Businesses and people are adjusting to a post-pandemic world. Since 2020, the workforce has had to shift essentially overnight to accommodate remote working after many cities and countries went into lockdown. Remote work illuminated a potential future of work culture that would allow for greater flexibility, greater work-life balance and greater productivity. 

While some companies have fully embraced remote work, some company executives have been hesitant to permanently make the switch to remote work. Some have even gone so far as to mandate employees back into office, much to the dismay of their employees. As companies struggle to decide a way forward, here are some things to consider.

Flexibility

Workers want to be able to work where they want to work and live where they want to live. They do not want to have to choose one or the other, now that they know it’s possible to have both. Companies that dictate in-office work will see a massive talent drain over time. In a study I conducted with over 1,000 participants in the US and Canada, 66% of people surveyed said they wish they could work from home or already do. When companies make policies that go against what the majority of people want, they risk losing long-term, great employees and risk turning away great potential candidates.

Remote work setup 

While remote work is great and can save companies money, there are costs associated with setting up your team to be successful remotely. When you have computer issues, you cannot go down the hall to the IT team and have them look at it. 

There are also additional physical and mental health considerations. It is a lot easier to be more sedentary when you work from home, which can take a toll both physically and mentally. Having an HR department that understands that and makes genuine attempts to incentivize their team to take breaks, go on walks and get up moving throughout the day can help people and their long-term health. Something to consider is having your company reimburse gym memberships, either partially or fully.

Training and Socialization

Most people are not used to working remotely, even if they gained two year of pandemic experience as a remote worker. It is crucial to train people how to work and operate by themselves. If your company has opted for a hybrid option, it is also important to set up a hybrid engagement team model to drive collaboration and partnership, so they never feel alone on their island. Employees that feel alone can experience increased anxiety and feelings of isolation, which can contribute to an overall negative work culture. Establishing weekly team meetings just for friendly check-ins, taking time to reach out to your team members on a regular basis and prioritizing collaborative work when appropriate can create and nourish your company’s culture, even if your team is thousands of miles apart. 

If possible, try to have an in person event at least once a year to get everyone together, face to face, along with regular virtual team social time. Even with completely remote teams, it’s greatly beneficial to meet in person occasionally and keep that energy and physical connection. When I worked in EMEA we were all remote, but quarterly we had a big trip together to discuss business and have fun, this is so important for fully remote or really any teams. This can speak volumes about how your company prioritizes work culture and your employees. This also can go a long way in showing your team that you prioritize them and value them as people and as workers.

Leadership

It is not enough to enable a flexible working environment, you must also enable career growth remotely too. Long-term growth is a key component to overall business success, and encouraging your team to excel and promoting the employees that do can be more straightforward when you see employees everyday. Creating new, remote-driven metrics for internal promotion can do this. This boils down to open communication between leadership and the team. Executives need to facilitate open communication and regularly engage with their team in some way. You do not want to be only contacting your employees when there is bad news.

Companies that want to get ahead and thrive in a post-pandemic world need to embrace remote and hybrid options for their employees. Embracing flexibility will allow your company to keep current employees and hire the best candidates in an evolving and digitized world. At the same time, companies also must readily anticipate new challenges that come with the benefits of remote or hybrid work, and address them head on if they are to remain successful in the long-term.