdowns.12|THEBORDERLESSBLUEPRINTChapterThree:Atech-enabledEmployeeValuePropositionHowever,whilesomebusinesseshavemadeHowever,whilesomebusinesseshavemadetherelevantinvestments,othersarelaggingbehind.Infact,ourresearchrevealedsomeworryingtruths:ȩLessthanathird(31%)ofbusinesseshaveinvestedintoolsspecificallytosupportborderlessworkersȩ28%ofbusinessleadersblamebureaucracyandredtapeforthisȩ18%don’thaveaborderlessHRpolicycurrentlyProposition(EVP)thatkeepstherightskillsinthecompanyisnomeanfeat.ThishasbecomeeventougherinlightoftheGreatResignationandthecurrent‘quietquitting’trend—inwhichemployeesnolongertakeonadditionaltasksandsticksquarelytotheirjobrole.Gettingitrightrequiresleaderstoputtheirpeopleatthecentreoftheirbusinessstrategy.Aswe’vealreadyidentified,borderlessworkingisonanupwardtrajectory,sobusinessesmustfocusonhowtheycandeliverpoliciesthatsupportitequally,acrossbothinternationalanddomesticstaff.ȩ17%blamelanguagebarriersForexample,toolssuchasMicrosoftTeams,ZoomandSlackmakecollaborationmoreseamlessacrossborders.WhiteboardingapplicationslikeMURALenableemployeestovisuallybrainstormthroughdigitalstickynotes,drawingsanddiagrams.What’smore,themajorityofthesetoolsintegratewithCRMandprojectmanagementtools,sobusinessesdon’thavetocompletelyre-engineertheirtechstack.13|THEBORDERLESSBLUEPRINTRemovingfrictionfromrewardingThismayalsobeoneofthereasonsthatborderlessrewarding—soessential,astoucheduponearlier—isstillviewedwithcautionbybusinesses.Perhapsit’sseenasoverlybureaucraticandlabourintensive.Butjustastechnologyenablesglobalcommunicationandcollaboration,itcanalsohelpovercomesomeoftheobstaclestoborderlessrewarding.Forexample,toolssuchasPerkbox’sGlobalRewardcanunlockseamless,location-agnosticrewards,byenablingmanagerstogiftpointsinstantlytoemployeesinanycountry.Theemployeescanthenusethosepointstopurchaseavarietyofrewards.Thisremovesinconsistenciesingiftingandallowsemployeestochoosetherewardsthattheyvalue.Fromabusinessperspective,HRteamsbenefitfromamoresimplifiedprocessforplanningandallocatingrewardbudgets,whilealsohavingthepeaceofmindthatallemployeesaregettingsomethingmeaningful.ThetoolcanintegratewithcurrentHRsystemsaswell,eliminatingtheneedtomanuallyinputdataorworrythatstaffwillgamethesystem.Likewise,financeteamscaneliminatetheneedtoprocessexpenseforms,whilebenefitingfromthefactthatcurrencyexchangecalculationsareautomaticallytakencareof.It’slongbeenestablishedthattechnology,whenusedintherightway,cangivebusinessesacompetitiveedge.Thisisdefinitelythecaseinaborderlessworkingworld,helpingthemputtogetheranEVPthat’sfitforamulti-locationalworkforce.AnEVPthathascommunication,collaboration,rewardandrecognitionatitsheart.114|THEBORDERLESSBLUEPRINTTheThejobisn’tdonethough.Almost15|15|THEBORDERLESSBLUEPRINTChapterFour:DeliveringpoliciesfitforadiverseworkforceAnotherimportantconsiderationforbusinessesishowtostrengthendiversityandinclusion(D&I).Inordertocreateastrongculture,employeesneedtobeabletobringtheirwholeselvestoworkandtrustthattheywon’tbejudgedorsidelinedfordoingso.Thebenefitsofcompaniesrespectingtheuniqueneeds,perspectivesandpotentialofalltheirteammembersarewellknown.ResearchfromMcKinsey&Company3directlylinksdiversitywithbusinesssuccess,showingthatcompanieswithdiverseteamswerelikelytohavegreaterlevelsofproductivityandinnovation.race,gender,sexualorientationorage,theyare5.4timesmorelikelytowanttostayattheircompanyinthelongterm.TheimportanceofD&Iisn’tlostonemployers,whorecognisethataswellasitbeingtherightthingtodo,itsimplymakesgoodbusinesssense.42%ofthebusinesseswesurveyedreportedanincreaseinproductivityduetoimprovedD&Ipolicies,whileaquarter(25%)statedthey’dseenanincreaseinrevenue.However,ifbusinessleadersareunabletoengagewiththeirteamsonapersonallevel,andmakethemfeelseen,heardandsupported,thenthosebenefitscan’tberealised.Havinganinclusiveworkplaceculturehelpsbusinessesattractandretaindiversetalent.AreportfromAGreatPlaceToWork4foundthatonceemployeestrustthatthey’llbetreatedfairlyregardlessof33.Diversitywins:Howinclusionmatters/featured-insights/diversity-and-inclusion/diversity-wins-how-inclusion-matters4.WhyIsDiversity&InclusionintheWorkplaceImportant?/resources/blog/why-is-diversity-inclusion-in-the-workplace-importantThejobisn’tdonethough.Almostafifth(17%)saidtheydidn’tthinktheyneededtoimproveD&Iintheworkplaceatall.Morerevealingwerethereasonsgivenasbarrierstochange:ȩ32%ofbusinesseswanttorespecttheiremployees'privacyandunderstandtheymaynotwishtoshareaspectsoftheirpersonallivesȩ22%haveaccesstoalimitedtalentpoolandareunderpressuretohirefastȩ20%don'thavethebudgettohireexternalconsultantstosupportinimprovingD&IHowever,it’simportantforbusinessestorememberthatborderlessworkingactuallyopensupawholeworldofopportunitytoimproveD&I.With62%ofbusinesseslikelytoincreasethenumberofremotestafftheyhireoutsideoftheirmaincountryofoperationsoverthenextyear,businesseshaveaccesstoamuchwiderpooloftalent.Theycanbuildaworkforcethat’strulydiverse,enablinggreatercreativityandinnovation.It’sworthnotingthatborderlessworkingalsobringsgreateropportunitiesfordisabledemployees—companiesarenolongerconstrainedbytheaccessibilityfacilitiestheymaynotbeabletooffer,nordotheyneedtomakeemployeesphysicallycommutetoaspecificoffice.16|THEBORDERLESSBLUEPRINTAcknowledgingindividualneedsbutcreatingaunifiedidentityOnewaytoshowcandidatesandemployeesthatyouacknowledgeandvaluethemforwhotheyare,isbyhavingabenefitsandrewardsprogrammethat’sasdiverseastheworkforceyouwant.Providingthatmaximumchoicewhichwereferencedearlierenablesthemtopickthingsthataremeaningfultothem.Thismakesthemfeelgenuinelyvaluedasindividuals,ratherthanjustanothernumber.Oneareatopayparticularattentiontoisyourabilitytoreflecttheculturalnuancesofaglobalworkforce.Forexample,abottleofchampagnemaylandwellasarewardinonecountry,butbeseenasdisrespectfulinanother.Thereforeemployersneedtoensurethatthevarietytheyofferisn’tjustlimitedtoahandfulofcountries—itneedstoworkforeveryone.However,whilemeetingtheneedsandinterestsofeachindividualisessential,businessesalsoneedtocreateacommonsenseofidentity.Thisisaddressedbybuildingaculturethateveryonewan