Remote working… Isolate the opportunity: Our point of view
5 minute read
The remote working revolution is about to move to its next phase. Many businesses, some of whom were reluctant about remote working (for the same reasons as Yahoo’s previous Chief Executive), are now having to consider it as a response to Coronavirus guidance. Businesses are having to rapidly consider breaking down traditional office-based teams into multi-site function hubs or consider a complete move remote working.
Some business leaders may consider this a threat to their office culture or another disruption for businesses after years of Brexit uncertainty. However, substantial evidence on remote working suggests such a move could lead to higher organisational commitment, job satisfaction and job‐related well‐being.
Our point of view is that this is an opportunity to not only implement remote working but also to embed new behaviours and attitudes to work so that the wellbeing and productivity of your teams not only survives this disruption but thrives.
Our challenge to Business leaders is this: When the pandemic is over (and it will be over) will you be able to look back and say that as a leader you made the most of this disruption and that your business and your teams are better off for it?
How do we turn a stressful necessity into a route to more productive team working?
At FiveAndCo we are obsessed with helping businesses like yours build thriving and productive teams while increasing wellbeing – that’s our lens for this challenge. In this context a thriving team:
Is purposeful and productive
Is engaged with the wider vision and mission for the business
Is empowered individually and collectively to ‘do the job at hand’
Resist the temptation to micromanage your way through this shift. Poorly considered or clumsily implemented ‘performance frameworks’ will dissolve trust and kill your culture.
At the same time ‘empowering remote workers’ does not mean enabling or ignoring negative behaviours. A new personal and team culture will arise during this disruption – we believe it’s up to business leaders whether this happens intentionally with a positive outcome in mind, or unintentionally where this is a risk that teams and team members could become demotivated, isolated and disillusioned.
This is a time for your organisation to think and work differently in a way that responds positively to best practice evidence and delivers new business growth opportunities.
Where do you start?
Here are our top ten tips for a responsive (rather than reactive) approach to national public health directives that are requiring organisations to change behaviours:
Purpose:
Remember to keep the main thing the main thing. The place of work may have changed but the team purpose has not. You may need to review and re-confirm priorities more than usual.
Celebrate the wins with intentional periods of feedback and learning every week. Make sure teams’ private wins are public celebrations for the organisation.
Stay connected with your wider business network and share your experiences. Everyone is going through this and might be learning things that will save you time and money.
People:
Engage your teams early on in drawing up new ‘rules of engagement’. You should include start/finish times, taking breaks, and how we attend to results and stay accountable to one another.
One of the big drawbacks for remote working is the loss of social contact. Set up a ‘virtual watercooler’ or ‘kitchen catchup’ space online where staff can spontaneously meet up to chat and connect.
Where people work, what they wear, and how they communicate are all important parts of a professional mindset. Encourage team members to start their day by ‘getting ready for work’ which includes comfortable business wear, well lit and comfortable workspace, and clear boundaries between home and work life.
Productivity:
When you hold team meetings, keep track of who has contributed. Not everyone finds remote communication easy so be ready to invite people to speak and encourage people to ‘have a go’.
In your 1:1s and team meetings, focus on outcomes, not activity This can encourage your team to find their best ‘way of working’ in their unique context which delivers for the business and for them.
Have an engagement plan for each remote worker. This looks different for extroverts, creatives and everyone will be challenged by different aspects of remote working. 1:1s may take slightly longer because of the physical distance between you and your team – normal body language cues will be harder to spot.
Specific training for your leaders and managers can help them in the new remote working compact with their team for e.g. how to bring healthy levels of support and challenge in a virtual space
What now?
We are working with businesses right now showing them how to turn these circumstances into a competitive advantage. We can partner with you, your teams and leaders using our unique ‘Remote Win’ evidence-based process or you can develop your own.
However you go forward, make sure you map out the consequences of this cultural shift and identify the opportunities. And remember… when it comes to team calls: Camera on!
To find out more about our workshops get in touch via our Connect page.
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