The Genie Is Out Of The Bottle…

I remember decades ago when working from home was really only done by a handful of self-employed. In fact, three or four decades ago, if you worked from home, you did all you could to appear as if you were working from a big office with other people.

There were all kinds of ways to do so, from pre-recorded office sounds including typewriter keys clicking to colleagues talking and phones ringing in the background. When someone would call you, you’d switch on the recording so that it sounded as if you were part of a big organization.

You hired a professional ‘voice’ to record a message on your mini-switchboard system giving instructions to ‘press 1 to be directed to…’ so that no one would realize that you were actually working from your home office. You rented a business address for your mail. You went to see clients instead of inviting them to meet you at your office. It was all very elaborate and could be quite nerve-wracking, especially if you had children at home who might interrupt a call, or make a noise at an inopportune time. 

I remember one such incident when someone I knew was on a conference call with a new prospect and their child and their babysitter began screaming hysterically. Apparently a spider had decided to make an appearance and both were petrified. My quick thinking friend told their prospects that it was a ‘bring your child to work day…’

Then, in the 1990’s, working from home became a ‘thing’. 

“Cocooning” was what it was called. Only the more trendsetting did it but they made it sound cool and desirable. Big corporations didn’t really feel the same way and it was very much frowned up. Then Tim Ferris of the ‘4 Hour Work Week’ made the concept not only cool, but downright productive for both the employee and the employer. Still… corporate America didn’t really buy into the concept until the early 2000’s when a few, like Yahoo, began to allow limited flexibility in this regard.

Not too long after, with the advent of Yahoo C.E.O. Marissa Mayer, the decision was reversed and all employees had to return to the office, no matter where they were stationed. This caused not only consternation within the organization, but also raised the profile of the whole ‘does it work to work at home?’ debate.

Enter 2020 and suddenly, like it or not, most organizations were forced to allow employees to work at home or completely shut up shop. 

This was obviously a huge adjustment for everyone. Some loved it, some hated it. Some said it would never work. Some found it actually worked better than they’d dared hope. Many are still conflicted on that issue today.

Many organizations, such as Google, have announced that it’s time for all to return to the office with very limited numbers allowed to continue working from home full or part-time. Others, such as Twitter and Square are allowing employees to work at home permanently.

Once you’ve let the genie out of the bottle…

A recent survey by S&P Global Market Intelligence showed that over two third of respondents believed that working from home should continue long term. It seems that many employees, having tasted the benefits of working remotely, simply do not want to return to the office and the daily commute. An example was seen in Boston last June. Boston businesses were allowed to work at 25% capacity in their offices but apparently hardly any employees availed of the opportunity. It seems that once the genie’s out of the bottle, there’s no stuffing it back in again!

The thing that’s difficult to understand is this: why would an employer not give employees the choice as to whether to work in the office or at home?  

The technology is available to make it work seamlessly. I know because Nimbulis is one that facilitates collaborative work management for teams whether in office or across the world.  

A great percentage of employees are finding they’re happier and significantly more productive when working from home. 

Obviously there are some instances where employees have to physically be present, however, as far as I can see, this applies to the minority of organizations, not the majority. Often this requirement can be dealt with successfully using a hybrid model.

In fact, I see both a fully remote and a hybrid working policy is the best way for us to encourage greater inclusivity and diversity in our organizations.  

Yes, it means that leaders have to develop skills and strategies to effectively manage their teams, including well developed communication strategies. However, I have to say that those who struggle with this when working remotely probably had the very same issues with communication when their teams were in the office.

Is remote and hybrid working perfect? By no means. Are there pitfalls? Of course. But I do believe that the benefits far outweigh the downside and I firmly believe that if we want practice what we preach and care for our employees well being, we have to allow more autonomy as to working location and structure.  

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this - both for and against!

#Inclusion #Diversity #RemoteWork #Leadership #Nimbulis #CWM #business #technology #innovation