Stop managing the chairs
Soon I’ll be leaving the Civil Service to work for a virtual-first charity (RNID). This has led me to understand more around the challenges and excuses people give as to why remote working isn’t possible for their organisation.
Over the last few years there has been much discussion around working in an office, being fully remote or doing a bit of both (hybrid). A lot of different working approaches were ‘enforced’ by the global pandemic a few years ago….and a lot has been written about this.
Often the argument to get people back into the office comes from an older style of management. There are so many reasons which can be given about why remote working doesn’t work. It’s worth addressing these.
We’re only really successful when we’re in the same room together (the collaboration argument)
The collaboration argument is one which always comes up. However, the shape of collaboration is changing, with some focussing more on asynchronous workshops and working together, rather than ‘crashing calendars’ and getting everyone together in one room at the same time.
Sometimes we don’t need to all get together to discover the next great idea; perhaps we just need to do what we're doing already a bit better. Remote first meetings and workshops require a different mindset and approach. Do the work to make them better, don't just say they don't work.
I’m worried I’ll lose control (often silently thought, but never said out loud)
For people who have spent years working their way to the top, they may have been rewarded for behaving and managing in a certain way. It’s part of their identity. “I need to be in the office and have sight over all my people”.
Perhaps these managers like to walk the floorplate and have chats with people. I often wonder how many people want to have chats with these senior managers — actually seeing it as a distraction. Helping change this style of management is often a slow process and involves trust on both sides.
People’s homes are full of distractions
Of course we have distractions at home, but we should see these as a warning sign. If we find ourselves regularly distracted then there is something wrong with our work. Perhaps it’s boring or meaningless. Let’s address that issue.
Also, the office has lots of distractions as well (remember that senior manager who wants small talk about your weekend?). I find that I work more productively at home and often have to enforce breaks on myself. I need to watch out for over-working, not under-working.
We have the best discussions when we meet serendipitously at the water cooler
Those ‘mindless’ chats are often really important for company culture. They help our brains reset and give us that break. They also bring more social engagement, which we may have less of when working remotely. This is where the virtual watercooler has been put into place by many organisations.
The most talented people who can work for your company don’t all live in the same place. Where people live depends on you as a person. Some people love living in cities, some prefer to be further out in the countryside. Myself, I live in a city of about 120,000 people which is 20 minutes to the sea and about 20 minutes to a national park. By hiring remotely you aren’t limited to a group of people who live locally or are willing to to move for a job.
While there are always going to be people on all sides of the argument, I really believe that only the brave organisations and institutions are facing the future. We can’t continue to apply the old way of working in a new model. It works for many organisations including Spotify, Atlassian, Dropbox, SAP and many others; but it takes effort. Also, for the digital and technology sector it could be stated that it’s slightly easier than for other sectors.
It’s about a trust-based work model, where the focus is on outcomes, not activities. It requires a different mindset and a willingness to work in a different way. Have those one-to-ones, create those random virtual coffee meetings, keep that synchronous as well as asynchronous collaboration going.
It’s not easy, but if organisations want to attract and retain the best people, then effort is needed.
