Smart Working: is it THE new paradigm?

It is the topic everyone is dealing with; there are those who see it as the future and those who fear it as if it were a catastrophe. In Casavo it was simply something we have always considered useful to ensure the well-being of employees and a better balance between private and work life, but being forced to practice it five days out of five has opened up reflections that go beyond the pure work-life balance: what if Smart Working could not just improve our private life, but also guarantee an increase in productivity?

Is it really the end of the work as we know it? (spoiler: fortunately yes, but with the necessary precautions and the right scope).

Smart Working brings benefits for everyone, employees and companies

Smart Working requires a shift of perspective from a “rigid” culture to a flexible one. The strong focus on working hours ( “from 9 to 18” rather than “overtime”) loses much of its meaning, while aggregation in a common place (which is conventionally “the office”, but could be a conference room, a co-working place, an events room, an outdoor park) acquires a completely different meaning and social value, which goes beyond pure productivity, because… For most activities, you are more productive from home.

The employee saves hours of commuting, gaining time for productive activities and for better rest (which automatically leads to work with more freshness, energy and better mood, triggering a virtuous circle). She also has the opportunity to stay closer to affections and better manage her personal agenda as well.

On the other hand, the company realizes savings, it can leverage use of co-working spaces when necessary, reasoning in an “on-demand” perspective rather than oversizing its facilities in advance of the actual need; and it reduces ancillary expenses that, so far, were taken for granted. Outcomes are also improved, as a result of employees feeling comfortable and able to work better.

From our personal experience, I quote a phrase that I have heard several times, repeated by most of our developers, regarding a “rush” during which we grounded two new products in a very short time:

“In the office, we would never have succeeded”.

I repeat it: “In the office we would never have succeeded”.

And as a manager, I fully agree with that statement. It is just impossible to think the opposite: less concentration, less time available, less rest in a situation in which you must already squeeze all the hours available, let alone waste it abundantly in city traffic.

Smart Working is not only good for workers, in many cases it is a real advantage for companies.

The perfect solution then? Let’s hold our breath for some seconds. It’s not all that easy, unfortunately.

Remote VS Smart: why we need to rethink how we organize ourselves

First of all, Smart Working is not remote work. The latter is only one component of the wider framework of Smart Working. There are two aspects that, based on our experience, I would indicate as crucial.

Accepting a new reality: the only thing that matters is the outcome.

In several interviews, articles and comments, I came across a concept that honestly makes my skin crawl: a sort of “trust credit” kindly granted by companies to employees.
As far as I’m concerned, reasoning in these terms is anachronistic and deleterious.
Trust between employees and employers should be something to be cultivated regardless of any physical location where the job takes place.
In Casavo, every person has responsibilities and is the owner of what she does, of course according to the specific seniority. We hire exceptional and trustworthy people and I really see no issue and no value in micromanagement. If someone has a personal need “during working hours”, I feel absolutely confident because:
1) I know that he has already organized himself with colleagues so that no one is left in trouble and the team is not uncovered.
2) I have no doubts that he has already completed his priorities or organized himself to do it later (which could happen inside or outside the classic “standard working hours”).
3) If there were any real problems that can actually impact his outcome, I know he would raise his hand and ask for support in reorganizing activities.

In other words, I trust the people I work with.
If a company cannot trust its people, I think it should focus on the real problem, rather than fearing Smart Working as a loss of control.

It is not possible to just replicate the same “office working paradigm”.

Managing a busy agenda is complex, even in the office, but being in a common area we have small “tricks” that allow us to optimize time, such as asking a colleague for information on the fly without necessarily having to set up a formal meeting. This does not happen remotely, and all the parts of the job that require communication and alignment must be rethought in order to avoid agendas filled with rectangles as if it was a game of Tetris. Furthermore, if it is true that the timetable can be much more flexible, it is also important to set rules to avoid having to be available 24 hours a day. Talking to the Head of HR of a large company, she confided to me that the greatest difficulty for her people, in this period of forced remote work was… Understanding when to disconnect!
More generally, I think that this should be an opportunity to deeply review the way we work, whether at home or in the office: working “Smart” must be a prerogative, regardless of where you are.

Is all that glitters gold?

Unfortunately not. Smart working also has important downsides, or at least challenges to be faced and addressed.

Socialization and human contact are still irreplaceable.

This is true for people who already know each other and who have worked together, but it is even truer for new hires, who find themselves having to enter a new business context without being able to even drink a coffee with their new colleagues.

In Casavo we have reacted well by adopting initiatives such as the insertion of buddy figures, in the form of peers who support newcomers’ onboarding, making them feel more at home.

This works, but it’s not a substitute for living an event together, brainstorming in the same room, or simply sharing an informal moment as an aperitif; these are beneficial things for the team, leading to consolidated human bonds and increases both in terms of productivity and well-being.

Working alone requires individual self-management skills.

For senior figures this is definitely taken for granted, but it is plausible to think that more junior people still need to be guided in order to develop a certain maturity and autonomy. For them, working side by side with senior people is a considerable advantage, also in terms of learning speed. I don’t think it is an insurmountable problem as remote support methods can work very well, especially if only two people (one senior and one junior) are cooperating. We are experimenting this on the field with good results; however, it remains an aspect to be considered especially if a company has, in its strategy, the idea of ​​hiring many junior figures to train them.

Working well requires space and equipment.

If it is true that the traditional “office” is not the only solution to work effectively, it is certainly true that working long hours requires an appropriate environment. Personally, if I didn’t have a room equipped with a desk, a monitor and a comfortable chair I would be in great difficulty. Not to mention the internet connection, which must be of good quality.

As of today, Smart Working is something that is catching on in our culture but not everyone is already equipped to practice it the best way, and both the companies and the people willing to take advantage from this paradigm must organize properly.

Conclusion: My view on a cultural change

I am very convinced that Smart Working is already revolutionizing the way people work — I am saddened by the fact that it took a global pandemic to realize how effective it can be, and I am also sure that there will be no going back from the new awareness.

However, I don’t think it is possible to think that physical presence can be completely avoided. It could be alienating. I believe that the alternation of Smart Working and physical aggregation is the best solution; it might be enough to see each other only once or twice a week, and in some cases even less, but those times would have an extremely significant value and would have an impact even on the hours spent remotely, giving them a deeper and more human sense.

I also think that hours worked in presence will become much more focused; if a team decides that next Thursday they will meet in the office, people will probably think about how to get the most value from the time spent together: ad hoc events? Brainstorming on topics that surfaced during the week? In this I see real efficiency and an important leap in terms of productivity and work culture.