Boost Employee Buy-In for Return to Office and Hybrid Work

After almost three years of remote work, a cross-departmental team at the IMF launched a communications and engagement campaign to prepare employees for a safe return to Headquarters and transition to a Hybrid Working Model (HWM).

Our goal is multifold: foster trust; facilitate a new way of working; rebuild community; integrate the approximately 50% of employees who joined during the pandemic; and support employees who have worked tirelessly to help countries facing economic crises.

Our approach aims for a genuine and empathetic tone with employees, and a focus on collaboration among departments to ensure consistent and accurate messaging. To accomplish these objectives, we combined a multi-platform approach to reinforce the message and increase impact:

1. Create shared experiences: A “Get to Know” event series lets employees impart institutional knowledge through stories and foster connections in an informal setting. In addition, cultural events highlight our diversity and leadership meets regularly with smaller groups. New ways to caption live events have embedded an inclusive approach.
2. Meet Employees Where They Are: A multi-faceted strategy is anchored in digital channels–e-newsletters, events, videos, blogs – and new information is hosted on mobile-friendly SharePoint website.
3. Listen and Learn: Employees are encouraged to give feedback through anonymous surveys, listening sessions, townhalls, and comments on articles. Survey results are shared for transparency and used to adapt our strategy.
4. Support Mental Health: Recognizing the emotional toll of the pandemic, we integrated wellbeing into our campaigns. Virtual and in-person wellness sessions (UNWIND series), blogs and podcasts (INSIDER Voices), encourage self-care, reduce stigma, and increase awareness about available services.
5. Embrace New Technology and Spaces: Videos, articles, and building tours have familiarized employees with new spaces and helped them learn how to use new technology to do their work effectively.

Results:
Our campaigns have delivered remarkable results thanks to their holistic approach. An overwhelmingly large majority of employees (over 90%) expressed satisfaction with the flexibility offered by HWM. Since its introduction in 2021, we have achieved significant milestones—over 40 articles published, 13 videos produced, 36 events and 48 virtual wellness webinars organized.