The New Workplace

The COVID pandemic forced most workers to shift from the work office to the home office. As we navigate this new normal, organizations must decide on their post-pandemic workplace strategy: office-forward, remote-first, or hybrid. Meanwhile, employees have also developed their preference, whether working from home, the office, or a combination of both. 

This book helps leaders to align their workplace strategy with employee preferences. It helps them to understand the different types of employees they have and how to engage employees whose work preferences may or may not align with that of the organization.

Through in-depth interviews with both employees and executives, the authors identify nine distinct employee personas and present findings about the personas’ demographics, specific behaviors, attitudes, preferences, and motivations. They then offer practical advice on how organizations can leverage these personas to support their chosen workplace strategy.

Whether you are looking to identify which employee personas fit best within your company, understand the personas on your team, explore how different personas interact, or assess the costs of misalignment, this book is an essential resource on balancing organizational strategy and employee well-being.

Radostina (Ina) Purvanova is Professor of Management and Organizational Leadership in the Zimpleman College of Business at Drake University. Her research interests lie in the area of virtual work, hybrid (flexible) work practices, and leadership processes in virtual teams. In her consulting work, she provides training and development around virtual work, leadership, and women-in-leadership, and speaks at industry conferences and events.

Alanah Mitchell is the Aliber Distinguished Professor of Information Systems, and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs in the Zimpleman College of Business at Drake University. For more than two decades, she has worked as a researcher, educator, and consultant in relation to the design, implementation, and use of information and communication technologies for collaboration, specifically in global virtual teams.