Remote Leadership: Trust or Don't Hire

The Covid-19 pandemic sparked what economist Nicholas Bloom calls the “working-from-home economy.” (Harvard Business Review)

If your team has mostly been working remotely since March 2020, then you probably know that the process can be seamless, making employees happier and less stressed – all good things that lead to higher productivity and talent retention, especially during The Great Resignation.

I had a great conversation on this topic with?Jerry Macnamara?on his Best Places to Lead podcast.

During our conversation, I shared my experiences of us running Inspirant Group as a remote first company since 2017, winning national awards for Best Remote First Company in 2021 and 2022.

?Some of the things Jerry and I discussed were:

??How a remote work culture succeeds (hint – it has to do with trusting your team and listening to what they need). Knowledge workers - people who bring something special to the workplace because they deliver ideas or have operational roles - appreciate and like working from home. It’s provided tremendous quality of life benefits, including better mental health, more family time and improved work/life balance. In total, they’re happier and more fulfilled for it.?

??Get rid of e-tracking systems: these can erode trust. Remember that you're not running a daycare, but you're working adults who are fully capable of working independently. If you can't trust someone then don't bring them on board. Using e-tracking systems and being overly formal about this will affect relationships and employee morale.

??Why some leaders continue to resist the evolution of the 21st century workplace (hint – change is hard). Today’s employers need to meet people where they are and adapt more quickly to their needs because the world is now your top competitor for talent. We have have developed innovative trust training which shows how to build team trust as well as client relationships.

??Our “choose your own adventure” performance review system (hint – it happens more than once a year) We check in with people regularly vs. annually to see how they're doing and where they need help or additional resources to help them do their jobs. We'll also talk about their career path and how we can help them grow. Using a point system which include both quantitative and qualitative measures, we have found this approach to be more engaging and collaborative. It leads people to do their best which makes them feel good about their work and contributing to the team.

??What the future of the workplace looks like (hint – it’s allowing people to have autonomy). After two years of productive remote work, why would any leader choose to turn back the hands of time to what was in lieu of moving forward to a newly structured workplace?

What are your thoughts on remote work and return to office (RTO)?

Watch the conversation here.