RTO? Why Autodesk is championing a hybrid-first approach instead

Autodesk’s culture transcends buildings and is not rooted in physical places or campuses alone.

While a number of tech companies continue to push ahead with return-to-office (RTO), others are advocating for a more flexible work approach.  The challenge, however, is the degree of ambiguity that continues to surround FWAs and how they may be differently interpreted by employers and employees.

To successfully bridge any potential divide, organisations should acknowledge that having the right to apply for flexible working is not the same as having the right to flexible working, said Rebecca Pearce, Chief People Officer, Autodesk.

She told HRM Asia, “As the requests for FWAs become increasingly common, it’s critical employers think innovatively about what can be done just as well apart, as it can together in an office. I think many of us were surprised at how well we managed to function during the pandemic. It was a catalyst to help us think more radically about how we could design work differently.”

“As the requests for FWAs become increasingly common, it’s critical employers think innovatively about what can be done just as well apart, as it can together in an office.” – Rebecca Pearce, Chief People Officer, Autodesk.

“Similarly, this is an opportunity to rethink how we hold people accountable, how we ensure we have the right levels of trust, and how we ensure we drive innovation, collaboration, and high performance, alongside engagement and retention.”

At Autodesk, a hybrid-first approach champions the belief that flexibility in where and how work gets done will better enable employees to thrive and realise their full potential.

This is further manifested in Autodesk’s Flex Forward approach, designed to accommodate more than 14,100 globally dispersed employees, each with a unique set of needs, preferences and circumstances, whilst also meeting dynamic business needs.

Specifically, it is about accommodating the diverse cultural and demographic needs of employees. Younger employees, for example, may prefer in-office work because they enjoy networking and meeting with peers. “We’ve also found that some of our employees who live in dense urban areas like Singapore, and therefore often in smaller living quarters, may value the separate working space they can access when they come into the office,” said Pearce.

Conversely, employees who are caregivers may prefer to primarily work from home and only come in for key meetings or when needed. Communication with employees thus, is key in understanding the diverse needs of each employee and how they can be better supported.

“It’s crucial to us that our workplace policy reflects this diversity and provides flexibility within a framework,” highlighted Pearce. “This offers opportunities for individual choice in where and how work gets done, whilst still maintaining productivity, connection, and belonging across the company. It’s this combination of flexibility and structure that empowers employees to bring their most innovative and impactful selves to work.”

Why Autodesk’s hybrid-first culture is about choice and empowerment

The continuing furore over RTO mandates, arguably stems from the fact that employees are not having a say in these unilateral decisions.

While acknowledging that the needs of different types of work create different organisational requirements, Autodesk is adamant that its hybrid work approach is paying dividends, particularly when it comes to talent retention.

Pearce shared, “We are frequently told by our employees that they join, stay at, and return to Autodesk because of our culture. Our culture transcends buildings and is not rooted in physical places or campuses alone. We use our culture to help create stickiness to Autodesk and to drive engagement, productivity, and performance. And importantly, we don’t believe our culture would be as attractive if we had to mandate compliance.”

She was also quick to point out that Autodesk is hybrid-first, as opposed to remote-first, because they still believe in the rich in-office experience and how to create great experiences when employees are in the office.

“We believe that bringing people to accelerate relationship building or the outcomes of certain types of work is important, so we encourage intentional gathering for the moments that matter. But that isn’t the same as just having people in the office for the sake of being there or for being seen to be there.”

Programmes such as the Autodesk Conference Experience (ACE) also play a part in aligning with shifting employee preferences. ACE is a full-service, white glove programme that enables employees to reimagine and host traditional offsite meetings onsite. This includes help to book accommodations with preferred vendors; curated room arrangements with a full array of catering choices in addition to complete AV systems and support; and assistance with team building and offsite programming.

“By encouraging leaders to host their offsite meetings within our offices, we’re creating spaces for our employees to spend more time focusing on work and connection, not logistics. We currently offer this programming in eight of our hub offices, including in Singapore, and are expanding to additional locations this year,” Pearce added.

As to what the next evolution of flexible work might be, she is keen to emphasise that collaboration and connectedness are not a one-size-fits-all approach.

“Regardless of whether we are coming together in person or through technology, we recognise that a successful flexible work environment is about the ‘how’ as much as, or even more so than, the ‘when,’ or ‘where’. It’s about how we build connections, make space for different viewpoints, create safe space for ideas, foster relationships, coach, and provide feedback.”

As teams look to intentionally gather, Pearce sees an increasing emphasis on the designing of inclusive and accessible meetings that cater to the diverse needs and identities of attendees.

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These may include dietary requirements, learning styles, accessibility or assistive technology needs, personal holiday observances, caretaking commitments, as well as accounting for differing time zones for colleagues joining from international markets.

In the event an individual cannot join in-person, leaders should proactively consider a hybrid experience for the team that enables all team members to meaningfully participate, be it physically or virtually.

“An important part of belonging is how employees show up for each other. By creating inclusive team norms and dynamics, everyone can build skills and support each other to do their best work every day,” concluded Pearce.