IS REMOTE WORKING FOR EVERYONE?

Among others, the benefits of remote working have been cited as work-life balance, reduced commutation time and costs, higher productivity, increased motivation, flexibility, and autonomy. For
companies, remote working is touted for high levels of employee satisfaction, improved staff retention, increased productivity, and cost savings.

Flexible work arrangements have always been available for the privileged few – those who are able to negotiate for flexibility as part of their employment perks. Typically, those who contend against flexibility typically do not trust employees to be responsible for their productivity when working away from the office. This is not surprising because conventional management theories assume a causal relationship between high productivity and uninterrupted face-to-face work interactions on a Monday-to-Friday typical work week.

Though remote working is not a new phenomenon, it has since 2020 been pushed to the fore by the COVID-19 pandemic. There’s no doubt that COVID-19 forced us to take stock of life, rearrange priorities and focus on what we think really matters. While employers were battling to keep their business operations afloat; many employees started to re-evaluate what work really meant to them and took a microscopic look at their relationships with the companies they work for. As things stand now, some workers and employers are embracing remote working, whilst many are still dreaming of a full return to pre-COVID workdays in the office.

What has been your biggest remote
working challenge?

I doubt we will ever be able to accurately assess the extent of the trauma brought on by COVID-19. Isolation led to spikes in mental health issues and the grief of losing colleagues and loved ones left many broken, depressed, and helpless. A study published in the Psychology Medicine Journal found that out of 200 Soweto adults, 20% believed that the pandemic has caused them anxiety and 14% were prone to depression as a result (Kim AW, Nyengerai T, Mendenhall E, 2020). Challenges associated with remote working range from poor performance, reduced productivity, communication gaps, team disconnection, missed opportunities to learn from peers, and diminished team cohesion that may adversely impact company culture.

There are added challenges that may be unique to the South African worker, and perhaps workers in many other African countries. These include lack of home office resources, ergonomically adequate office furniture, power outages and poor network connectivity. Many South Africans do not have the
luxury of spare rooms to configure into well designed workspaces that support their safety, uninterrupted focus on work, correct body posture and overall physical wellbeing. While many companies have backup power infrastructure for business continuity during power outages, the average South African household can’t boast such resources. Business leaders must therefore plan for all of these and provide the necessary support.

Is the hybrid model the ultimate new normal?

A simple definition of hybrid working model is a combination of remote and on-site approach to work. A McKinsey Report revealed that though many business leaders are interrogating and experimenting with hybrid models, 52% still believe that work should be done primarily in the office. In the same study, 52% of employees preferred a flexible work model post the pandemic
(Aaron De Smet, Bonnie Dowling, Mihir Mysore, and Angelika Reich, 2021).

The hybrid work model is not a magic wand to make the challenges of the day disappear in split seconds. Apple, for instance, faced a backlash from some of its employees after it introduced a hybrid model with defined three days a week in the office. The aggrieved staffers believed that they should continue working remotely permanently since they’d been successfully able to do so, for an extended period throughout the pandemic lockdowns. A hybrid model, that is “one-size-fits-all” in design may still breed contentions. Because of the pandemic, many employees have enjoyed being able to plan and organise their work around their personal lives, as such many who have thrived working outside the office may never come to see pre-COVID work life in the same light again.

Could an employee-centric work model be an option?

Could and employee-centric work model be an option

Backed by the McKinsey Report mentioned above, it is clear that not all employees want to return to the office on a full-time basis as much as there’s a significant number of employees who wish to return to the office on a full-time basis. Instead of implementing generic remote working policies, companies must consider the affected jobs, available work resources and the needs of individual employees

LinkedIn recently revealed to Business Insider that its hybrid model is dependent on what employees and teams feel would work best for them. This is a classic example of what an employee- centric work model looks like. The employee-centric work model puts power in the hands of employees and allows them to decide on what work approach suits them. The manager’s role in this instance would be to assist team members in designing and/or deciding on the appropriate personal model based on their behavioural traits and performance trends. Technological tools such as the Easy Talent remote work enablement barometer can help set the tone for this conversation.

Redesign Now to Seize the future

It will take a deliberate and methodical alteration of existing people management practices to adequately adapt to the hybrid or fully remote work model. Conventional HR practices, systems and policies must be rethought or redesigned to reflect the new normal.

About 15 years ago, while working for one of the major banks in South Africa, I was tasked with developing a flexible work policy. Even though the bank wanted to pioneer in what would be “best practice”, its operating model was not geared for a company-wide flexible work model nor was management ready or equipped to manage virtually. It thus isn’t surprising that the policy was drafted and approved but never implemented.

The success and sustainability of work in the ‘new normal’ hinges on HR and business leaders putting in the requisite thinking and work that will facilitate the necessary change across the business value chain. This includes reframing the lens through which we see and shape organisational culture.

“The employee-centric work model puts power in the hands of employees and allows them to decide on what work approach suits them.”

Are you or your team cut for remote working?

Not everyone can feed a baby while on a conference call; pick up a toddler from creche while taking client Zoom calls; or prefer to work in solitude with limited physical human interaction. Remote working is not for everyone. But we are currently in a trial-and-error stage with opportunity for everyone to set the right standards for themselves.

I recently ran a poll on LinkedIn asking which work model companies are likely to adopt, assuming high COVID-19 vaccination numbers. The results showed that 57% of respondents would be geared towards a hybrid or flexible model; 23% are open to have their employees mostly work from home while 20% are inclined to have employees return to the office. Interestingly, Google’s new hybrid plan corresponds with the results from this poll.

The search giant plans to have 60% of its staff complement spend a couple of days a week in the office; while 20% will permanently work remotely and the remaining 20% can work from any of Google’s campuses across the world. Google’s new work model is intended to make room for all work preferences. Now, do you know which work model would fit your work habits, be acceptable to your employer and seamlessly fit into your person life?

I have found the Easy Talent barometer to be a useful tool to kick-start the decision-making conversations with oneself or the team on an option that could work. You can access it at
www.easytalent.co.za.

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