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Examining Remote Work Pros and Cons

Leave a Comment / Blog, Leadership, Right Fit Leading, Telework /

While I was doing research on remote work for my latest book, Analyzing Telework, Trustworthiness, and Performance Using Leader-Member Exchange: COVID-19 Perspective, I found consistent themes in terms of reluctance to allow telework/remote work. I characterized the research into 13 reasons that may be given about the perils of telework/remote work. Let me provide some detail on three examples that relate across some of the reasons in this list. EXAMPLE 1: One manager told me, “I need to have impromptu meetings to work out problems or to address emerging issues.” These were my questions. EXAMPLE 2: One leader told me, “I need face-to-face connection with workers who need structure or close supervision.” These were my questions. EXAMPLE 3: The director in one organization told me she was just more comfortable with employees onsite and that there were rewards or incentives available, making it unnecessary to offer remote work as an incentive. I asked her to think about an employee she could not do without. Then I asked questions. I cannot answer these questions for anyone. There are many variables and situations that must be considered to determine one of four paths in this area: Leaders should be at least open to considering the use of some form remote work. This helps prepare organizations to successfully transition to distributed operations during times of emergency and, just as important, enables ways to enrich the work environment for the workforce. Considering the use of remote work or some hybrid approach opens the door to win-win situations for both organization and employee. We never know what will happen tomorrow but, as COVID taught us, having a way for people to take care of their loved ones while still working is important. This is important as demonstrated in a survey that reported that 37% of employees would leave their current job in favor of one that allowed them to choose their work location at least part of the time (Gallup, 2017). I recommend thinking of telework as an investment in people to give them flexibility in the interest of improving work-life balance. Using a hybrid approach can be effective if you ensure two-way communication with feedback to create and nurture trust. It should be combined with culture and operations supportive of both on site and remote workers promoting equal treatment in an effort to achieve buy-in. REFERENCE: Gallup, I. (2017). State of the American workplace. Pobrane z http://www. gallup. com/reports/199961/state-american-workplace-report-2017. aspx.

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50 and Over? What Can Work Mean?

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As an older worker, I have been doing some fact-finding about companies that might hire people 50 and over. One reference, for instance, Companies Embrace Older Workers as Younger Employees Quit or Become Less Reliable, suggests that companies are looking to become more age-inclusive. To do that, they are considering flexible work schedules, sabbaticals, and retraining for older workers. As one can see from many of the objections to the use of telework, this could be a non-starter for many companies. In addition, it does not help a worker who is not after a flexible schedule and who has been training for years for that NEXT great job. Another article, Reasons to Hire Workers Over 50, gives some positive views and approaches to hiring older workers. It lists experience, confidence, reliability, and even happy viewpoints when discussing the virtues of the “older” worker. The problem is the lack of connection between the searching employee and the person who can actually grant an interview and bestow the job. Now, I realize this “connection” issue is not unique to older workers, but it exists as one of the challenges we face. Even an article in the Wall Street Journal was insightful: The Secret to Getting a Better Job after 50. While it started out talking about understanding the environment and addressing ageism head on, the follow up to the end of the article was less than I hoped. It talked about dressing up your resume and ways to get a more youthful look. My resume is fine and I do not mind looking my age. My sense at this point is that employers and programs might have a focus on older workers who are looking for a slower pace or a temporary job, but not for those of us who are still hungry to contribute. I may be wrong. If you wish to share your thoughts or information with me, you can respond here, or you can take my 8-question survey here. It should only take about 2 minutes of your time. I am looking forward to learning more about what the world of work holds for those 50 and over. Thanks.

