How did you decide to return to work after the pandemic: face-to-face or telecommuting? Full-time or occasional? Some love it, some hate it and some seem to like it only moderately.
It’s all about management, communication and leadership. How do you develop your leadership skills from a distance? Managing in-house staff requires more effort on the part of a team manager to keep the team engaged.
According to a VMware Canada – June 2020 survey of teleworking Quebecers (1), we learned that :
- 92% believe that this will radically change the way they work in the future, and that their employer will have no choice but to allow them to telework.
- 8% wish to work only at the employer’s premises
- 62% say they would like to work from home more often in the future, or even 100% of the time.
- 74% say they are more productive
- 60% say it provides a significant advantage in terms of work-life balance
- 64% miss their colleagues, however
- 32% say that the work tools they need are harder to access
- Only 31% of employers have announced an intention to relax teleworking policies
It has to be said that the pandemic has given way to the reluctance employers and employees once had about telecommuting.
- Is this a solution to the labor shortage, in other words, no longer limiting ourselves geographically to find good candidates?
- Is this a solution for expanding your market share?
The question is whether telecommuting is really here to stay. According to a survey conducted by Léger at the end of April 2020, 50% of Canadians were teleworking, and 79% of them liked the experience. In other words, in the eyes of the working population, telecommuting is no longer a negotiating condition, it’s become a way of life.
In an article published on the HEC revuegestion.ca website, it is written that “To maintain their activities, in whole or in part, 38.7% of all Quebec companies declared that they had granted their employees the right to work from home every day of the week as of March 2020. The use of full-time telecommuting then took a considerable leap forward, since by February 2020, only 4% of Quebec companies were granting it to some of their employees.”
“We have to admit that it’s the length of time that has enabled employers to measure the effectiveness of telework, and even to have confidence in it,” believes Marie-Louise Tassé, Senior Consultant at Amyot Gélinas Conseils inc.
If the advantages for professionals of working from home are numerous (work-life balance, better concentration, reduced absenteeism, fewer delays, less stress linked to transport, etc.), so too are the benefits for the employer: the possibility of reducing their operating costs, overheads, reducing workspace (ecological footprint), access to more talented candidates, etc. All of this reinforcing the company’s overall performance. All this reinforces the company’s overall performance.
Many employers are wondering whether they should consider a return to face-to-face working, full-time, part-time or not at all. How should we view the future in the face of this change, which is affecting all businesses?
“That’s why it’s important for employers to think about the implementation of home working after the pandemic, and make sure it’s operationally feasible. We need to ensure that managers are willing and able to manage their teams remotely, and that fairness is respected. As for the employees, they must have a suitable place to work, while complying with health and safety standards. Their performance must be compatible with their family life. Let’s not forget that this type of work is not suitable for all positions.
List of tips and tricks to consider when managing your telecommuting team :
1- Assess your employees’ individual ability to work alone and unsupervised.
2- Stay a manager. Working from home doesn’t mean videoconferencing in your pajamas or “slacker”.
3- Follow up closely; don’t hesitate to give homework.
4- Be organized and offer tools that will help your employees be efficient.
5- Adapt your work schedule. If you work from home, why not suggest that your team start earlier and finish earlier?
6- Not everyone performs in the same way. When telecommuting, you need to know and adapt to everyone’s pace.
7- Despite everything, recognize the need for face-to-face meetings. It’s harder to resign from a boss you know than an employer you don’t know.
8- Don’t skimp on recognition; it’s the foundation of a committed team.
9- Don’t forget that one hour of videoconferencing is equivalent to three hours of face-to-face meetings. Meetings or interviews lasting more than an hour tire you out more quickly. Stay alert.
Connected or cyberdependent?
Not everything is rosy, and the risks of telecommuting are present. Thanks to platforms like Google Drive and various videoconferencing software (Teams, Skype, Zoom, etc.), it’s impossible to dodge meetings or ignore the receipt of work documents. This invaluable IT asset, made possible by a network of interconnected global networks, can easily turn into a drawback if we’re not careful. The danger lies in hyperconnectivity – being connected too much and too often – which can lead to cyberaddiction.
According to pausetonecran.com, 95% of adults in Quebec own at least one of the following devices: personal computer, smartwatch, smartphone, tablet, connected exercise bracelet. The average Canadian uses his or her smartphone for 1 hour 42 minutes a day.
In an article written by Mathieu Fournier for Université Laval’s Exemplaire, it is mentioned that, prior to the pandemic, around 1% of people were considered to be cyberdependent or hyperconnected. It is now estimated that around 18% of the general population is at risk of becoming cyber-dependent or hyper-connected. A cause and effect explained by the amount of time spent in front of the screen, whether for work (employees) or study (students).
Vigilance (for all) is therefore recommended.
- Source : https://bit.ly/3bhCclU
