Many companies are basing their hybrid or remote work strategy on instinct. Yet it’s dangerous to let your intuitions or, worse, your biases drive your strategy. The companies that will thrive as they transition to new hybrid and remote work models will adopt a data-driven approach. As a leader, here’s how to use data, not your gut, to make important decisions about your remote or hybrid work strategy moving forward.

Today’s knowledge workers spend about 60% of their time on “work about work”—such as unnecessary meetings, status checks, and searching for information—according to the Anatomy of Work Index 2021. Even before remote work, the average large U.S. business lost $45 million in productivity each year because of inefficient knowledge sharing. But getting people to change how they work, even when the current process is painful and time consuming, is hard—really hard.

This article originally appeared on Inc. As a leader, hybrid and remote work are likely top of mind. But when leaders talk about hybrid and remote work, they often mince terms. There are many hybrid and remote work models—it’s important to get clear on what you’re actually talking about. Here are five of the most common hybrid and remote work models that leaders are contemplating.

This article originally appeared on Inc. In 2021, the hybrid work model became top-of-mind for business leaders. No wonder—the majority of knowledge workers (72%) say that, moving forward, they prefer a hybrid approach and a mix of remote and office work. And while the payoffs can be enormous, going hybrid is risky, especially because it can perpetuate a two-tier work environment.

Companies across the world are thinking about reopening their office doors and welcoming their employees back when it’s safe. Too many, though, are adopting a “wait and see” strategy—that is, they’re planning to unlock their doors and wait to see which—and how many—employees show up. Companies that adopt this approach are setting themselves up for irreparable damage.

Do you ever feel like you’re missing information about your team’s work? You know tasks are being completed and that work is getting done—but don’t know if your team is operating in an efficient and sustainable way. With Universal Reporting, you get real-time insight into the state of your team’s work and know what actions to take, like requesting more budget, adding headcount, or redistributing work.

The past year has seen flexibility and adaptation in the face of large-scale changes—with companies investing in tools like chat, content, scheduling, and more to collaborate. That said, organisations haven’t seen a meaningful uptick in productivity. That’s because all those tools aren’t doing what they’re supposed to—helping teams manage and coordinate work.

Video meetings are a key source of connection between team members—whether your team is remote, hybrid, or globally distributed. Yet more face time through video calls doesn’t always equal more high-impact work. In fact, our research shows that casual chats have been replaced with unnecessary meetings, costing individuals 157 hours of productivity over the past year.