There’s been a lot of debate recently about the need to return to the office. Views are polarised between bosses “we need our people in the office” and workers “we want to flexibility to work from home”. Is there a right answer?
Yes, it affects, the culture of your organisation, some go so far as to suggest that WFH policies engender a disconnect from the company which may lead to a risk of cultural alienation. In truth, working from home can have both positive and negative effects on corporate culture, depending on how it’s implemented and the nature of the organisation.
Is it a question of the culture you want to create?
Focus on the positives
The UK workforce like WFH and think it has positively impacted their productivity and workplace culture. A major positive was that employees feel trusted to get on with their job more when they’re working from home, meaning many are able to work autonomously without being micromanaged. Remember Dan Pink and autonomy being a key driver of engagement.
Interestingly they also report that trust in their boss/employer has been positively impacted. We know being trusted positively impacts employee engagement.
At 10Eighty remote working is a way of life ever since the inception of the business back in 2012. We know that the team value the flexibility, autonomy, work-life balance, choice and relief from commuter stress, so we don’t work from a centralised office.
Making connections
Employees who don’t feel connected with their team, manager or organisation are less likely to be engaged and are more likely to leave. Creating a positive remote work culture benefits the organisation and ensures the engagement and retention of employees while making attracting new staff easier. However the creation of that positive work culture is not easy and indeed is significantly harder for a remote workforce.
It’s true that some like going back to the office, like team working, watercooler moments, camaraderie and office politics, so hybrid working suits many organisations. Especially for cross-functional teams in-office work helps to maintain flexibility and connection.
Management can do a lot to mitigate the problems of hybrid working by ensuring they set expectations for responsiveness, availability, and use of collaboration tools like Slack, Teams, or Zoom and video-conferencing.
Trust and teamwork
Every organisation has its own unique context and reasons for their policies regarding remote work versus in-office work. I suspect that most managers feel that their employees being physically present allows for better oversight and accountability, ensuring that tasks are being completed as expected. Some management styles prioritise control and oversight, which can create an environment where trust is lacking. If I can’t see you, how do I know you are working?
That’s a problem because it’s trust that fosters the collaborative environment where a team is comfortable sharing ideas, asking for help, and able to take risks and innovate, knowing they have support from their colleagues. Trust is vital to good teamwork. And frankly, in the office, hybrid working or remote working is irrelevant, it’s all about management style.
How to help
A robust company culture that encourages professional development opportunities, such as mentorship and networking, and enables employees to engage in ongoing learning needs to be balanced with a workplace that enables employees to balance work and personal commitments. Getting this right will lead to improved mental health and overall well-being, which ultimately translates to greater engagement, greater productivity and innovation.
10Eighty’s tips for making remote work and hybrid working effective for everyone:
- Establish regular check-ins, virtual socials, and recognition programs.
- On video calls encourage face-to-face interaction to maintain human connection.
- Start such calls with the highlights of your week so far.
- Use virtual coffee breaks to schedule casual chats without an agenda.
- Foster psychological safety by creating space for honest conversations.
- Ensure everyone has a voice, especially in meetings. Facilitation not tell and sell.
- Maintain training and learning opportunities by offering access to bite-sized learning courses and webinars.
But most importantly it’s all about trust!
