Welcome to Just Global’s content series: Global Views. The focus of each edition of Global Views will be centered around one topic that the marketing and advertising industry is facing.
Hybrid Work Environments
In recent weeks, it’s been reported that roughly 64% of workers are comfortable returning to the office. Yet, 82% of current remote workers enjoy working from home and 73% report that they are more productive (source: Morning Consult).
At Just Global, we offer employees “flex-time” and hybrid options based on the filter of what works for the employee, their teammates, and their client. As we start to reopen our global locations based on regional guidelines, we asked a few of our employees to share their perspectives on the pros and cons of returning to the office.

Personality Styles
A recent article from the BBC explored “Why introverts excelled at working from home.” Often the constant interactions in physical environments can be draining. How are approaching hybrid workspaces to benefit both extroverts and introverts?
Analysts, who tend to have an introverted personality, are likely thriving and will continue to thrive in a hybrid environment.
Unless days are filled with video meetings, team members are likely getting the alone time that they need to prepare accordingly for meetings, recharge, and focus. Office settings, an extrovert’s happy place, can force introverts out of their comfort zones which can be good in doses, but too much can be overkill and can quickly burn introverts out. Having the hybrid option of going into the office and staying home will be helpful in that the socialization vs recharge decision is intentional. I hope it’s a model that’s here to stay.
Employee Engagement
Since going into lockdown, Just Global has hired an incredible amount of new employees. Nearly 50 team members have started their employee experience virtually and haven’t seen each other outside of computer monitors. How has the onboarding process changed since going fully remote? Moving forward, what about this process will you continue to keep and what are you looking forward to going back to?
When we started to ramp up hiring again during lockdown, my first thought was how are we going to provide new employees the best onboarding experience in this new virtual world?
As employers, it is our priority to new hires that we provide the best first impression of our company, culture and processes on their first day. We have all been that new hire, anxious about the first day on the job. I can only imagine the stress and anxiety amplified by starting your first day completely virtual.
Realizing that a virtual onboarding was mostly going to consist of Zoom meetings, I wanted to ensure new employees had the tools and resources needed to establish a solid foundation for their long term Just Global career. We implemented a “Day One” onboarding checklist. ‘Day One’ is part of our onboarding initiative which acts as a ‘self-guided’ tour to Just Global that includes important resources about the agency.
The checklist has been optimized over the past year with feedback received from new hires. Even as we navigate back into a hybrid model of work, I can foresee continuing using this checklist and model of onboarding going forward especially as we are working in multiple different time zones.
Not being able to have more 1:1 time with new hires and building those relationships was the hardest part for me personally being remote. During virtual onboarding, I usually only ‘see’ a new hire on their first day and at their thirty-day check-in. As we are slowly opening back up it’s been wonderful to meet some of our new hires that I onboarded virtually in person! It’s my greatest joy to see an employee growing and establishing themselves at Just Global and it’s wonderful to see our newest hires feeling so comfortable and confident in their roles and bonding with their teammates.
Physical Environments
Iain Halpin, Just Global’s Head of Content, recently wrote a blog on embracing hybrid workstyles with the following statement: “Before the pandemic, Americans spent 5% of working time at home. By spring 2020 the figure was 60%. Today, the average employee wants to work from home nearly half the time. Successful companies will adapt to this as an opportunity, not resist it as a threat.” What’s your attitude around the value of physical work environments?

Kate Bastable
EMEA Operations Manager
You can't beat the powers of spontaneity and human contact.
Changing Habits
The Conversation recently released a report on the effects of COVID-19 on athletes, with the statement: “For many athletes, the team environment is critical. Research shows that team training not only boosts performance but lessens the pain athletes feel. A sudden shift to solo exercise can be frustrating, painful and lonely, placing significant mental strain on even the most resilient athletes.” As an athlete and marketer, what will you miss and what will you look forward to about going into in-person settings?

Frankie Bunting
MARKETING MANAGER
Humans are naturally scared of change.
Although change is needed in order to grow.