Welcome
to my inaugural blog! That's exciting. In the coming weeks, I look forward to
exploring the topic of telecommuting in further detail, and its effect on the
workplace, decision making and managing styles, and workplace culture, among
other topics. I will also explore the changing technologies that are enabling
and encouraging the telework phenomenon. Dilbert will also be a regular
contributor, because his words are both inspiring and revelational.
There is
no doubt that workplace dynamics are evolving. Increasingly, people are no
longer changing their lives to suit the needs of their work, but it's the other
way around. Greater flexibility has become a top
priority, and seamless global communication is a necessity in today's
international business environment. Working from home has evolved from being a
perk to being an expected and completely reasonable part of most jobs. But
let's go back to the age old question -- do people actually work from home like
they say, or is it treated like an undercover day off, with minimal work
productivity and a maximum commitment to doing-anything-and-everything-else?
Common sense would side with the latter -- with all the distractions and
comforts one associates with home, how could any real work possibly get done?
When parents have their children running around demanding attention, and the
television mercilessly beckons you toward mindless daytime shows, how do work
e-mails and PowerPoint presentations even stand a fighting chance? Such logic
makes sense, you'd have to agree, but numerous studies have shown and proven
quite the opposite. With the broad range of personalities and work styles that
exist within any given company, it is safe to say that not everyone values and
thrives in the same type of work environment. This idea that a worker has to
come into a defined space every day and productively work for eight hours at a
stretch is in fact often counterproductive. Think about it -- you most probably
sit in a cubicle, work at a computer, have meetings every so often, and take
bathroom breaks just to have a change of scenery. Introverts and independent
thinkers are thrown into an environment of forced constant collaboration, that
annoying coworker is two cubicles away making inappropriate jokes every two
seconds, and everyone is on their headsets talking over each other in their
respective meetings. Sounds healthy! I'm not saying by any means that in-person
office interaction isn't valuable -- it is indeed, for morale, cohesiveness,
synchronicity. But having a balance is OK, and should be encouraged. Some
people are having a hard time with this culture shift, namely middle
management, because it means having less of a physical watchful eye over
employees, and giving them more autonomy. It's a shift, by all means, but it's
a necessary one.
A Harvard Business Review article that addresses the issue of at-home work productivity
stated that telecommuters were a lot happier and more productive working from
home, and they were less likely to quit and reported higher job satisfaction.
The increased productivity was attributed to a variety of factors, as the article
goes on to say:
"One-third of the productivity increase, we think, was due to having a quieter environment, which makes it easier to process calls. At home people don’t experience what we call the 'cake in the break room' effect. Offices are actually incredibly distracting places. The other two-thirds can be attributed to the fact that the people at home worked more hours. They started earlier, took shorter breaks, and worked until the end of the day. They had no commute. They didn’t run errands at lunch. Sick days for employees working from home plummeted. Search 'working remotely' on the web, and everything that comes up will be supernegative and say that telecommuters don’t work as hard as people in the office. But actually, it’s quite the opposite."
Famously
controversial in the news was when Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer banned working from
home, a bold move that resulted in a lot of kick back from telecommuters around
the country. Mayer defended her decision by saying that while productivity may
be increased when working alone, collaboration and innovation can only happen when
people are together. Yahoo was in need of a culture shift, and that’s the
direction she wanted to take the company. It wasn't meant to be a critique on
the broader idea of working from home, but just what she thought was best for
business at that point in time.
So yes, it’s not always that straightforward, and certain jobs are more conducive to this shift in work style than others. But there is no doubt that these days, companies not only have to think about their bottom line, but creating a culture in which employees feel happy, productive, and free to work in a way that fits their unique mold. And if allowing workers to telecommute once or twice a week is a way to achieve that, then loosen the reins and let go a little, corporate America.
So yes, it’s not always that straightforward, and certain jobs are more conducive to this shift in work style than others. But there is no doubt that these days, companies not only have to think about their bottom line, but creating a culture in which employees feel happy, productive, and free to work in a way that fits their unique mold. And if allowing workers to telecommute once or twice a week is a way to achieve that, then loosen the reins and let go a little, corporate America.
For those of you who enjoy Ted talks, here is a talk that addresses a lot of the same ideas about the value of telecommuting, namely that in the office, workers don't experience a workday, but a series of work moments due to consistent interruptions.
Last but not least, what does Dilbert have to say?
Staying in your nightsuit all day and having groundbreaking conversations with your pup while drinking chai? (Yes, Dilbert totally drinks chai.) I'm in.
No comments:
Post a Comment