Why Remote Work May Not Work

Why Remote Work May Not Work

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It’s a move that made headlines: IBM, pioneer of telecommuting policies, reversed tack and called its remote workers back to the office.

This May, thousands of employees were told they have 30 days to decide if they will begin to report to regional offices or leave the company. This marked the end of a decades-old, groundbreaking approach to flexible work arrangements, coming on the heels of several years of slumping revenue.

This is not, however, the first time that a major corporation has changed its telecommuting policy—although IBM was particularly notable because it was one of the first companies to allow workers to use home offices. But in 2013, a similar policy change from Yahoo caused a ruckus—and now, of course, Yahoo no longer exists. Bank of America also tightened the leash on its remote work policy in 2014. Aetna and Honeywell did the same in 2016.

So what has these major corporations rethinking their telecommuting policies? There’s no question that employees like the idea of working from home. In 2013, Mashable surveyed its readers and found that a whopping 93% of them wanted to work for a company that would allow them to telecommute. For IBM’s part, the company is now reportedly trying to pioneer more innovative and inspiring workspaces—where employees can collaborate in person. Or, at least, that’s how the internal memos to staffers pitched the disappointing policy change.

So is IBM right? After all, remote working arrangements might not be the best solution for every situation. In fact, there are plenty of reasons why having the team all in one room might be the best way to get things done. Here are a few reasons why managers might see telecommuting a bit differently than employees.

Remote managing is a delicate dance

Think about your daily email correspondence. It doesn’t take much for a single missive to get misunderstood or misinterpreted. Maybe your tone in email doesn’t come across as friendly as you would intend. These miscalculations are challenging enough to manage when all you have to do is pop your head into the office down the hall to make sure everyone is on the same page. Now, throw a few hundred or thousand miles between yourself and your team. Maybe even a language barrier or two. Communicating is then going to be an even greater challenge. When productivity dips, it’s going to be difficult to get to the bottom of the problem. For all the convenience of remote work arrangements, managers may find themselves having to fly out to resolve problems on the ground.

Also read: 5 Tips to Make Millennials Tick at Work

Where’s the water cooler?

If you reflect on some of your best experiences relating to colleagues and coworkers in a work environment, you may recall moments that were not scheduled or planned. Maybe running into a project manager on your way to the coffee machine reminded you to ask her a question. The impromptu conversation turned into a brainstorming session. From there, creative juices were flowing and a whole new idea came to light. These types of unplanned interactions can bring about innovation. They can also help managers get to know their employees in a meaningful way. After all, mandatory happy hours might not be for everyone. A quick coffee run, a meeting over lunch, a chat in the elevator: all of these moments can reveal new information about an employee or a manager that can improve their day-to-day comfort in working with each other. Remember, most office workers are used to the daily routine of greeting people and engaging in chit chat. Remote workers naturally miss out on these interactions.

Boundary issues

As a manager, you may find that your remote employees are quick to respond to emails at any time: the middle of the night or the weekend, for example. However, as nice as it might be to get quick responses to questions or requests, you may be inadvertently intruding on their personal time. Remote workers can get locked into a feeling of being always at work—after all, home is the office. That can mean faster burnout and even a slip in your employee retention rates as your remote workers begin to seek a workplace with a more personal connection. Of course, it could easily be argued that more of their personal lives would be eroded if they had to get in a car and commute each day. However, by the time you realize there is discontent in the remote ranks, it may be too late to resolve it.

Also read: Increase Your Productivity While Working From Home

Bottom Line:

As many large corporations change their previously lenient work-from-home policies, it can be valuable to reexamine your own team’s approach to telecommuting. But while there may be a laundry list of reasons why it makes your job as a manager easier to have everyone in the same building, keep in mind that employees will be continually seeking out the companies that are flexible. Also, keep in mind that many of the corporations that changed course on remote work policies did so amid financial woes as the company sought to make cuts. Changing this policy could signal to your workers that widespread layoffs are right around the corner and it could be time to jump ship.

R Kress
About the Author
R Kress

R. Kress is an Emmy Award winning journalist whose reporting and writing has appeared in national media from NBC News to the International Herald Tribune. She has covered news from cities around the world including Jerusalem, Krakow, Amman and Mumbai.

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