In March 2020, our preconceptions of office work got shaken up. The idea of working from somewhere else had been the exception for most employees. Then suddenly kitchen tables and spare rooms became the norm. But the most important factor didn’t change: the mindset.
Smart companies changed their operating model to embrace the change.
Most of the others simply shifted what they did in the office to remote locations, warts and all, and made it worse by adding layers of checks. They missed the opportunity to change habits, behaviours, and processes. Companies with no inbuilt flexibility for change, experienced disruption, loss of productivity as well as confused and overworked employees.
Leaders who always looked down on the concept of not working in an office didn’t have any choice. Those who applied the labels of ‘not-committed’ and ‘lazy’ to remote workers, couldn’t do it anymore. Employees who relied on office routines and interactions, had that structure taken away and were left with the need to develop new habits, maybe for the first time.
It’s not too late for companies to kick start difficult conversations and question their approach to work, motivation, and management style. As we start moving back to physical offices, the problem is going to get even bigger since the new hybrid model is going to be even more complex to manage.
I believe shake-ups are good. For people and companies. Getting out of a habit and considering alternative perspectives is the basis of innovation and success.
As a behavioural change expert, I never advise changing too much too quickly. Instead, I propose starting with two changes related to issues of trust and productivity. They are also balanced, including our emotional and rational human nature.
Trust is anchored in emotions. Some people are naturally trusting, while others seem unable to get into this emotional brain state. I have observed too many instances of the latter and the effects on team performance. Managers unwilling to trust people unless they see them at their desks, on the phone, or sitting in a meeting. Managers not realising — or ignoring — that people are merely keeping busy rather than adding real value. While in the office, they see people getting stuff done, and are reassured of their management capabilities. But this disappears once everybody is in their own homes. This change is unsettling. It can hit you at the core, whether you are aware of it or not. The fundamental issue for some managers is not having the knowledge and capability to navigate a trust-based working environment.
On the rational side, there is productivity. It is intertwined with trust: a working environment based on trust and autonomy engenders higher motivation and productivity. Productivity is also a bugbear of the British economy. Most office work falls through the cracks of how to measure productivity. This leaves untrusting managers in a greater quandary. He may have measured productivity by the number of hours people work, but now he can’t see them. They may be out walking the dog, playing with the kids, or clearing out sheds and cupboards. The quick fix is endless Zoom / Teams calls, just to ensure people are kept busy. The fundamental issue is some managers may not have the training or tools to devise better ways to measure their team productivity.
None of this is a criticism of managers, rather a call for the knowledge, tools and confidence to enable managers to succeed in the new world of work.
We need a mindset change to create trust and increase productivity.
On trust, there is only one way. Reframe the mindset and let go of the illusion you can control people. It won’t be easy for many managers, but they are in a position of authority and have the responsibility to take the first step. This change is emotional because our rational brain, set on gathering and analysing cues, will never reach a state of trust. Let’s also consider that people get out of bed to do a good job. Trust should be the basis of the working relationship.
On productivity we need better measures, even if counting hours worked is easier. It requires taking an alternative perspective. Consider both targets and natural preferences, some people are more creative in the mornings while others in the afternoon, some are great group contributors while others think better in solitude. Also remember that someone in a flow state, working very focused for 2 hours, may add more value than a distracted person in 8 hours.
This is not about telling managers to change their ways and habits. The responsibility starts with leaders to instigate these changes to give managers the tools to succeed in a more fluid and complex working environment.
My purpose is to inspire people to take an alternative perspective, in life and business. This is my website for more information about my work.
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