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The rise of remote work can be unexpectedly liberating
By Onlykhabar News Media
Wed 21 October, 2020 ( about 5 years ago )
🎤646 Viewersunexpected
WHAT IF YOU ARE BETTER OFF WITHOUT THE OFFICE ?
In the initial months of the pandemic, remote work seemed full of upsides: more flexibility for employees and an expectation of greater profits, productivity and retention for their employers. What if a more disconnected work force leads to changes that could make employees happier and companies more compassionate ? But what if the long-studied benefits of remote work look different in a post-pandemic world? In particular, what if employee loyalty and engagement decrease once remote work is no longer an exception but rather the norm? And what if that’s not a bad thing ?
I’m a fan of remote work, but it presents unique challenges in helping staffs feel connected to their teammates and the company. We relied on email, video conferences and chat services to help keep our employees around the world connected. In my previous job as an executive at a large technology company, I managed teams across some 40 satellite and home offices. But if a remote employee complained about a lack of support from co-workers at headquarters or felt disconnected from the larger team, a manager’s advice often had nothing to do with technology. Instead, it was utterly human: Come spend a week meeting your colleagues.
But if a remote employee complained about a lack of support from co-workers at headquarters or felt disconnected from the larger team, a manager’s advice often had nothing to do with technology. Instead, it was utterly human: Come spend a week meeting your colleagues. Since March, millions of white-collar workers have been living the disconnected experience of the remote worker for the first time. Many companies reported higher productivity than ever before, not analyzing whether that productivity was tied to employee flexibility or the fact that people were locked inside, terrified of losing their jobs. Early reports from the corporate world were rosy, as employees swapped suits for sweatpants and found new flexibility in their work and home lives. We’re now seeing the cracks, as employers and employees start to voice their concerns about the long-term, isolating impact of remote work. At Facebook, which has said it expects to make as much as half of its full-time jobs remote over the next 10 years, people miss the mini-kitchens and team lunches.
Employees could become increasingly mercenary, no longer swayed by the strong social bonds and physical-world perks of the office of the past. All of this may sound dismal, but this change in employee psychology and loyalty may come with an unexpected liberation, encouraging workers to look beyond the workplace to build friendships and identity. In spite of early optimism, what’s great for some employees may not be so great for companies’ bottom line, which is why I’m sure many employers will ultimately adopt a hybrid approach, requiring employees to spend some days each week in the office. The fall of the physical office could cause working life to become even more isolated. But it could also spur companies and employees to think differently about their relationship with the workplace and life beyond it. These are questions most employers have never had to ask before. Their care for their employees started and ended at the entry and exit to the office building.
