A career lived remotely
15 Months. Not one day. Zero. Nil.
My career with Ericsson started in April 2020. I will leave the company at the end of July. In that period I have not had a single day in the office, not had a single face to face in person with any of my work colleagues. Imagine.
Over that period of time I had a role reporting locally in Australia and then the bulk of the time a global role reporting into Stockholm and then New York. So not only working remotely for 15 months but also then for almost 12 months working a European / USA timezone.
My observations and learnings from this experience are plentiful.
Technology is no substitute for proximity when it comes to driving team effectiveness
Remote working has a place but it is not THE place
Results driven outcomes are more critical than ever before
Meeting attendance is not a good indicator of engagement levels
Clear concise communication is even more important when remote
Checking in with team members one on one is a necessity
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Remote work does provide quiet time for planning, reading, learning
Better meetings are had when less people are on the call
Ericsson is a wonderful company and has been incredibly supportive across the globe for all employees and could not have made it any easier for us in managing our way through this pandemic. The result of that support shows in the business results and in the employee mindset.
It has been quite an experience working this way for this long. I have missed the day to day personal contact that an office environment allows for although I have appreciated the ease of being able to work from a home office. I do think that in the future there is a balance that needs to found as the world comes out of the pandemic - not everyone can work from home and there are times when being together and being able to have that "sense" you get when you are around people is very important. As an example coaching on the fly is practically a lost art in a remote world which in turn means the development for some is slower than it would otherwise be and although that will not be noticeable now it will be over time.
There is a big push to keep remote work as a key work environment and if that happens when we all exit the current COVID environment then there needs to be a serious revision of how any business measures productivity and results and that cannot be just about the hard numbers - it must also be about the development and advancement of those now working from home.
If you would like more detail and understanding behind any of the points raised then feel free to reach out directly. Stay Safe!
Telecommunications Professional
3 年Interesting insights and great summary.
Director @ BCG | NLP Practitioner
3 年A beautiful article and every point put across is so relevant and relatable. Thank you for sharing your valuable perspective Michael Young. As always, you inspire us with every word!!
A Gadder.
3 年Nice article Michael Young - this bit particularly resonated with me: "coaching on the fly is practically a lost art in a remote world which in turn means the development for some is slower than it would otherwise be.." As we rush towards whatever the new working world will be this is the key consideration - after 18 months of WFH we have seen creativity and productivity increase as well as trust between those running our business and those they manage. What we have also seen however, is how difficult training and mentoring is through a glass screen. And how some people have really struggled as they have lost the ability to "shadow" more exp people and learn. For me this is the biggest argument for return to the office and / or hybrid working, rather than fully remote. Hope all well in your world post-Ericsson!
Associate | Risk & Controls Manager at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
3 年Great insights Michael, so true!
Associate CIPD
3 年Michael Young Beautiful insights! Trust you and your family are all doing well.