Remote working and connection - can you have it all?
Safety, belonging, mattering. The three fundamental principles that underpin a great culture, where individuals and teams can thrive.
Safety for people to be themselves, a sense of belonging to a group, a purpose bigger than themselves; created through meaningful work and relationships. That’s putting it simply but the reality is a complex web of leaders and employees differing attitudes, values and belief systems, and occasionally office politics. It can be a challenge to create this culture, even without the added complexity of remote and flexible working.
Last year it felt like the expectation of working 5 days in the office was a thing of the past, but the last few months have signalled a new trajectory as many organisations are now mandating their people to come back into the office. Big names such as Meta, Google, Barclays and IBM are all requesting employees to increase time spent in the office.
If we think about connection, this makes sense in many ways. Bringing everyone together in person means you can more quickly recognise if someone is struggling, the so called ‘water cooler’ chat plays an important role in helping people feel connected, as well as often sparking ideas, sharing information and new points of view. It’s also important to think about new hires and graduates benefiting from being around others, finding their way and being able to ask questions, get to know colleagues and explore opportunities. For others, it might be their main chance to spend time with other people, thus reducing the real problem of loneliness felt by many people.
On the other side of the debate are those whose lives require elements of flexible working to function well. For example, working parents and those with caring responsibilities. Over the last five years, they have experienced a different kind of life, one where they can be present for their kids and continue to deliver at work. They’ve been able to do this without compromising and missing out on activities due to long (and often expensive) commutes. Flexible and remote working has shown parents, in particular, that they really can do both – be present parents and be ambitious in their career.
So, how can organisations help maintain flexibility and create meaningful connection for their people? How can they balance the needs of individuals and the needs of the business?
It’s not simple. There is no cookie cutter solution to this complex problem. Businesses’ needs differ depending on sector and industry, and workforce demographics also play a big part. Some organisations are taking the hard line - 5 days a week in the office - others are trialling 4 day work weeks or experimenting with something in between.
The common theme of organisations who are ‘getting it right’ is that they are listening to their people, with curiosity, and are open to making changes and adjustments to help their people thrive. They have recognised the importance of supporting people as a whole person and not just at work. They are challenging norms and outdated thinking about the workplace, and what it means to be successful for individuals. In short, they are opening up a conversation with their people to better understand what they need. Of course not every single person's exact needs can be met, however the act of trying to understand and genuinely make changes that support their workforce, go a long way in building morale and a happier (and most probably more ‘productive’) workforce.
For those who’ve embraced remote working, planning connection days for teams and immersive learning days have proven to be a critical component of creating meaningful connection. Another is avoiding ‘top-down’ approaches and encouraging autonomy amongst teams to find ways that work for them to maintain connection while embracing flexibility.
Perhaps some of the questions employers should be asking as they focus on maintaining connection while exploring what flexibility looks like in their organisation are:
How do we build a culture of psychological safety?
How do we help people feel part of something bigger than themselves, that they belong to a community?
How do we help individuals realise their importance in the organisation’s ecosystem?