{"id":33760,"date":"2022-01-07T07:51:13","date_gmt":"2022-01-07T12:51:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/?p=33760"},"modified":"2023-02-01T13:59:22","modified_gmt":"2023-02-01T18:59:22","slug":"having-trouble-embracing-remote-work-you-need-to-overcome-these-3-limiting-beliefs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/blog\/having-trouble-embracing-remote-work-you-need-to-overcome-these-3-limiting-beliefs\/","title":{"rendered":"Having Trouble Embracing Remote Work? You Need to Overcome These 3 Limiting Beliefs"},"content":{"rendered":"
The rise of remote and hybrid work<\/a> offers an opportunity for leaders to overhaul how their organizations operate, improving life for employees and realigning with the fast-paced realities of today\u2019s market.<\/p>\n Companies that embrace the new world of work are reaping the benefits. For instance, they\u2019re able to attract a significantly larger talent pool. A recent report found that employers that fail to offer remote work will be passed over by 58 percent of candidates.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWhy are some organizations wildly successful? It\u2019s not by doing the same things they\u2019ve been doing for the last few decades,\u201d says Amy Lescke-Kahle, vice president of performance acceleration at The Marcus Buckingham Company, an ADP Company. \u201cIt\u2019s because they\u2019ve acknowledged and adjusted to the changes to work, the world and the market.\u201d<\/p>\n Some leaders are having trouble letting go of the old order. This is understandable, as change can be scary. Or maybe they\u2019ve found success doing things a certain way and don\u2019t see a reason for experimenting\u2014a cognitive bias called functional fixedness<\/a>, where you reject improved practices or frameworks in favor of the status quo.<\/p>\n To move forward, these leaders need to reexamine their beliefs around work and how they measure employees.<\/strong> Some of the most pervasive myths or limiting beliefs that need busting include:<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have a world of mediocre, yet our whole approach to employees is based on the idea that people are broken, they\u2019re OK at best and need to be fixed,\u201d Leschke-Kahle says. \u201cThere\u2019s so much innate, amazing talent inside of organizations that sits latent.\u201d<\/p>\n The best thing you can do in a remote setting is to simply trust your people. Yet many leaders are going in the opposite direction, using tracking software to keep an eye on employee activities.<\/strong> The 2021 ADP Research Institute People at Work report found that 62 percent of workers say they\u2019re being more closely monitored than ever before.<\/p>\n \u201cThe No. 1 responsibility of a leader is to recognize the talent they have and amplify it,\u201d Leschke-Kahle says. \u201cYet so many leaders spend their time on meaningless productivity measures\u2014productivity should be mapped onto results, not hours worked.\u201d<\/p>\n Studies have shown that the traditional approach to collaboration\u2014with people gathered in the same room\u2014isn\u2019t always the most effective method for generating good ideas. A few people end up dominating the conversation, leaving introverts and junior team members behind. In fact, a concept called Bartleby\u2019s Law says that meetings waste 80 percent of the time for 80 percent of attendees.<\/strong><\/p>\n Asynchronous communication<\/a> and collaboration, necessary elements of remote work success<\/a>, help solve this problem. When collaboration doesn\u2019t always happen in person (or over videoconference), you remove the on-the-fly pressure and end up getting more input from more people.<\/p>\n The in-person environment can also give rise to a less-than collaborative spirit. A recent ADP Research Institute study<\/a> comparing 9,000 remote, on-site and hybrid workers in the U.S. found that on-site workers rated their teams as less collaborative and supportive and more gossipy and cliquish than their remote counterparts.<\/p>\n \u201cThose factors can get in the way of true collaboration,\u201d says Leschke-Kahle. \u201cWhen we force people to be collaborative in a certain way, we may not be getting their best work\u2014we need to make room for people to contribute in other ways.\u201d<\/p>\nShed These 3 Limiting Beliefs To Finally Embrace Remote Work<\/h2>\n
Myth 1: Employees Need Babysitting<\/h3>\n
Myth 2: In-Person Collaboration Is Always The Most Effective<\/h3>\n
Myth 3: Remote Work Just Adds Another Layer of Organizational Complexity<\/h3>\n