iF Quarterly

From enduring to a better way of working

The tipping point of “remote” collaboration

These days, the “office” is more of an intangible concept than a physical space to much of the corporate world as COVID restrictions prevented teams from working together in-person. Subjected to an uncertain future of variants and mandates, businesses large and small continue to waffle on their return-to-work plans — between March and August of this year, Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Apple adjusted plans an average of three times.

According to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, at most 5% of Americans worked from home for more than three days per week pre-pandemic, whereas by April 2020, as many as 37% of Americans were working from home full-time. In a matter of weeks, the pandemic caused about one-third of US workers to shift to remote work, and nearly every American that was able to work from home did so. Some predict a long-term equilibrium in which information workers will work from home approximately 20% of the time.

Employers are faced with tough decisions pertaining to return-to-work, but amidst the turmoil what was initially a necessity-based reaction became a new standard of work. Remote collaboration not only forced organizations to reconsider their best practices for sharing, training, messaging, and meeting, but has also encouraged accessibility and inclusivity for employees who may not be able to attend in-person gatherings.

How can modern workplaces adapt to a better way of hybrid work?
Note on the following: this assumes the advantage of those who have access, including internet and equipment, to work remotely.

• Inclusivity and accessibility: Before WFH (work from home) was a commonly-used acronym, the inability to physically meet was typically a non-starter for corporate employees. Now, it is an expectation that company-wide events put the needs of the employees and their families first, and consider if attendance in-person is necessary. The new world of work should not only affect our events; companies are also experiencing benefits from an expanded net of potential candidates when physical distance and mobility are not factors.
• Better tools: Gone are the days of the physical whiteboard, and in its stead are tools like Miro, Figma, Mural, Smartsheet, and Airtable. The pandemic accelerated adoption of project management and collaboration tools, and they are here to stay. Higher frequency of use of a variety of digital tools not only allows for better teamwork, but increases the repository of institutional knowledge.
• Collective Learning: Collaborations that include learning together can build cohesion, challenge bias, and spark innovation. The desire to learn from one another and to pass on a collective knowledge base to future generations is a universal human need, yet it is often overlooked in the quest to work efficiently. In a hybrid workplace, this can take the form of virtual lunch-and-learns, brainstorming sessions, and workshops, and when done virtually, the barriers to enter and engage are in most cases, lower.
• Communicate with intention: Whatever form it takes, strong collaboration emerges from establishing the relationships and support necessary to weather challenging conversations, complex information, and limited time. Actively building networks through hosting or joining convenings, learning gatherings, and affinity groups can help individuals and institutions expand the network of people whom they know and trust, and pave new roads for meaningful collaboration.

What does the future hold?
Imagining a future where remote work is a prerequisite, and not a last resort, was not at the front of our minds until recently. Today, we must focus on how we can best respond to a constantly shifting reality, instead of spending time spinning on what-ifs of the world and an ideal workplace. In so doing, collaboration and innovation will thrive. Despite any amount of distance, organizations can flourish when the time spent together is intentional, inclusive and focused on collective learning.

Every quarter, Intentional Futures puts out a long-form piece on what we’ve been up to, and what we’re thinking about.

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