The ability for employees to work from home is the new normal for many corporate leaders. In order to be successful, we must adapt to the paradigm shift. The chance to do so is prevalent; companies simply must learn how to seize the opportunity.
As a global expert in remote teams and hybrid working, I know that first, one must take into consideration that there are many destructive stereotypes. These include that those who work from home are “lazy” and “take advantage of their circumstances.
” This is broadly inaccurate and, in almost all cases, could not be further from the truth. I speak and work with corporate leadership teams around the globe; executives typically are more worried about their virtual employees having poor work-life balance and burnout.
The problem, far from laziness, lies within the reality that lines between work and home life can become blurred quickly, and employees often don’t know how to properly structure their days to take care of themselves – often what they are making a last priority.
I can confidently attest that there are so many incredible individuals who are producing exceptional work from their home office; it is generally demoralizing to claim that this is not the case. The remarks of Alan Sugar, Elon Musk, and the like are something that creates a false narrative and hurts the success of quality knowledge workers and the growth of businesses.
Though there are highly skilled and motivated employees who can work from home effectively without strong guidance, the full potential is always left untapped in this setting. As a result, the ability to instruct a team and provide them with the tools and capabilities that they need falls on their leaders.
From my years of experience and expertise, I have found that there are five key themes to the core skills a corporate leader must possess. This includes trust and connection, setting a clear vision and expectations, collaboration, communication, and career development. Combining these aspects with knowing how to hire the right people for each position creates an incredibly effective approach.
The full details of this approach are covered in my book, Effective Remote Teams, where I show executives the full potential that a remote team can bring to the table.
Once the stage has been set by the leaders in this way, quality work from exceptional employees typically follows.
As a result, I have found that an emphasis on “outcomes over hours” is a vital next step. Embracing this philosophy can lead to amazing productivity being achieved from virtual teams, and in turn, the company and employees can be rewarded.
Adopting these strategies leads to a reality in which individuals do not reach burnout, expectations are exceeded for businesses, and freedom for employees is at an all-time high. What more could be asked for?
Incredible things can happen when leaders are evolving, and employees are empowered. This is why continuing the conversation about remote work is so vital, and businesses should pursue the opportunity to construct Effective Remote Teams whenever possible.
About Tina Paterson
Tina Paterson is a master of efficiency, helping leaders to navigate the complexity of working with remote teams. Author of the new book Effective Remote Teams, Tina has helped teams of over 10,000 members to navigate this new world of working remotely while maintaining a healthy work/life balance. With her proven steps and processes, these remote teams are actually MORE effective and efficient with more free time for their family and personal lives.
