By now, everybody knows remote work is having a huge moment. Employees have headed for the hills, and many of them are there to stay. Why? Because it works!
At Egg to Apples, remote work is nothing new. We have been operating remotely for over six years so we already knew the challenges–and more importantly–the benefits. When the pandemic hit we watched America’s workforce struggle to conform to what had already been our reality. We felt their pain because we had experienced it. We embraced remote life long ago and emerged better and stronger. We’re now eager to share some tips as we humbly consider ourselves “remote work experts”.
After a year-long pandemic, millions of workers have settled into their home offices and loungewear. Now, many companies are preparing to transition back to their offices. But should they? Perhaps not.
The Benefits of Better Work-Life Balance
Example: me!
I’m a full-time student and part-time Egg to Apples employee. The ability to construct my own day has made my life so much more manageable. I appreciate the freedom to work on my own schedule and my company for providing a great work environment. I feel trusted, appreciated, and understood. That makes me a happy employee and an eager worker and I am not the only one.
Research is piling up that suggests employees across an array of industries are happier and more productive working remotely. Most appreciate the way their companies have handled this unprecedented transition. The Grossman Group, a Chicago-based leadership communication consultancy agency, examined the preferences of 841 employees across a variety of sectors as the pandemic subsided and offices reopened. The employees working from home had high marks for their employers’ response to the pandemic.
- 78% agreed their company leadership has lived up to the values of their organization during this time
- 90% said their trust in their organization increased or stayed the same
- 80% agreed that their direct supervisor is communicating the information they need to do their jobs during the pandemic
Perhaps more importantly, 48% of those surveyed preferred to remain in their remote work situation versus returning to a building.
“No Limits” Hiring
Our Egg to Apples CEO, Julian Barkat, realized long ago that talent trumps geography. He believes without the constraints of proximity to your office you can hire the best of the best, because they can live anywhere! If an employer can trust their remote worker’s character and process for working effectively, a world of untapped talent will arrive at their doorstep (remotely!). Trust is the hard part.
A Shift in the Employee/Manager Dynamic
Teaching managers who have been trained in a traditional workplace to trust remote employees is a distinct challenge. In July 2020, a Harvard Business Review study surveyed 215 supervisors and managers of remote-only workers.
- 40% expressed low self-confidence in their ability to manage workers remotely
- 23% of managers disagreed with the statement “I am confident I can manage a team of remote workers”
- Another 16% were unsure about their ability to do so
These findings suggest a lack of self-efficacy for managing remote workers, with self-efficacy referring to the belief in one’s own ability to master challenging situations.
These studies highlight a problem with remote work that has almost nothing to do with employees themselves, but rather an employer’s inability to trust their workers. Remote employees are generally happy and productive but their managers simply don’t trust what they can’t see. The research makes it abundantly clear that remote management training must become a priority in this time of transition. Businesses need to fundamentally change the way they think about managing employees in this brave new remote world.
Tips from the Top
Our Egg to Apples CEO and resident remote management expert has spent six years perfecting the remote team environment and offers some sage advice:
- Communication: Frequent communication is imperative when managing a remote team. Setup check-in meetings with the team so everyone knows what’s on deck for the week and everyone drives toward desired outcomes. Schedule calls with individuals to dive deeper into topics.
- Technology: Identify the technology your team needs to effectively communicate and maximize productivity. For us, this revolves around Slack, Monday.com, and Google Meet. Slack is for instant communication, information sharing, and impromptu voice/video calls. Monday.com is used for project/campaign management and we are huge fans (it replaced Basecamp). Google Meet became our de facto videoconferencing tool because it’s part of Google Suite.
- Consistency, but not rigidity: Consistency is key when managing a remote team because it helps us get on and stay on the same page. However, don’t be rigid. Our team is scattered across the country so we have to juggle time zones and everyone has a unique set of circumstances. A little flexibility can also invigorate and spark ideas when you hit a wall.
- Find Ways to Connect: Find ways to connect with your team collectively and individually. Allow some time during meetings for small talk. Do coffee (or booze) as a team during check-ins. Randomly reach out to individuals to see how they’re doing personally. Find ways to connect on a human level.
The Final BIG Question
So, with the country finally moving back to normal, should you return to your traditional workplace structure? It depends on who you are and what you do, but most companies should look carefully at the costs and benefits associated with returning to normal office operations. Why? Because normal isn’t really normal anymore. There’s a new “Normal” in town, and he’s actually out of town, which might be right where you want him to be!