Working from Anywhere — It’s Time We Fully Embrace the ‘Better’ Normal
There have been many dramatic changes in our lives brought on by the pandemic that is sweeping across the globe. Most of it has been extremely stressful and negative, with families and communities being torn apart, health services brought to the brink of collapse, economies crumbling and cities and countries shutting down in a feeble and mostly floundering attempt to quell the infection.
Every day we face a new challenge or a new threat as the ‘germ’ morphs into a more ferocious form and ravages through the population. There has been no precedent, thus even the most sophisticated governments have struggled to find lasting solutions.
New Zealand seems to be the only country that has made any decent headway, but it may not be replicable — not unless you have more sheep than people confined to a few islands in a far-flung corner of the planet.
For us less fortunate, it’s waking up to new findings, new fears, regulations, medical guidelines, and keeping score of infections and death statistics, like some morbid game.
While most of what will be left in the wake of Covid could be somewhat negative, the world may find several changes of a collateral nature that could in fact have a very positive, long-term impact on the planet and lives.
The reduction in the need for business travel, as people get more comfortable with virtual meetings. A reduction in consumption as people realize how much unnecessary ‘stuff’ they have accumulated over their lifetime. More value placed on health and wellbeing. And, if corporates and governments can change their archaic thinking to be more progressive, more freedom for people to make the choice to work in a manner that helps them balance their lives better; and the resulting reduction of costs in transportation and utilization of office space benefitting both organizations and the planet over a period.
Less Control, More Trust with WFA
I am specifically talking about the option of Working From Anywhere (WFA). Why are we not fully embracing this better way of working as one that will give both organizations and employees some lasting and sustainable benefits in the long run?
We all hail from traditional schools of hierarchical management, control, and authoritarian leadership. The ‘boss’ controls the workplace, we are ‘told’ what to do, and we follow instructions. We need to be at our workplaces at a designated time and it’s viewed as unacceptable if we leave before a defined clock-off time, or in some cases, (as I have experienced in a previous ‘old school’ workplace) before the boss left.
Why is all this control necessary? Is it simply a lack of trust? Is it the need for control? Or have we just evolved to accept this as ‘the way things are meant to be’?
I have been in many a discussion on this subject, long before the onset of the pandemic, as to me, this is the dream work scenario which was timely and required to move away from this rigid work culture. However, adoption and acceptance had been slow with some cynicism, until the pandemic forced organizations to rethink the way we work.
Firstly, I don’t think it should be a permanent state, but rather a hybrid one that offers flexibility to those who want it. It should be based on a roster or given as an option, where there is some presence in the workplace at a given time. Humans are social beings, and the interaction we have with our peers becomes a valuable element of our growth and development. The ideal state would be where teams are shuffled regularly, but 25–30% are brought into the physical workspace at a given time.
There are many common arguments I get, opposing this point of view. I will take the liberty of putting a few down here. I will share my responses as well. And you can be the judge of how beneficial this can be.
How do I know they are working? They could be sitting around doing nothing.
Absolutely. They most certainly could.
Do you know how much time your employees spend on social media during office hours? On personal chats with colleagues? At breakfast, lunch, and tea? Walking around the office?
How do you measure someone’s performance? Is it by how many hours they sit at their desk?
Most mature organizations measure performance based on KPIs for department as well as for individuals. Continue this with diligence and you will be able to clearly see those slacking off against those working. This is true of any work situation where performance is clearly measured. And with technology, you can do this more diligently today whether employees physically report to work or WFA.
How do I know they are not working another job?
Well again, what people do with their spare time is their business. As long as the corporate’s IP is not compromised, KPIs are met, and there is no conflict of interest in the additional ‘work’ people do, I personally have no objection.
I feel the ‘gig’ economy is a way of the future, allowing us the freedom to pursue multiple avenues of interest and/or revenue. As long as the job role expectations and commitment to the organization are met by the individual, I don’t see this as a problem. It’s ultimately a matter of trust with goal and role clarity defined by respective line managers to get the best out of employees, while giving them the freedom and flexibility to do ‘other’ things as well.
How do you build a team or a culture when people are not at the workplace?
Working from remote locations does not mean you lose touch with your teams. Stepping up a strong communications strategy and tying it all together through regular virtual meetups and events can help cement a culture that can still build a strong, caring, and supportive ethos in an organization.
Fundamentally and simply put, corporate culture is how an organization ‘does things’ and this can be easily applied in how we manage remote working as well.
Many people don’t have comfortable work environments at home
I am not prescribing WFA as a compulsory solution, although during the ‘lockdowns’ we were compelled to do this with little option.
- It needs to be optional
- Alternate workplaces should be arranged in co-working spaces or if your organization has multiple work locations, the flexibility to work in the best suited location
- The teams need to be provided with access to hi-quality WiFi connectivity
A simple request I have made from my colleagues is that they need to be ‘connected’ and contactable when they are ‘clocked in.’
Leaders showing scant regard for time
Because of the breakdown in the traditional time structure, many leaders often fix meetings late into nights and on weekends.
It’s imperative that personal time is respected, and a cap is put on lengths of meetings and times for cut off. These need to be strictly monitored and enforced. Of course, there will be exceptions, but they can’t be the norms.
We have introduced a ‘No Meeting Wednesday’, that is still flouted by a few, but by and large adhered to because many see the benefit of having a day dedicated to mind-time work, apart from calls and meetings.
My views on WFA are based on nothing more than my personal experience and experimentation with making this happen over the years.
Clearly, if the individual needs to put hands on ‘equipment or product,’ then this way of working has its limitations. However, thousands if not millions could benefit from a more flexible work culture. While some job roles could limit opportunities for this type of flexibility, these too could evolve with time and the invent of technology to offer some degrees of flexibility in the future.
In a global work environment, the future could be based on remote working and compensation based on crypto currency. This will democratize the work environment and break down all geographical boundaries. This could be a mere fantasy in the context of our current structures, but if we don’t dream, we will regress.
WFA, is still in its early days for us, and it could be a new and uncomfortable concept for many. However small or big we shoot for, the benefits of WFA significantly outweigh the negatives. Give it a shot. Your organization and your team will thank you for it!
