Work-from-home Challenges
In the last 3 years, the business landscape has undergone significant change. We’ve been managing the Great Resignation and the Quiet Quitting phenomena; we’re preparing for the impact of ChatGPT and AI in the workplace, while also navigating different generational expectations and the increasing demands of remote work.
Working from home is a contentious topic. As an introvert, who regularly walks barefoot on the grass to help shift a problem, working from home can be very advantageous. When I work from home, I usually start work earlier and work later. I also tend to complete challenging analytical tasks much faster when working from home, versus in the office with many interruptions. But, as a senior manager, I have concerns about the impact this phenomenon is having on our organisations, and on the future of our teams.
Work-from-home is here to stay!
According to the ABS, more than 40% of people employed work from home regularly. Last month, the Community and Public Sector Union reached agreement with the Australian Public Service Commission allowing the right for public service employees to request flexible working arrangements, including uncapped work from home deals. This framework covers 174,000 employees.
This new way of operating is here to stay, and we need to seriously consider how we mitigate the negative consequences of it. The most obvious consequence is lost productivity. This is easily managed through your performance metrics (current and historic measures). I’m more concerned about the less-discussed consequences:
Culture, connection and teamwork: In the past, boardroom interactions fostered camaraderie. While waiting for all attendees, discussions ranged from weekend plans to project challenges. Nowadays, with many people glued to their phones or laptops, these opportunities for meaningful connection have dwindled. Remote work amplifies this lack of interaction. The opportunity for casual conversations while making tea or passing by someone in the hallways is non-existent when half the team is working from home. Proximity is key to building relationships. When our teams are spread across different locations, it’s more challenging to build a strong culture. Without a strong culture and connection, employees are more inclined to switch jobs (further exacerbating the Great Resignation issue).
Mentoring & career development: Will remote team members receive an equal amount of mentoring and support compared to their in-office colleagues? It is possible that our colleagues working from home may face disadvantages in their career progression. What are the long-term implications of this for our organisations and the workforce? Could accommodating remote work result in a less skilled workforce?
Cyber Security: Remote work may increase the risk of data breaches for your company. Slow remote connections could prompt employees to store confidential company information on their desktops instead of within secure company files. How is this impacting the sharing of resources, data security, and IP in your team?
What does this mean for organisations?
Advocates for working from home (remembering that I am, somewhat, an advocate) might simply suggest more regular remote meetings are the answer. But I am not convinced, nor do I feel the benefits outweigh the costs. Having a weekly or daily remote check-in doesn’t compare to the value of the 5 minutes of banter at the printer, or the 10-minute coffee walk. Similarly, a monthly team meeting or bonding session cannot replace the importance of connecting with someone in the moment when you notice they’re not themselves.
So, how do organisations mitigate the consequences of remote work? In truth, I’m still trying to solve this problem. Here is where I’m currently sitting:
Understanding individual differences and having different career paths: We need to understand our team’s preferences and design their careers based on those preferences. To achieve this, I often generate a list of motivators and ask each team member to rank them according to their preferences. The list includes factors such as:
Working a 38-hour work with standard remuneration
Earning a higher remuneration with expectations to work beyond 38 hours
Working from home (for part of each week)
Non-billable time for fun team-building activities
Learning and personal/professional development
Career progression and career advancement
The ability to “buy” an extra week’s annual leave
Friday afternoon social events
etc
Understanding individual differences enables you to provide personalised compensation while ensuring equitable outcomes. Moreover, it allows you to establish career paths aligned with those preferences. For instance, if someone values career progression AND wants to work from home, they will be disappointed; whereas someone who values career progression AND is happy to work beyond 38 hours, will progress faster than their remote working colleague.
When you understand preferences and engage in open discussions about how to help employees achieve their goals, including the necessary compromises, it’s more likely that expectations will be met satisfactorily. (Reach out if you need assistance in this area)
Understanding your culture: Understanding your existing culture or the culture you aim to cultivate is crucial in addressing the challenges of remote work. Even more essential is identifying specific actions and strategies to achieve that culture. To build and strengthen your desired culture, you must consistently engage in activities aligned with its principles. By placing responsibility on team members to actively participate in these activities, you can help ensure remote work does not adversely affect the culture you want to cultivate. (Reach out if you need assistance in this area)
Office Days: I encourage a mix of work-from-home and in-office days. This allows people to brainstorm with colleagues, receive mentoring, and generally connect with the broader team, while still accommodating remote work. I encourage team members to plan their weeks with colleagues to ensure they’re optimising their time in the office and at home. If possible, continue to have group morning teas or afternoon social events when most people are in the office.
No mobile devices in meetings: Laptops are often required in meetings, but mobile phones should be prohibited. Simon Sinek emphasises the significance of this policy in empowering younger generations with resilience and fostering social connections in the workplace (watch his talk here: Simon Sinek Talk). Banning mobile phones in all meetings will help build stronger connections in your team. When remote workers participate in group meetings, it is essential to insist on having their cameras turned on to ensure they are equally engaged in the meeting, just like their in-office colleagues.
Equip your team to manage stress: A McCrindle Research article on resilience in the workplace highlighted that Generation Z adults indicated the highest average stress level of any demographic. Our younger colleagues are also not comfortable being uncomfortable. This then exacerbates the rate of Gen Ys and Gen Zs requesting remote work arrangements (ie they’re removing themselves from an uncomfortable environment or uncomfortable situation). We need to equip our team to better manage their stress. This requires regular mentoring and leaders who know how to create an environment with good levels of stress. (Reach out if you don’t know where to start with this program of work)
Delegate the decision: This approach won’t suit all teams. In his book “Turn the Ship Around”, David Marquet proposes delegating decision-making to your team. I recommend this approach to organisations that have an employee interested in transitioning to a 4-day workweek. Grant your team the authority to make such decisions. When an individual opts for a 4-day workweek, the team collectively assumes responsibility for covering their work on the fifth day. When team members work remotely, this potentially places additional pressure on those who remain in the office. Empower your team to assess the request and devise solutions to address the challenges with remote work.
While the above does not eliminate these new expectations, it may help mitigate some of the issues. It’s a new challenging environment that is here to stay. It is possible that future Fair Work laws may begin to consider different entitlements for remote workers and in-office workers. However, as leaders, we must navigate the increasing expectations of our current workforce.
In my view, the Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting and the prevalence of remote work are interconnected. While acknowledging that correlation does not imply causation, I believe remote work is exacerbating disengagement and contributing to the rate of people leaving jobs (due to lack of connection). It’s never been harder to manage a team of professional knowledge workers. We need to redefine what it means to lead people in this new landscape. I would be interested in hearing others’ thoughts on how we manage this.