Virtually all projections anticipate the post-pandemic workforce will be relatively more remote — that is, nearly all firms will experience an increase in remote work relative to their pre-pandemic baseline levels.
Rather than simply shifting operations “back to normal,” we urge leaders to think about how they can leverage recent remote-work experiences to intentionally plan for a remote/hybrid workforce in the future. Leaders must think strategically about their remote work policies and practices going forward. And, whether you lead a company or a small team, now is the time to start planning.
A proactive implementation of remote work may require updating company policies to fit the needs of a dispersed workforce. As companies reconsider existing policies, they’ll need to address the following questions.
Possible scenarios include a primarily remote, hybrid (with employees in the office part-time, typically two or three days per week), or a primarily in-office setting. To determine the optimal policy for your organization, leaders should factor in the following strategic considerations:
This would enable employees to live anywhere they wish (typically within a defined region, such as the United States, or the European Union), as long as they are able to productively perform their work for the company. Early research on WFA suggests that granting geographic flexibility enables employees to pursue bigger life goals related to “residential satisfaction,” and that this benefit may actually increase employee productivity relative to WFH conditions.
Strategic considerations for WFA include the potential for an increased talent pool, as well as competitive recruitment of highly sought-after employees. Company leadership also needs to decide how best to take advantage of asynchronous work in a WFA environment while managing challenges related to scheduling and task coordination. State-specific tax consequences are also likely to evolve depending on the number of employees and roles performed while working from home.
Company culture may need to be reinforced or refined as work transitions to more remote/hybrid models. Spreading knowledge of the norms, values, and assumptions important to the organization becomes more difficult with a distributed workforce.
Recommendations for sustaining culturein a virtual environment include town halls and special lunches to build shared experiences, pulse check surveys to check whether shared values are coming across to employees, and intentional communications about programs and initiatives important to the organization.
Companies considering fully remote or hybrid work may need to change a variety of human resource policies and practices:
Companies are increasingly realizing that training in the social and relational aspects of remote work is at least as important as training in technology and company policies. Results from a recent survey show that 64% of executives plan to invest in training leaders to manage a more virtual workforce.
It is recommended that companies provide training on relational skills known to enhance remote work, including: establishing working norms, building trust, effective virtual communication patterns, and incorporating social elements into virtual work relationships.
In addition to company policy, organizations should consider adapting management practices and behaviors to a remote or hybrid work environment. Here are a few questions that managers should think about as part of the transition to a longer-term remote workforce:
One of the most important aspects of managing a remote or hybrid workforce in the long run will be establishing an organizational climate that is encouraging and positive for remote workers. (Organizational climate is different than organizational culture, and refers to the perceptions employees have about their work environment.)
In a remote or hybrid work environment, leaders have the opportunity to help employees enact models to effectively manage work and life. Sometimes this involves demonstrating that the goal may not be to find a perfect balance, but more of a work-life rhythm that works best for them.
Employees watch their managers for cues on how to do this.Boundary management research identifies several types of boundaries that leaders can help employees establish and maintain, including:
Research has demonstrated that high-performing teams have a sense of psychological safety where employees feel they can speak up, ask for help, and offer ideas without being punished or ostracized. Psychological safety is valuable in the remote work environment and can be increased when managers:
Research indicates that even small amounts ofhigh-quality social interactions, such as those demonstrating compassion or concern, can lower stress and improve well-being. Repeated occurences of theseinteractionsthroughout the day can provide asense of belonging, mitigating the feelings of isolation often associated with remote work.
A study of remote colleagues indicated that a predictable communication cadence fosters productive and trusting working relationships. Managers can build cadence among employees by using meetings as opportunities for employees to connect socially and foster personalized relationships through sharing songs, photos, or fun facts.
In addition, leaders can establish practices for team collaboration.Building a shared mindsetfor dispersed and digital teams promotes a common identity and common understanding. This can be developed by setting team goals, providing a shared information context, and clarifying the purpose of the team, similar to team development intraditional office settings. Events to proactively connect in-office and remote workers should be maintained as well going forward, such as virtual coffee chats and remote office hours.
After the Covid-19 crisis has passed, managers may need to find ways to re-establish trust among remote teams on a longer-term basis. Because it is more difficult to know and understand employee actions and motivations in remote work, establishing competence and interpersonal trust can be challenging.
Managers can invest in technology to set and update goals and objectives related to desired outcomes and generate feedback on those objectives.
As we return to pre-pandemic workplaces, strategic decisions about whether or how to develop a remote and hybrid work come to the forefront. With intentional planning, organizations can proactively consider company policies and management practices to transform their remote workforce.
Source: https://hbr.org/2021/03/what-is-your-organizations-long-term-remote-work-strategy