05.03.

2021 How Remote Work ng Is Reshap ng A Future New World Of Work

WORKING REMOTE | May 4, 2020, 06:52am EDT | 54.159 views

How Remote Working Is

Reshaping A Future New World
Of Work
Bryan Robinson, Ph.D. Contributor
Careers

Working from home has given coworkers a peak into our personal lives. And that's a good thing. GETTY

COVID-19 struck fast and hard. And most of us had to hit the ground
running to accommodate our attitudes and habits as we started working
from home. Sharat Sharan, CEO, President, and Co-Founder of ON24
described it as a tsunami, “While we could see it coming, once it hit, the
pandemic changed business overnight. And when a crisis like this happens,

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the pace of business is totally different. Weeks start to feel like months, and
outcomes are impossible to predict.”

Under these conditions, business leaders had to consider more personal

issues than ever to accommodate parents who are homeschooling and
providing the tech equipment for teleworking. As a result of these
accommodations, attitudes and habits have changed, and things will never
be the same. Experts predict we won’t go back to “normal.” We will go back
to “a new normal,” and that’s not all bad, according to many sources who
cite the unexpected benefits of WFH. But what will that look like?

The Breakdown Of Emotional Barriers

Embedded in the hardships of the lockdown are silver linings that have
sensitized business leaders and employees that can be used for good in the
new work world order. The office-to-home transitions have caused workers
to break down emotional barriers, giving both colleagues and clients a true
lens into who people become once they leave the office—a side many
colleagues never shared previously. Meena Krenek, Principal and Interior
Design Director at global architecture and design firm Perkins and Will in
Los Angeles says we’re sharing more of our personal lives with others. While
not wearing super corporate attire or makeup, often while simultaneously
soothing a fussy child, we’re learning new ways of social engagement with
coworkers and clients that we can take back to humanize our work
environments:

“The landscape of the virtual calls entailed unique experiences from

coworkers’ children participating in our conversations, from cats walking
across keyboards as clients were talking, to getting a virtual tour of their new
workspace at home . . . I believe we are sharing different sides of ourselves.
Our perception of each other seems more genuine, which makes us feel
much more connected and is allowing us to be more comfortably vulnerable.
We are listening harder on thee video calls and developing greater value for

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empathy. We need to continue to inspire, provide mental safety and support

feelings of fulfillment.”

Daniel Stillman, author of the forthcoming book, Good Talk: How to Design
Conversations That Matter, argues that WFH and collaborating remotely is
strangely intimate because we’re peering into coworkers’ homes and getting
a window into their personal lives. He is hopeful that some of this humanity
will stick upon re-entry:

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“Many people hadn't planned to be in this situation, so we're meeting their

pets and their kids, too. But we've also been given an opportunity. Our
default tools and default ways of meeting don't work as well virtually.
Working remotely asks us to be more intentional in how we talk and
collaborate — in this way, we're better able to design the experience in ways
we weren't able to before. I hope people will learn to bring some of these
insights back into how we communicate ‘in real life’ . . . once we can do that
again. My hope is also that we learn that we don't have to get on a plane and
get into the same physical room in order to have an impactful, human
conversation."

As we transition back to our offices, Cara Pelletier, Director of Diversity,

Equity and Belonging at Ultimate Software believes many of the intimate
adaptions we made to remote working can be used to reshape a more
humane workplace:

“The hope is that as our workforce evolves as a result of the crisis, we bring
more empathy to our everyday connections. If things go back to normal for

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most people, we must lean on our WFH experience to remember that

adaptations gave us equal access to participation and productivity. Our
eventual transition back to the office presents an opportunity for us to better
support one another, anticipate the needs of our teams, and pave the way for
a more empathetic and human workplace.”

Krenek observes how social distancing has created a new spatial awareness,
reflected in our body language as we use elbows instead of hands to navigate
the world: “How the elbow is used to touch buttons, the popularity of elbow
bumps, and how the six-foot spacing is being interpreted in queues in public
spaces. The pandemic has created a new way of moving through space, with
a deeper consciousness to what we are touching and how we maneuver
through people and environments, like a choreographed dance.”

Virtual Onboarding And Rise In Teleworking

Scheduling platform Doodle compared meetings that took place between

February 1 and March 1, 2020 to unpack just how much virtual meeting
habits have changed as a result of the Coronavirus. In March, Doodle
reported a 42% increase in the number of virtual meetings—inclusive of
both Group meetings and 1:1 meetings—created by Doodle premium users
compared to the same period in February. In March, a total of 1,309,165
minutes of meetings were booked on Doodle. And at least 11% of those
minutes were spent in virtual meetings in March.