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Right Fit Leading: EI in the Workplace

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Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to sense, understand, and effectively personal emotions and the emotions of those around you to get the best of human energy, information, trust, creativity, and influence. EI can deliver the following benefits: Embrace your emotions Take responsibility Think before you act Demonstrate humility and humor Control non-verbal communication Connect thoughts with emotions Reduce stressful situations EI is useful for career success, helping leaders and their staffs build a collaborative culture, emphasize everyone’s strengths, and work to mitigate weaknesses. EI is a method that can create strong bonds in teams by sharing technical expertise and creating solid recommendations for action. There are key components to EI in the workplace: self-awareness, self-regulation, social awareness or skill, empathy, and motivation. Self-awareness is the ability to know your emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and motivators and how they affect others. Self-regulation is the ability to manage personal emotional state and to think before acting. Social awareness or skill refers to proficiency in managing relationships, finding common ground, and building rapport. Empathy is about understanding and appreciate other people’s emotions, strengths, weaknesses, and motivators and use the knowledge to guide your behavior. Motivation is the passion and persistence that guides your efforts in reaching team goals. Two theories are helpful for those who embrace EI. Sensemaking Theory is a collaborative process that creates shared awareness and understanding out of different individuals’ perspectives and varied interests. Communication Accommodation Theory addresses adjusting verbal and nonverbal interactions to emphasize or minimize differences between participants. These interactions use language, context, identity, and intergroup and interpersonal factors to find common ground. There are many benefits to developing EI in the workplace beyond those listed here. I look forward to continuing the discovery.

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Right Fit Leading: Trust, Train, and Communicate

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I just read a telework article about how bosses don’t trust workers. Despite current statistics that say otherwise, the article said that most bosses think that workers are not as driven or committed as the office staff. COVID has shown instances where the driven workers are just as driven when they work from home; maybe more so. Leaders have the responsibility to trust, train, and communicate with their employees whether they are onsite or not. But to generalize people into driven and non-driven buckets is not fair. Everyone has some of both in them. The key to true leadership is partnering with people to show them how to be driven more often and to be lethargic less often. This has truly little to do with where they sit when they are in either condition. I argue that people can be driven while working from home. They do not have to come to the office to be high achievers. For instance, an article by an Upwork chief economist is useful in assessing the future of telework (Ozimek, 2020). The author analyzed what we already know; there was a forced movement to remote work generated by COVID-19. The study investigated the current state of remote work and drew conclusions about the long-term impacts. Upwork looked at a combined 1,500 hiring managers to get answers. Executives, vice presidents, and managers shared their views and plans that guided their remote work decisions. “One third of hiring managers found that productivity had increased as a result of remote work, a greater share than found productivity decreased (Ozimek, 2020, p. 2).” Finally, the Upwork study signals opportunity to convince more leaders to accept and support remote work. Upwork’s survey demonstrated that remote work had gone better than expected as reported by 56% of hiring managers. Only one in 10 reported remote work had gone worse than expected. It is interesting to note that the Upwork study demonstrates that despite many responses about why remote work worked poorly, there is optimism that productivity has increased and will continue to do so. Some of the problems reported in the survey were technological issues (36.2%), increased distractions at home (32.0%), reduced team cohesion (30.5%), difficulties in communication (30.3%), teams are less organized (23.3%), and less productivity (22.5%). Only 14.8% of respondents reported no issues. However, 32.2% of hiring managers reported an increase in productivity as opposed to only 22.5% who reported a decrease. The author states, “That one third finds remote work increases productivity, despite the rapid pace of change and struggles with technology, is a very optimistic result for future adoption and future productivity (Ozimek, 2020, p. 5).” The other thing I noticed while reading the telework article the other day is that one person who commented said that most people don’t work hard or have initiative. His comments also included that physical oversight is needed to get most people motivated when the boss can’t see them. While I disagree with this point of view, the person made one statement with which I concur. A tangible deliverable is needed to get results. My point is that people can do equally well meeting that tangible deliverable whether they are at home or at work, and whether they are in sight or out of sight of the boss. I can stall you just at well while you’re watching me as I can while you’re not. These are issues of trust and control. How much trust is present and how much control is exerted. A good working relationship can have trust between supervisors and employees, and tangible deliverables and accountability can mitigate or alleviate control issues. Leaders who think their employees don’t work hard or have initiative should look in the mirror and assess their leadership approach. Remember, you hired them and they are your responsibility to train, communicate with, and nurture. Ozimek, A. (2020). The future of remote work. Available at SSRN 3638597. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3638597

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Right Fit Leading: Telework Requires Shared Values

