Part 1 of 2: Working From Home – A Pandemic Necessity or Future Reality?
Most people never would have imagined a world where office buildings are closed for months and a majority of people are working from home. Remote work has been a rising trend the past two decades, but this year it happened on a major scale out of concern for public safety and circumstance. Could this be the new normal for some industries? In considering the viability of remote work there is a question of whether ethics, productivity, and employee satisfaction can be maintained.
Remote work has been an increasingly popular option for businesses due to its cost-cutting and flexible attributes. There has been a 140% increase in the number of employees working remotely since 2005. According to Global Workplace Analytics, as of 2018 4.3 million people were working remotely, making up roughly 3.2% of the workforce. Published in May of 2020, a study collected data on the impacts of working remotely from around 3,000 white-collar employees . In their study they found that 68% of people felt they were successfully working from home, with 72% having access to everything they needed while remote (Kamouri, 2020). The following figure shows some of the main statistics regarding ability to successfully work from home.
Some of the most interesting figures to note are the “collaboration” and “culture and career” markers. 75% of employees reported that their managers trust them to work remotely. Having reassurance from management that they are trusted to complete their work without constant attention can lead to positive work attitudes and motivation. Employees that feel their managers support and trust their decision-making abilities are more likely to be self motivated and produce higher quality work. 64% of people felt they had high quality collaboration with colleagues, most likely due to platforms such as Zoom, which enables large group video calls among other features. One of the biggest hurdles in remote working for businesses is the ability to efficiently collaborate with other employees, and although 64% is a majority there is certainly room for improvement. The second collaboration statistic alludes that nearly half of employees felt they were not closely connected to their colleagues. Interpersonal skills, often referred to as soft skills, have become increasingly important in business environments. These skills are highly desirable when selecting candidates to join a team and may even offset a lack of technical skills. Working remotely “may limit social interaction and interpersonal understanding, thereby reducing the perceived opportunity to manage impressions effectively” (Barsness, 2005). Although a seemingly large sacrifice, there are many ways to implement the fostering of relationships virtually while creating better working environments.
“Creating and maintaining a positive workplace identity amidst this welter of new work arrangements may prove problematic.” (Barsness, 2020)
Managers can help to sustain company culture by ensuring their employees have the opportunity to interact outside of working environments. At the start of quarantine, many employers introduced virtual happy hours for team members to have the opportunity to interact and share their experiences. This was a great initiative, but has since grown overdone and ineffective in engaging employees. Finding new fun activities for employees to virtually participate in with their team members has been a key component in keeping employees engaged. One company has implemented trivia nights as well as “Ask Me Anything” video sessions on a weekly basis to increase employee participation. These activities may not seem very important at first, but they create a sense of community and belonging which is imperative for company culture.
A 2018 international survey completed by 10,000 workers found that 85% of employees were dissatisfied with their office environment and struggled to concentrate. Additionally, 58% of problem-solving employees reported needed a less distracting environment to do their best work. This study also found that 46% of employees working from home were less stressed compared to 18% of those in offices. Could all of these metrics be pointing to an online working environment in the future, or is there too much sacrificed in the process?
The ethics behind a business have become increasingly more important to applicants and employees alike. Having diverse, inclusive and ethical cultural values has become a major point of improvement for most firms. This begs the question, is it possible to maintain high standards of ethics and inclusivity while working remotely?
Remote working poses the complex and delicate issue of workforce monitoring. Workforce monitoring is necessary to measure employee performance and maintain security. Data security has alway been among the top concerns for major businesses. In working remotely, managers need to enforce strict security measures to ensure no breaches are made. Although this is a serious concern, employees also have a right to their privacy and consent as these play central roles in ethically monitoring remote workforces. Depending on the state where a business is operating, certain forms of workforce monitoring may be illegal. For example, monitoring any form of electronic communication is illegal in Connecticut and Delaware, but legal everywhere else. Although allowed, this form of monitoring is widely considered unethical and an invasion of privacy. With these boundaries in mind, how can managers ensure their employees are performing their duties to the highest possible standards?
The first step will always be consent. Creating a channel for open communication will be the greatest asset for any company moving to remote working environments. By creating a set standard for work and clearly stating expectations, employees will feel more empowered while doing their work and understand what is expected of them. This implementation would allow for ethical monitoring of employees while establishing the proper boundaries. Additionally, each employee should be evaluated for their ability to complete their work. Newer team members will be especially in need of extra guidance while joining a new firm remotely. Ensuring these employees are provided with the adequate resources is the ethical way to ensure high performance. Without proper training and open lines of communication, remote working can quickly fail.
After establishing ethical workplace standards for online employees, there also need to be metrics in place to ensure desired productivity levels are maintained. One of the most powerful tools a company can employ is creating a positive company culture. Although this may prove more difficult online, it is nowhere near impossible. Employees look up to their managers to learn how they should act and perform in the workplace to be successful. Managers which employ a culture of accountability can facilitate higher levels of productivity. As seen in previously mentioned statistics, a majority of employees working at home during these unprecedented times reported a successful transition. This newfound freedom and flexibility can be taken advantage of, but employers can foster accountability through simple implementations such as time sheets and activity levels. Greater initial effort from managerial entities can create groundbreaking results from implementing strategies to making employees happier and in return more productive.
As a whole, employees with the freedom to work remotely, partially or completely, experience higher levels of happiness which translates to higher levels of productivity. The implementation of ethical standards while working remotely will greatly improve the online working environment. Company culture can be conserved through efforts to create meeting times outside of scheduled work to further build relationships. Although a current necessity due to circumstance, an online workplace may become a permanent reality for many businesses.
Works Cited:
Barsness, Zoe I., et al. “Motivation and Opportunity: The Role of Remote Work, Demographic Dissimilarity, and Social Network Centrality in Impression Management.” Academy of Management Journal, vol. 48, no. 3, 2005, pp. 401–419., doi:10.5465/amj.2005.17407906.
Kamouri, Anita, and Kate Lister. “Global Work-from-Home Experience Survey .” Global Workplace Analytics , Global Workplace Analytics , May 2020, globalworkplaceanalytics.com/wp-content/uploads/edd/2020/05/Global-Work-from-Home-Experience-Survey-Report-FINAL.pdf.
