The Evolution of Work From Anywhere
By Veronica Wortman Ploetz
Remote work used to be a novel concept primarily reserved for and enjoyed by start-ups and freelancers. The pandemic, and the necessity for wide adoption of remote work, fundamentally disrupted workplace requirements, behaviors and values.
Today, common practice among many industries is the ability to work away from the office from one day per week to 100% remote. Employees are balancing pros and cons and determining their preferences. If the work from anywhere model is here to stay, how must employers and leaders continue to adapt?
Flexible Options
During the pandemic, Gabe Romero, founder of Cordova Solutions, a talent acquisition and staff augmentation company, offered employees and contractors flexibility. “Remote work can be highly effective, and you may find you can recruit for a skill set in a completely different geographic area as before,” says Romero. However, he recommends allowing the client to guide the needed direction. “Alternatively, there are roles that are highly collaborative or creative and benefit from working together in an office. Cordova Solutions works with each client to create thoughtful strategy around the necessity of where the work needs to be performed, which drives where and how your employees work,” he says.
He acknowledges workplace flexibility can be a positive option but not a one-size-fits-all solution. “It’s very trendy right now, but if the market turns, and becomes an employer-centric market instead of the employee-centric market we’ve had over the past few years, there could be a serious effort on behalf of the employer to measure productivity and start culling low performers,” says Romero.
Remote work isn’t an option for all employees in some industries. Most of the Nebraska Medicine workforce – clinic and hospital staff on the front line of patient care – could not perform their essential healthcare job functions from a remote location. When the spread of COVID-19 reached pandemic status, employees not involved with direct patient care were encouraged to work from home as a safety precaution. “We valued employee safety, and this was one way to ensure that employees were able to stay safe during the pandemic – people were happy about the organizational focus around safety,” says Andy Noon, Ph.D., talent management director at Nebraska Medicine. The shift did not come without challenges. Leadership realized managers needed support and skill development around leading remote teams. Onboarding new employees is now mostly virtual and the focus has shifted to helping new employees build relationships and create connections within the organization.
Even though remote work is not possible for nurses and physicians, Nebraska Medicine recognizes a need for tailored policies for staff. “In terms of remote work, there is no putting the genie back into the bottle. We are not going to make any significant plans to bring people back to the office,” says Noon.
Equality Gaps
When considering remote work through an equality lens, evidence suggests a disproportionate negative impact on the primary caregiver in a household, as the lines between life and work can be blurred.
Remote may also be more challenging for employees who live in smaller spaces or where multiple family members are sharing physical and digital spaces. “These employees can, and often do, perform well, but leaders must be mindful of the multipronged impacts this can have on certain groups,” says Mahima Saxena, PhD, assistant professor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Department of Psychology at UNO.
“I advise organizational leaders to be aware of the disparate impacts of company policies, how they can have varying outcomes for different groups of people and adjust accordingly.” Saxena suggests approaching the topics of remote work or returning to the office with compassion, considering the needs of all employees, gathering regular feedback, being open to adjusting the strategy and providing the opportunity to participate in acts of mindfulness and wellness. “These are small steps that can reap large rewards for the employer and the employees,” says Saxena.
Connecting Across the Digital Divide
Creating and maintaining meaningful connections with colleagues, leadership, partners and clients solely through virtual meetings, email and instant messaging can be difficult.
Nikki Lewis, staffing industry senior sales trainer and team lead, previously took for granted informal interactions in the office. While she found it easy to pivot from classroom to virtual training, she has had to be more intentional with maintaining relationships with colleagues in the remote work environment. One way she does this is by participating in both virtual and in-person happy hours hosted by her company.
Kate Hemminghaus, director of global media activation in the AdTech industry, considers herself a strong advocate of remote work while recognizing connection requires more intentionality. “Client partnerships are strengthened by in-person meetings and outings, which oftentimes leads to an increase in business from that client. It’s more challenging to develop a strong relationship both personally and professionally via online meetings and emails,” she says. “Collaboration takes extra effort as virtual whiteboards don’t have the same effect as sitting down closely with coworkers to generate new ideas, build off each other’s recommendations, formulate new processes, improve existing ones, while having fun together at the same time.”
