Redefining “Remote Work” Means Redefining Your Business Mindsets
by Brian McKay
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit pretty much every business in every sector, and while we’ve been able to adapt technologies to help us stay afloat, it’s our change of mindsets that has allowed companies to thrive in a post-pandemic world.
One of the first things successful companies did was redefine certain aspects of their business mindsets to fit the ‘new normal’, with remote work and remote teams becoming the norm rather than the exception.
Working from home has always been suspicious for many traditionally minded companies, but with a few key redefinitions of business mindsets, even the most vulnerable companies can survive the ‘new normal’.
Redefine “Management”
One of the key differences between working in an office and working from home is visibility. Specifically, employees who are doing remote work aren’t exactly visible to their managers. Now, understandably, many managers don’t like the idea of at least not having some visual contact with their employees: even micro-managers need to peek around a cubicle once in a while to make sure everyone’s pulling their weight.
But in the post-pandemic world, where remote work is the norm rather than the exception, managers need to understand that the traditional models of management no longer work. Instead, they need to redefine their ideas of management and focus more on output rather than the whole ‘butts-in-seats’ mindset we used to have. At the end of the day, the new normal for management is trusting your employees to do the right thing and trusting them to do their job in the most efficient way possible.
Redefine “Work-Life Balance”
That being said, employees who opt for remote work also need to do some redefinition on their part, specifically their idea of work-life balance. Back in the good ol’ days, work-life balance meant finding a way to share your 24 hours with commuting for hours on end to grind the 9-to-5 in an office and spending time with your family or with yourself (self-care is very important, you know!); basically, it used to be about balancing your time in the office with time in your home life.
But how do you find that balance again when your home life is also your time in the office? Each person will respond to this differently, and of course, it will depend on your workload also, but you need to be able to find time to do household chores, your end-of-day reports, and your artistic endeavors (and yes, you should have one). There’s no one way to do this, but that balance needs to be able to maximize your output, both for the office and for the family, within the 9-to-5 of your office.
Redefine “Communication”
But perhaps the most crucial redefinition managers and employees need to make in the new normal is also the most crucial aspect of any business: communication. Back in the ‘old normal’, bosses could call teams into the conference room and explain themselves in person. Employees could collaborate with teammates by going to their desk and discussing strategies.
But that was the old world.
In the new normal, remote work is not only preferred, it’s the necessity: virtual conferencing has replaced the daily scrums, and instant messaging has replaced office banter (including office gossip!). Some people, however, are finding it hard to deal with virtual screens, but it’s a wake up call for everyone in the corporate world. All of these teleconferencing and chain e-mails and instant messaging is bringing us back to the basics of communication. It has made us redefine what’s important and has made us more efficient. At least, it should do those things.