Studies are predicting an increase in remote working as part of the “new

normal.” A survey conducted by Amdocs queried 2,000 consumers
regarding their opinions on future 5G experiences (the fifth generation of
wireless communications technologies supporting cellular data networks)
and found that 35% of respondents believe the technology will lead to better
video conference options, 32% anticipate better video training and
development opportunities, and 61% said 5G will create more opportunities
to work remotely with ubiquitous success. According to Anthony
Goonetilleke, Group President, Media, Network and Technology at Amdocs,
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the trend of remote work continues to grow at a rapid pace and will play a
critical role in supporting next-generation work forces by breaking down
barriers between the physical and virtual workplaces.

But despite a surge in virtual meetings, a new Doodle survey of 300 HR

professionals found that they are ill-prepared to transition to a fully virtual
recruitment and onboarding model amidst COVID-19. The findings showed
remote meeting tools are the lowest priority in HR budgets. And HR
professionals are struggling to make remote workers feel like part of the
team but find it difficult to integrate remote workers into company culture.

Leadership And Empathy From Afar

Traditionally, business leaders have argued against the concept of WFH due
to productivity concerns and tactical problems that limit a supervisor’s
ability to observe and coach employees. According to Josh Feast, CEO and
Co-founder of the software company, Cogito Corporation, supervisors
are forced to find innovative ways to connect with and manage workers from
afar, but it can be accomplished:

“Supervisors can effectively support employees from a distance, by ensuring

their colleagues feel heard and know they are not alone. Exhibiting
heightened sensitivity to emotional intelligence – particularly in a time
where physical isolation has become a necessity – is vital. Human-to-human
connections still matter . . . it’s important to go beyond just mindlessly
asking how your employees are doing, especially when supervisors can’t
simply pass by desks and wave hello. To ensure everyone feels fully
supported – emotionally – supervisors must set up alternate methods of
oversight. Fortunately, technology is now more human-aware and can aid us
in these efforts to remain connected and lead with empathy.”

Alice Hricak, Managing Principal of Corporate Interiors at Perkins and Will,

agrees. She believes WFH is showcasing new ways of working and habits
debunking old ideas that it leads to low productivity, less visibility and little

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opportunity for collaboration: “When adequate home infrastructure and

employer-provided tools are in place, the concern about privacy and the
need for a dedicated space ‘at the office’ can be eliminated . . . This could
include establishing teams that are better suited for working from home and
finding a balance of working from home and physical office time. Employers
will need to be patient with this flow back to the office, understand
individuals’ work styles and support their productivity. This greater
understanding of bringing your ‘whole self to work’ and understanding
personal circumstances will likely need to be considered and curated.”

Corporate heads are speaking out more about their concerns for employee
mental health as it relates to stress and anxiety, which is a shift for many
business leaders. Joe Lallouz, CEO and Co-founder of technology platform
Bison Trails, points out that people aren’t just choosing to work from home.
They have to work remotely because of the global health crisis. And if you’re
going to reduce people’s stress and anxiety about a shift in the way they
work, it’s important to try to make them feel more comfortable, and a little
empathy goes a long way:

“The most important thing that CEOs and their leadership teams need to do
is recognize that this can be very difficult for their teams. Exercising extra
patience and empathy is probably the most important thing that anyone in a
leadership position can do in an organization. Remember to give people the
actual time it takes to adjust to these work style shifts . . . Arm your team the
way you can by providing them with the information and resources they
need, not just for their physical well-being, but also for their psychological
and mental well-being.”

And ON24’s corporate head Sharan told me that black swan events like
COVID-19 are the ultimate trials of leadership and business sustainability,
suggesting that leaders find outlets to stay calm because your personal
health and energy are passed down to your team: “After the great recession,
I started meditating and now begin every day with 12 minutes of meditation.

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That routine has helped me stay mindful, pragmatic and put out positive
energy. In the midst of a crisis, you need to personally embody the attitude
that you want your team and your own business to demonstrate.”

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Bryan Robinson, Ph.D.

I am the author of 40 non ction books, including #CHILL: TURN OFF YOUR JOB AND
TURN ON YOUR LIFE (William Morrow) and the long-selling CHAINED TO THE DESK: A
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