Читать книгу Diversity, Equity & Inclusion For Dummies - Dr. Shirley Davis - Страница 45

The COVID-19 pandemic changed daily life in a matter of days and weeks. Normal events such as concerts, festivals, graduations, and weddings were cancelled. Travel came to a screeching halt, and places of worship even went virtual.

As dark and disruptive as the global pandemic was, it yielded some very positive outcomes and proven successes for the concept of working virtually and remotely. For years, I had been trying to convince old-school types of leaders that flexible work arrangements were an important practice and benefit that the new generation of talent (across genders, generations, and ethnicities) would expect or even demand as a condition of employment. The constant objections I got were “I need to see them here, butts in seats, so that I know that they’re working” and “I don’t think people will be as productive if they work remotely.” My responses have become a workplace mantra and a common tweet during my training sessions: “Visibility doesn’t equal value” and “Many people quit a long time ago; they just didn’t leave. Just because you see them in the seat doesn’t mean that they’re invested, committed, or engaged.” In fact, employee engagement surveys conducted by Gallup reveal that less than 40 percent of workers worldwide are “highly engaged.”

Look for ways to say yes to requests for working more flexibly versus finding ways to say no. I’ve found that workers perform better when allowed more autonomy, because they don’t want to lose this benefit.

In 2020, a PwC study showed a 52 percent increase in productivity following the shift to remote work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers not only were more productive but also wanted to maintain the ability to work remotely full-time or at least a few days a week when things began to return to normal.

Many companies are now figuring out that working remotely is the future of work — pandemic or not. Some have gone as far as to allow 30 to 50 percent of their workforces to work remotely forever. Others have revised their work-from-home policies to allow for a hybrid workweek such as three days in the office and two from home. A data report by McKinsey & Company suggests that 20 to 25 percent of the workplace in advanced economies across the globe could easily work from home for three or more days a week — that is, if the work doesn’t require being in close proximity to clients and/or colleagues. Employers have come to recognize that remote/virtual working has produced a considerable cost savings for physically based operations.

Remote working isn’t a one size fits all solution. Working from home does have some drawbacks. Employees tend to work longer hours when working virtually, and they tend to experience greater levels of isolation, loneliness, and extra interruptions/distractions (from family members, pets, noises in the neighborhood, and weak Internet connections). Leaders have the added responsibility of figuring out how to lead a remote team and how to maintain a sense of belonging, team comradery, and connection.