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Team members are consistently interested in making the adjustment to remote work and leaders continue to work to find shared success. The relevance for team members is accountability and the relevance for leaders is responsibility. Team members are accountable to do the work for which they are responsible. Leaders are responsible for setting processes and communication methods to empower member accountability. Everyone knows the telework plan must be created, and people must be educated, but shared understanding must be achieved. The path to success is interactive communications where both sides can demonstrate and discuss their understanding of the rules. Where there are disconnects, leaders must take the time to clarify and, when necessary, adjust or amplify the guidance. The table below demonstrates key issues in effective teleworking requirements. These issues are shared by leaders and team members, while each has a different connection to each factor. Effective Teleworking Requirements Shared understanding of policy Regular, purposeful connections Recognition and reporting One-on-one communication Adequate resources Specific communication preferences Consistent, efficient work routines Leaders and team members can work together to improve face-to-face opportunities, reduce social isolation, and manage distractions at home. The telework plan should be implemented so that there is a shared understanding with all parties, and it should set the stage for regular, purposeful connections to assist with performance. Leaders should provide acknowledgement and praise as necessary but should also make course corrections when necessary. Providing the resources necessary to conduct efficient telework operations and establishing team communication preferences are critical success requirements. Finally, a consistent routine is necessary to keeping everyone on the same page. Team members want to stay visible while teleworking and must learn the plan and follow it. Team members should participate in regular team connections and should look for every opportunity to have one-on-one communication, especially with their supervisor. Accountability is verified when accurately reporting performance or progress. Once team members work with the organization to identify resources necessary for teleworking that they may not be able to provide themselves, they must ensure they are fully responsible for the work they are charged with. They must adjust their personal situation at home to allow them to follow the organization’s stated routine or activity. Does this information help you in your personal telework situation?

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3D COACHING: They Are Always Watching

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Months ago, a friend asked me how I came up with my 3D philosophy of dedication, detail, and discipline. She wanted to use it for the new team she was coaching and wondered how I came up with this approach for the players. My answer was that as much as I formalized it to help young athletes, I needed it to make ME better at coaching and leading. My goal is to always dedicate to lead, to manage the details of the task at hand, and to discipline myself to do what needs to be done when it needs to be done. This is the only way I can nurture the ability in myself to deliver those skills and abilities to others. Most athletes, most people, want a leader or leaders they can learn from and lean on. As I pondered these thoughts the other day, I was watching some sports highlights on YouTube. I started with Michael Jordan highlights, then watched great plays from college football, and then tuned to highlight films of potential scholarship players in basketball and football. I clicked the wrong link and I got something like “coaches gone wrong (not the real title).” This was a collection of videos where coaches lost their cool and composure in the heat of the competition. One coach threw a chair onto the basketball court to protest a call AFTER he was restrained from throwing a chair to protest a call. One coach berated an official giving a game ejection after her player’s unsportsmanlike conduct injured a player from the other team. The worst I saw was a recreation league coach hitting a player who he blamed for the team’s poor performance. These are all horrible events and I do not have to tell you that I did not watch much of those videos. But what little I did watch reminded me that the players are always WATCHING the coach. We coaches need to make sure that what they see is professional, appropriate, adult behavior. I believe most players are connected and committed to their coach and they want to please her or him. When a coach acts out and forgets how to behave in a sportsmanlike manner, the players are WATCHING. I remember a year when I watched a coach on the sidelines berating the official for several minutes before one of his players started berating the official. Please do not think I am saying I am perfect. I remember coaching a recreation league game many years ago and I thought the calls were horrible. Just as I started to throw my hat on the field in anger, I happened to make eye contact with a player. He was WATCHING. He stared straight in my eyes. Fortunately, I did not throw the hat and I swallowed whatever words I was going to say. It helped me to keep my wits about me. That lesson is with me every day. I know coaches sometimes want a penalty to possibly get their team going, but even that can be done with style and respect. I have seen coaches in various sports do this, but the good ones know how to do it without disrespecting the official. For instance, if I am coaching a football game and I want what I refer to as an “energy” penalty called, I just walk too far out on the field during play and I do not heed the official’s warning to get back. I get the penalty, I say it is not fair, and the players get new energy. That is how I do it. The point is that whatever coaches do, their players are WATCHING. They look up to you. Always do the right thing: dedication, detail, DISCIPLINE!

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