Hybrid work leadership

Hybrid working model due to covid-19 pandemic. Work from home or remote or in-office. A sticky pad with the words Home, Office and Hybrid written on it

Hybrid Work Leadership (HWL) is an applied and translational research lab of UNSW Business School. The COVID-19 environment has forced rapid changes to the roles of workspaces in organisational life. Although many people have enjoyed the new benefits and flexibilities of remote working, some have struggled with working conditions and family situations that make remote work challenging.

As employee and industry expectations continue to change, we predict that flexible work will remain a permanent fixture for many roles. As organisations work to accomplish their goals, these opportunities bring new challenges to be managed, even as technology advances improve the effectiveness of remote work. We help organisations be more proactive and successful through developing hybrid work strategies that:

Support and build on a constructive culture
Continue to attract the best people
Leverage the opportunity to rethink office space
Maximise staff wellbeing, and minimise both mental and physical health issues
Drive productivity across business goals/metrics
Allow adaptations as technology and staff expectations evolve

Hybrid Work Leadership (HWL) has specific expertise on learning organisations and activities, human resource management, and employee work relationships. Together, these capabilities are considered crucial to developing and maintaining sustainable hybrid work arrangements ahead. Our research lab is based on both industry deliverables and research outputs with an emphasis on employee outcomes.

Our goals

Collaborate with industry partners and facilitate new industry relationships.

Undertake academic research to develop hybrid work arrangements that are sustainable for the coming years.

Engage with researchers across UNSW Business School to tap into their strong knowledge base and publish in top management journals on future work arrangements and achieve better outcomes for our industry partners.

Promote Hybrid Work Leadership as a leading knowledge centre for hybrid and flexible working arrangements.

Partner with us

Want to be a high-performing leader in a hybrid workplace? Partner with us for research and insights that will support your strategy.

Contact us: Andrew Dhaenens or Karin Sanders

Like many organisations, COVID-19 forced Frasers Property to move to a remote working model for much of its workforce. UNSW Business School’s Hybrid Work Leadership (HWL) research lab has been partnering with Frasers to provide support with research and insights that positions Frasers as a thought-leader in the space, keeping their employees engaged and culture robust. In addition to this founding project, we are active in leading several workshops, consultations, and executive presentations for various organisations.

External Contributors

Associate Professor Xiaobei Li, Shanghai Business School, Shanghai, China

Associate Professor Sue Williamson, UNSW Canberra, Australia

Dr Huadong Yang, University of Liverpool Management School, UK
Our Hybrid Work Leadership research lab is supporting a project with Frasers Property over the next two years as the company’s approach evolves in response to changes in employee expectations and advances in technology via:

Assisting, designing, and managing surveys

Reviewing the best of current research across a broad range of sources

Preparing reports with detailed statistical analysis of survey results

Facilitating workshops with senior leaders on implications and development of new approaches

From a research perspective, our projects provide valuable opportunities to collect rich longitudinal data on the success of hybrid work challenges via learning and employee outcomes for top-tier publications in outlets such as Personnel Psychology, Journal of Applied Psychology, Academy of Management Journal, Human Resource Management, and Journal of Management.

In the medium term, our research lab is working to support organisations in achieving their targets and engaging partners through other projects with sustainable hybrid work solutions. Since work arrangements are an important and timely challenge for many organisations, HWL remains eager to showcase our work with other organisations, policy makers, and international agencies
Our work has been featured across many popular outlets (print, radio, and television) including Sydney Morning Herald, Sky News, 2GB, Qantas Magazine, Canberra Times, HRM Magazine, 2CC Talking Canberra, and The New Daily.

How to make hybrid work, work by Karin Sanders & Andrew Dhaenens Lawyers Weekly. 1 June 2023.

Business AI: The game-changer in predicting and enhancing employee retention featuring Andrew Dhaenens, Karin Sanders, & Mary-Anne Williams. BusinessThink. 16 May 2023.

The Business of Work: The work of making hybrid work, work (Episode 1). AGSM’s Business of Leadership Podcast. 30 January 2023

How to dial down end-of-year overwhelm by Karen Fitall. House of Wellness. 16 December 2022.

How to overcome end-of year “burnout” (Korean website) by Soojeong Hong. Hanho Korean Daily. 15 December 2022.

Research shows many employees feel pressure to be available to work during leave by Millie Costigan. Australian Community Media (syndicated): Canberra Times, The Standard; The Leader; Illawarra Mercury; Western Advocate; Canowindra News; Mandurah Mail; The Senior; Whyalla News; Bega District News; Bussellton-Dunsborough Mail; Maitland Mercury; Lismore City News. 14 December 2022.

What is holiday burnout, and how can we avoid it? by Naomii Seah. SchoolNews New Zealand. 13 December 2022.

Is it normal to be super stressed at work before the holidays? featuring Karin Sanders & Andrew Dhaenens. BusinessThink. 11 December 2022.

Burnout over Christmas: How to cope as 2022 ends by Ash Cant. The New Daily. 11 December 2022.

Is it normal to be super stressed at work before the holidays? by Kate Bettes. UNSW Newsroom. 8 December 2022.

How to handle getting two job offers by Jonathan Rivett. Work Therapy. Sydney Morning Herald. 14 October 2022.

Sanders, K. & Dhaenens, A.J. Hybrid Work Arrangements (Caucus). 2022 Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, August 2022, Seattle, WA, United States.

5 tips to help build stronger hybrid leaders by Lachlan Haycock. HRM Online. 1 June 2022.

Managing the micromanager in a new world of hybrid work by Craig Donaldson. UNSW Newsroom. 3 May 2022.

How should leaders manage hybrid working relationships? featuring Karin Sanders, Andrew Dhaenens, & Patrick Sharry. BusinessThink. 29 March 2022.

Fraser's Property: The “Future of Work” Opportunity. Qantas Magazine. 1 March 2022 (p. 147).