Supporting the creation of a positive and engaging work environment is top of mind for Paul West, managing partner of Carson Wealth. He recognized the need to support employees virtually and in person. While working remotely, the investment advisor firm broadcasted mental health topical seminars. Today, company culture and meaningful social opportunities have increased traffic in their new headquarters in Omaha, Neb. West says, “I must give huge credit to our human resources and corporate communications teams for providing meaningful and engaging events to come back to. The most popular event is the monthly charity happy hour fundraisers.”
Pain Points and Bright Spots
Jordan Acker Anderson currently serves as the chair and professor of studio art at Mount Mary University in Milwaukee, Wisc. She is mindful of the inevitable disengagement of the digital barriers such as the delay in video conferences and lack of eye contact. “Virtual options can deter us from participating as we would in a face-to-face circumstance, where we can read nonverbal communication cues,” says Acker Anderson. “At times, I feel disconnected from the greater community at my university since we are not meeting in person. Remote work limits the casual exchanges that would occur before and after scheduled events.”
Christina Maly, a senior technical advisor for a global health nonprofit, worked fully remote during the pandemic. Now, employees are required to be in office two days per week. Although Maly makes the effort to go into office to collaborate and connect with colleagues, working away from the office can be more productive. “It can be hard for me to find the value of sitting in a room of colleagues on back-to-back Zoom calls, and I feel less distracted working from home,” says Maly.
While some professions are adapting new models, certain industries can’t maintain the same level of effectiveness. Terry Zenon II found value in teaching virtually during the pandemic but, ultimately, he believes being together in person provides a consistent and more controlled learning experience. “I was just glad to have a job and kids that were showing up every day. Working in an inner-city environment, these kids are up against all kinds of challenges, I was more concerned with them than anything else,” says Zenon. He continues to use the virtual tools as educational reinforcement and enrichment to extend learning beyond the classroom.
Work From Home Anywhere
With the return of domestic and international travel, working remotely isn’t just working at home. To remain competitive, many employers are offering the option to work from anywhere, and often, at any time. “Flexibility in work schedules and locations have impacted human resources and the entire workforce,” says Steve Kerrigan, assistant vice chancellor of human resources at UNO.
Companies are also able to hire beyond the typical commuting distance to their physical location. However, the legal implications of having a remote workforce spread out across different cities, states and even countries, is still unknown. “Companies are now identifying how the patchwork of different laws in different states dealing with such diverse topics as workers compensation, income taxes and personal leave can disrupt a company’s workforce and bring added legal costs and ramifications,” says Kerrigan.
Romero advises companies to share the boundaries where work must be completed upfront. Internationally, there are data and privacy concerns to address. “If employees are traveling outside of the country, they need to gain approvals to work in an international location, take their company equipment and access company systems and networks while out of the country.”
What’s Next?
Romero cautions against arbitrarily pulling employees back to the office without consideration. He says employees experienced and enjoyed a higher level of autonomy while working remotely during the pandemic. Companies need to be thoughtful about their strategy and include employees in the discussion to avoid disengaging the workforce and creating retention issues.
As Kerrigan looks to the future, “I think the pandemic has taught all of us we can shift into a fully remote workforce where necessary, but overall, most want a combination of in-office work and remote capabilities,” he says.
Among the most important elements of an active and engaged workforce is the focus and access to wellness and safety, both physical and psychological. “Employers of the future will be the ones that create a work atmosphere of inclusiveness, diversity and engagement that provides total rewards – not merely compensation but a package of wages, benefits and culture that enhances and enriches their workforce.”
In a UNO Access The Experts episode, show host Brandon Aksamit featured William Kramer, Ph.D., UNO assistant professor, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, about what teams can do to improve virtual teamwork. Takeaways from the interview include:
1. Do everything you can to mimic face-to-face interaction. Turn on that webcam!
2. Include everyone in discussions and decisions. If leading a meeting, offer the floor to all teammates.
3. Give detailed, thoughtful email responses, making up for the missing nonverbal cues.
4. Be a predictable and engaged teammate. Take control of the narrative around your work and deadlines and be transparent when and if they are missed.
Watch the full Access The Experts interview with Dr. William Kramer