Despite most teams operating successfully in a hybrid workplace model, some leaders are still suspicious about the engagement and productivity of team members when they work remotely.
While they experience and observe the benefits of remote work, they remain uncomfortable with how team members set their own boundaries for getting tasks and assignments done.
These leaders doubt that everyone is working as hard as they should and making personal choices that are in the best interest of the team.
This distrust often leaks out and makes team members feel as if they are being watched and second-guessed when they are not in the office. Such leaders are convinced that no one is as productive as they are in the office, and they let others know this through their comments, reactions, and decisions.
The overwhelming evidence suggests hybrid models create more productivity, job satisfaction, and commitment than traditional ways of working. Yet, some leaders remain suspicious.
The idea that an occasional team member may lack the personal discipline, maturity, and commitment to work productively from home or a remote location is not unfounded. But casting a wide net and becoming distrustful of everyone when they work remotely is a recipe for dissatisfaction and attrition.
The best leaders not only accept the realities, good and bad, of remote work but have learned to manage and lead people differently in this new world. They set different expectations about engagement and responsiveness and lead by using virtual connections to their advantage.
First and foremost, they have learned to check in more often, to conduct more frequent performance discussions, and to engage in more after-action reviews with those who work remotely. They specifically set expectations around response times to questions, issues, and concerns during the workday. More regular communication at set times helps everyone to feel more connected. Standing meetings and pre-set discussions about strategy and big-picture issues are the norm for the best remote working relationships.
When they do see these colleagues face-to-face, good leaders are ready to review tasks and assignments and work diligently to align team members to the goals and priorities of the team. They are equally likely to engage socially with team members to catch up on life events and mutual relationships.
They discard the distrust and suspicion about how hard people are working and replace it with an appreciation for the increased commitment and productivity that comes with the flexibility and autonomy provided by remote work.
In the last few years, leaders have learned that flexibility in the workplace creates stability and satisfaction. Embracing remote work and using its advantages to create new and powerful conversations is how good leaders have adapted. The evolution of an effective leader never ends.
A Daily Dispatch from the Front Lines of Leadership.
