Better to stay "Safe" than to say "We are Sorry", Indeed its 2020 not 1920!!

Had a conversation with one of the LinkedIn editors yesterday as they are trying to cover a topic on #workfromhome flexibility and pass on a great message amidst #covid19. Shared my thoughts!! While gathering real time experiences from few of those in my connections I had mixed thoughts. Sheer disappointment, Great to know few happy workplaces, amazed by great decisions taken by few leaders of some great organisation. Surprised by not-so-great communication to employees.

One Individual says, ," instructions given to off-work and applied as Unpaid Leave until further notice or avail annual leaves ."  

Well, This is totally Unfair & awful. . 14 days is not to long to save your environment..it's simply as it is, you make everything more complicated..This needs to be changed forever.. First value of any employer has to be " People and their Safety over profits"

While I heard from another saying , "And my employer just announced if we work from home, our income will be deducted half and we are required to complete the same tasks in same working hours." -

 Well, this shows that profits is the employer's oxygen.I wish companies would put people before profits. The future lies in making people responsible rather giving instruction.. It will be more of delivery than monitoring.

One more statement made, " My employer has provided work from home however with that comes a new policy of great micro-management" -  

All I had to say is, Hey you!! Micromanagement is NEVER about you and always about their shortcomings.Micromanagement is a toxic behavior (always driven by fear) and is created by a hierarchical, command-and-control, vertical leadership model. Moving to a collaborative operating system is the fix for all toxicity.

I was surprised to see an communication stating " I see a outpouring request to work from home over last few weeks & see not many are online " -

?Well, This statement needs to be mindfully made with the current situation as it can question back more on safety concern & if integrity/trust has been carried throughout normal good times then the trust has to be build at any cost at this current situation of huge global concern..Did you trust your employees to do their work prior to them having to work remotely? This situation should not break that established confidence, it can actually be an excellent opportunity to strengthen it.

So interesting to me is because we have been beating this drum since long before covid-19 became a global concern. But now businesses don't have much choice anymore, they have to adapt. It's like we have both said - trust that your employees have the best interest of the company at heart and then find ways to measure and incentivize around results instead of rewarding time spent in a cubicle.

Obviously not all businesses can have remote workers (restaurants, factories, healthcare etc.) The world is constantly evolving. However, businesses continue to utilize same business routines which has been applied for the last 100 years: Monday to Friday, 9-5, cubicle farms, 30 mins lunch and a yearly performance appraisal. But the reality is that most cubicle based office work can be done 100% remote from home but businesses have been reluctant to change to a new paradigm. I think a lot of businesses will realize after this just how much can get accomplished with remote work. If nothing else it will allow them to try it and see where the opportunities and challenges lie.It's hard to let go of control, but having trust in your decision process, will reward you when all the Covid threat passes. 

I think that the time has come for business to think & do things differently....although this pandemic is potentially challenging to respond to for everyone, for business a broader strategy for more flexible working & trusting employees to work from home is a good start, albeit there also needs to be a robust approach & structure in place for effective communication & collaboration too. Every work can be done at home and also you must understand that there are some jobs which the tools for work are not available at home. There is no need for anyone to be scared. It's all about managing people with the right resources and doing it the lean way. So it's important that business try social Distancing at the work place for those jobs that require physical presence. China was able to keep afloat by adapting to drastic changes and south Korea the same. 

Dear Companies,

It's time you let your employees WORK FROM HOME. Indeed its 2020 not 1920!! Technology is perhaps a silver lining in these cloudy times, we must always try to be positive and accept changes..Digitally we are closer than we could think! The future lies in flexible work patterns.Better to stay "Safe" than to say "We are Sorry"

As an employer don’t you want to have your conscience clear knowing that you have taken all the protective measures possible to ensure the safety of your employees?

Unfortunately there still company turning blind eye on this and choose their business first more than their safety and security. some people should start to walk the talk!

Remember in this gig, It was once said that, "old habits die hard".