Will remote work really doom us?

We all like to think that sources that we consider to be credible news sources in the business sector would always publish thoughtful, well-meaning, well-intentioned, and also factual material. However, this time Forbes got it wrong. They published an article entitled Companies May Regret Jumping on the Remote Work Bandwagon and in this article they go on to regale us with their top three reasons why it may not be a good idea; fueled only by the pandemic with no real credible reason to continue. In fact, perhaps even a detriment to our workforce. There is no research, factual evidence to support this information and it amounts to a puff opinion piece in my opinion.

Wait…Stop…Say What?

Well you can imagine that I was seeing red and had smoke coming out of my ears all at the same time especially when the first reason they gave to substantiate their argument was that you just don’t have any idea what your employees are doing and that maybe it seemed like productivity was up because people were reacting to the newness of it and the pandemic played its psychological part but that in general this isn't sustainable. It then went on to cite reasons for poor collaboration.

Part of me has said “stop writing the blog now and let the readers write the ending” sort of like a choose your own adventure book. Because of course you all know how I feel and some of you could probably come close to scripting my response just based on my social media posts and prior blogs. But what would be the fun in that if I didn’t sound off in my typical fashion?

Remote work did exist before the pandemic so let’s unpack this whole concept

Let’s unpack this notion that somehow remote work was a fluke and not something that makes sense for the long term. You would think from reading this article that prior to March 2020 the notion of remote work was completely foreign and no company was doing it. I, personally, have worked remotely off and on for more than 20 years and a good bit of that in a time without all of the technology and online tools that we have now. I have created teams from the ground up who never worked in a brick and mortar office. There are many coaches and consultants who have been helping organizations change their work structure for the better for ages which often includes remote work practices. In the U.S., even the federal government had remote work (or telework) policies in place long before the pandemic.

But let’s also look at the implication that if we don’t have people sitting 9-5 in cubicles in an office building that the employees were somehow going to be the slackers of the workforce. That somehow the boss needs to be roving around or people need to put on business clothes to have a sense of what work is all about for them. This speaks way more to the culture of the organizations than it does to the people or the concept of remote work. And it tells me volumes about the experiences of the writers and editors of this article and the sources they may have tapped into as references. What it tells me is that 14 months later there is still a mountain of work to be done on how organizations create and deliver value for their clients and their employees.

The ugly truths still lurking below the surface are real

I thought by now we had exposed much of the ugly lurking under the surface of how companies were working before the pandemic and had started to heal those wounds and create new cultures and new ways of working. And I think in a lot of cases we have but there are still those just waiting out the storm apparently to return to the status quo as they remember it. BUT if we are creating truly agile organizations than this talking point isn’t even on the list much less in the top three. If everyone in the organization has a clear understanding of the companies mission and values and is empowered to be part of the fabric of the organization we have crossed the first hurdle. And how the teams are structured and how they work together in an agile organization gets us across the second one. If teams are working in agile ways and have created an agile framework aligned with how they need to deliver value, then where the team is located is irrelevant to the conversation.

• Objectives and goals are clear.

• The team has an identity and understands who they are and what their purpose is

• Distribution and delivery of work is defined by how they work.

• How they collaborate and communicate is clearly defined. 

• Feedback loops are ingrained in their daily work routine so they are constantly inspecting and adapting.

If all of this is in place there is no room for fear that someone or everyone is slacking. There is no place for micro-management. The teams know what and why and are moving forward toward those goals on a regular basis with the support of managers and leaders to clear the path of obstacles that may prevent them from getting there.

Create a culture of communication first

And when something isn’t working, someone or everyone knows to raise the flag. They know to take a pause and determine what is creating the block and they are prepared to resolve it and create new paths forward with modified ways of working. And yes, collaboration takes on a totally different form when teams are not able to just bounce an idea across the cubicle wall but it also means that collaboration is more intentional and less intrusive.

Overwork is more of a concern than underachievement

And for those skeptical of the amount of work being truly accomplished when people are in less structured environments, I point you to all of the people who have commented on my posts or in private and noted that overwork and blurred lines between work and personal time are way more prevalent than underachievement. I have had a wife get on the phone and asked me to work with her husband to break the cycle of going into his office in the basement and not coming out for 12-14 hours. I have had a project manager near the breaking point because her dining room table was her work space and she just never stepped away from the work. And I have had people drained from constant texts, chats, and emails because they are afraid that if they don’t appear always on they will be accused of the very thing we are discussing...not holding up their end or being available. So I say let’s not worry so much about the eminent regret of joining the remote work bandwagon and instead focus on company culture, employee experience, and psychological safety as real things not buzzwords.

Are you ready to work with your team to create the culture that you want? Join us for one of our group coaching programs on teamwork and collaboration where we cover this and many other topics.

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About the Author:

INDRA A. BOOKS

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