As commute times get longer and people seek to derive a different kind of satisfaction from work, remote work has become a popular perk. While the number of companies embracing remote work as their primary mode of operation is on the rise, there are many more companies that are just beginning to experiment with it.
The thing is, remote work often tends to backfire because managers and teams aren’t very clear about what they expect from remote working. In other words, they don’t have a clear definition of the expected results. Apart from that, remote work takes away the option of immediacy, as things can’t be quickly clarified with the manager or colleagues. This then gets everyone who works remotely a bad rap for either working all the time or not working enough.
It’s important to understand that remote work operates on the principle of freedom, but with responsibility. The secret behind successful remote work is to allow people to define how they want to work, where they want to work and at what times they want to work – but to underscore it all with a big dose of common sense and responsibility. Which is why it’s paramount to define the outcome and when, but not the how for the person involved.
There are three main pillars that sustain a well-oiled remote work infrastructure: Mindset shift, technological support (that enables remote work) and proper alignment on the rhythms of work. When leaders and employees have a clear alignment on the outcomes and understand the need to change some behaviors and mindsets, remote work has a huge impact on employee morale and overall productivity.
Finally, all the relevant stakeholders need to agree upon some basic essentials like how and when they want to run meetings with remote employees; which communication tools they will use (such as Slack, WhatsApp or Zoom) and how they will resolve conflicts if any. Also, all remote workers, irrespective of their position in the company hierarchy, need to be treated equally and provided with the necessary paraphernalia to work.
Guidelines to Implement
Align from the start: Before remote working is implemented for an employee, it is important to “work out the social contract” and get the alignment sorted right at the beginning. The team leader and employee should have a transparent conversation on why the employee would like to work from home. And, then they should establish the expectations and responsibilities that come with it, as well as the outcomes. Being unclear around the responsibilities and outcomes can lead to chaos.
Provide the necessary infrastructure: If you want employees to be truly able to work remotely, it needs to be more than just a concept. Companies need to follow up with the technical aspects of working remotely. In other words, they need to provide employees with laptops, secure connections, access to the intranet and all other technical elements that will allow them to work like they were at the office.
Pay attention to meeting rhythms: Unlike in-person meetings, meeting with employees who work remotely have a different rhythm. Align with remote employees on expectations around meeting attendance; which meetings must be done in-person, and which ones can be done online. Otherwise, confusion about agendas and how meetings are conducted can occur, frustrating everyone.
Teach employees how to work remotely: Working from home has its own distractions and outlining expectations and guidelines can be helpful to make it more productive for everyone. While there’s no need to be prescriptive around the environment (such as expecting the home office to mirror company branding), it is good to suggest having a dedicated space and time during office hours. Providing best practices, relevant information and even training can help educate employees on approaching remote work appropriately so that they are neither overworked nor too distracted that they underperform.
Review the remote working policy: With a policy like remote working, it’s highly important to check-in periodically to understand whether it has been beneficial for the employee as well as the team/ company. Depending on the tasks, the team dynamics, or the scope of work there could be some issues that require to be ironed out. So, it’s important to regularly communicate and review if things are going in the right direction for all the relevant stakeholders.
Rules should apply across the board: Ensure that rules are for everyone and not just for a select few. For instance, laptops should be a given for anyone who works from home, regardless of whether they are the director or an entry-level analyst. Remote working is not a privilege conferred by position and the rationale should be according to the scope of work and not according to the employee’s position in the company hierarchy.