How to Take Advantage of Increased Access to Leadership While Working Remotely

A common source of inequity is access to leadership in an organization. There is both a reality and a perception that team members who have access to decision-makers have a greater influence on the outcomes. If a manager has a cubicle down the row from a team member, it is more likely they will come to the neighboring team member to discuss a situation than to walk two floors up or to pick up the phone to discuss with a less easily accessible team member. 

The lack of access to power is most prevalent for employees who work remotely from their immediate manager and the organization’s leadership. While unequal access is real, the perception of missed information is often amplified. A common conversation with managers of hybrid teams is to make sure that all team members feel they have equal access to information and participation in decision-making as is appropriate to their position, not their location. 

If you are the manager of a team, now is a great time to strengthen the habit of reaching out to a broader section of the team that you lead. There is nobody with a “cubicle down the row”. The effort to access a team member who is one mile away is the same as the effort to access a team member who is 100 miles away. Now is the time to break out and access team members that you didn’t normally reach out to for a quick question. (This is also a reminder that you should be making the effort to reach out to your team members even though it takes intentional effort.)

If you are a team member who is (was) co-located with your supervisor, it was probably far too easy to use the chance encounter in the hall or break room to learn or to influence. That opportunity is no longer available, so now you too should be reminded to make the effort to reach out to your fellow team members and your manager to learn and to influence. Do not get into the situation where you perceive you are or are really out of the loop because you didn’t make the effort to stay connected. Examine this situation to build some empathy for your teammates who have always been remote and will remain so.

If you are a team member who has always been remote from your supervisor and most of your teammates and felt as if you did not have equal access to leadership, well, that situation has changed. The playing field is now level. In this remote work situation, you have as much access to leadership as anyone else. In fact, the field may be pitched in your favor. What are you doing to take advantage of these conditions? Have you used your experience to teach others how to interact remotely? Have you used your familiarity with being remote to maximize the quality and quantity of interactions with your manager or teammates who are probably less comfortable? 

Rather than continuing with the impression that you have less access to power than other team members, it is just not true in this environment. Set up that meeting, send that instant message, make a phone call. Play to your strength. 

Jonathan partners with high-performing technical specialists to reach their full potential as people-leaders. Combining his science background, corporate experience, and teaching skills, he creates a knowing and trusting relationship necessary to ask clients to do the hard work of building new skills, using their time differently, and embracing values that bring them and the organization the greatest success. To learn how Jonathan can help your organization, visit envisionpartnersllc.com