I read an article the other morning claiming the 5 day office week would return in a couple of years. My initial reaction when I heard the news report was “Nuh uh! Not for me! Why would I go back to an expensive commute, less work life balance and smelly London??!”
“Nuh uh! Not for me! Why would I go back to an expensive commute, less work life balance and smelly London??!”
LinkedIn has started throwing up a few opinions and it feels like it’s going to be one of those marmite subjects, so I thought I’d add my two pence!
Obviously, like all of humanity I’m predisposed to instantaneous emotional reactions [read why EIQ may be more Important than IQ to understand], so I sense checked my initial outburst with myself and found I wasn’t far off from my truth.
Personally I don’t want that old office life. It doesn’t suit my age, life choices, family situation etc etc. I felt I was always held hostage by the ‘London wage’ and often hoped for a provincial career that could support my outgoings. But I didn’t want to leave my company, my team or my responsibilities – I really enjoyed all of them.
Then the pandemic came and suddenly everything I wanted was possible. I was able to work remotely, with low-to-no effect on my effectiveness, maintain an income to support my family and regain a better work-life balance. So, yeah, I’m deffo in the pro-remote camp currently.
Obviously though, there are two sides to every story. I’ve been paying attention to the articles and individuals in the opposite camp to me and there are some good points being raised:
- The idea of teams needing to be ‘with’ each other for more fruitiful collaboration.
- The notion that face to face work can make things happen quicker and more efficiently.
- Missing out on those unplanned sparks of ideas that happen spontaneously from random interactions when together.
- On-the-job training through observation needs to have an office based workforce.
And yes, these all hold water. I’ve seen each and every one of these scenarios play out in agency life and absolutely agree with the benefits of them.
I can totally see both sides. I have my personal preference but in no way can I deny the opposition.
So where does that leave me/us?
Well, I guess it’s about, like most things in life nowadays, taking a fluid approach to it. Acknowledging that there maybe occasions where both sides of the coin are required and creating a structure that allows both to be used.
I feel that old rigidity may see organisations and leaders come unstuck. Trying to exert a single will upon a workforce that has experienced an operationally effective freedom will, in my opinion, start to ruin their levels of staff engagement. Removal of choice and trust may be the worst decision leaders can make in the coming months/years.
I really believe that it has to end up as a permanently flexible, case by case choice from teams or indivuiduals. Allow your employees to be the best judge of what makes them perform to their best ability.
How? I hear you say.
Well, employers need to trust.
We need to believe in the people’s natural desire to do good work.
We need to pay attention to, and celebrate, when we see that empowering employees improves results.
We need to understand how, in the past, we may have fallen into controlling or mistrusting approaches and learn how to conquer them.
I talk about these topics with our CEO, Russell, regularly and we are both convinced that we’re witnessing the next evolution in organisational theory play out in front of us. And being interested in the topic anyway, it makes us really excited for the future.