In the years prior to the global pandemic, in-office culture ruled the day. But too often, that culture was defined more by amenities than values. The ubiquitous ping-pong tables, in-house chefs, even arcades.

Today, the landscape is drastically different. As companies adopt hybrid models across the board, they’re discovering that the new generation entering the workforce doesn’t care so much about perks. Instead, they’re attracted to and inspired by the company’s mission – what it stands for, but also how it puts that mission into real-world practice.

In our previous Living Lab discussion, we underscored the importance of finding common purpose. We recommend reading that here because becoming mission driven is the next logical step. But what does it mean to be mission driven, especially for hybrid organizations? Perhaps more importantly, how can hybrid organizations keep their missions from becoming mere platitudes and turn them into behavior drivers? Here are a few ideas.

From Mission to Action: 3 Ideas to Align Hybrid Workers

1. Understand What You Stand For

Every organization should function with a higher purpose in mind. An idea that transcends daily work and (hopefully) creates a better world. If you don’t already have one, discover it and codify it.

2. Put Your Mission into Practice
Identify employee touch points that reinforce your mission. We recently worked with an organization with a big mission to serve mothers and children. However, their lactation room for new mothers was in the back of a lonely storage closet. Designing a new solution befitting their mission sent a signal to the rest of the company.

3. Map Out Your Commitment Spectrum
Mission-driven employees aren’t all the same. They exist on a spectrum with from overly zealous to apathetic. The sweet spot lies somewhere in the middle. That’s because overly zealous and apathetic employees are both at risk from burnout. Your goal as a mission-driven organization is to continually remind and reinforce without being heavy handed or overly ambitious.

A Bigger Mission Pays Off

A healthy mission-driven orientation plays a critical role in attracting and retaining talent. It’s also an essential element to helping workers make better decisions, commit to more challenging goals, and feel more fulfilled with their work. And for hybrid organizations, it’s a powerful tool to unite and inspire even when people aren’t face-to face-every day.

For more insights from our Living Lab, follow One Workplace on LinkedIn and see the research overview here.