Building a Thriving Hybrid Culture
The following article recently published in HRO Today, a publication for human resources professionals. You can access the original article on the magazine's website here.
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Case Study: Building a Thriving Hybrid Culture
With nearly 70% of the workforce operating remotely or in hybrid arrangements, IGS Energy has discovered that physical proximity isn’t a prerequisite for building an exceptional workplace culture.
The key to building an award-winning culture has been listening to employees. Feedback gathered through engagement surveys and focus groups has shaped initiatives from pay transparency efforts and flexible work policies to event planning. Despite a shift to a hybrid environment, the company has maintained a mid-90% engagement rate, proving a strong culture can exist regardless of where employees and teams physically work.
The journey toward hybrid work wasn’t just about adapting to growing the business and employee needs — it was about reimagining what makes a workplace truly great. Here’s how ISG Energy built a culture that thrives regardless of where people choose to work.
Comprehensive Well-Being Resources
Remote work presents unique wellness challenges, from isolation to blurred work-life boundaries. At IGS, employees are seen as individuals with full lives both in and outside of work.
In 2020, employees shared that they needed more support navigating stress and uncertainty. As a result of this feedback, “BetterYet” was launched in partnership with Positive Foundry. This program focuses on mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and resilience, among other important skills, and it’s the largest company investment in people development to date. Since its launch, there’s been an 86% increase in self-reported personal well-being. Employees have described the program as life-changing, helping them thrive in their relationships, strengthen marriages, and reconnect with their children.
Well-being isn’t one-size-fits-all. That is why there are various support options, including a monthly wellness allowance employees can use however it best supports them, whether for massage therapy, a fitness class, or nutrition coaching. In addition, IGS employees and their dependents each have access to up to 12 free mental health sessions annually through the full-service mental health platform Lyra. Depending on their unique needs, they can meet with a psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor, or coach within 48 hours of outreach via the platform.
Recognition plays a crucial role in employee well-being, too. Monthly “Living the Values” celebrations highlight colleagues who embody company principles, creating shared moments of appreciation that reach every team member through virtual celebrations and internal communications.
Employee-Driven Communities
Rather than implementing top-down initiatives, employees lead the way in creating meaningful connections. IGS communities emerge organically from employee feedback and identified needs and are organized and run by employees with support from company leadership.
This approach ensures that culture-building efforts authentically reflect what team members want and need. When employees drive these initiatives, participation and engagement naturally follow.
Strategic Communication Facilities Connection
In a distributed workforce, information sharing becomes both more challenging and more critical. IGS structured its communication approach around regular touchpoints: annual all-team strategic meetings, monthly wellness and recognition updates, and quarterly financial transparency reports.
But communication flows both ways. Employee engagement surveys and focus groups provide the feedback that drives meaningful change. This input has led to pay equity analysis, implicit bias training, expanded mental health benefits, and pay transparency.
People leaders serve as the crucial connection point, conducting regular check-ins, providing ongoing feedback, and celebrating team accomplishments. This consistent, personal touch ensures that no one feels lost in the remote work environment.
The Results Speak for Themselves
Despite the significant shift to remote and hybrid work, team engagement has reached new heights. More than 40% of the workforce has joined IGS in the past two years, meaning they’ve only known us as a remote-friendly organization — and they’re thriving.
One key insight is that great company culture isn’t about physical proximity — it’s about intentional connection, genuine care for employee well-being, and creating systems that support people wherever they choose to work. By focusing on these fundamentals, IGS is a workplace that attracts top talent and keeps them engaged, regardless of their location.