Meeting the needs of a remote workforce
By building connections across the digital divide, HR leaders can spot issues and develop solutions that benefit the holistic workforce.
It’s been one year since the global pandemic forced many businesses to take their workplaces virtual. Chatting via screens has become commonplace, but managers especially have faced new challenges in managing their employees when they can’t meet in person. These challenges have forced managers to become more present and creative as they seek to provide workers with what they need.
Related: Adapting employee benefits for a remote world
The learnings from this past year can inform workforce strategy, as the post-pandemic world of work continues to take shape. To plan for the needs of a workforce that might remain remote or transition to a hybrid environment, HR professionals must have the skills to connect across any virtual divides. It’s those connections that can reveal common trends and lead to solutions that can benefit the holistic workforce.
Identifying needs through a screen
When teams are working together in a shared workplace, it’s often easier for leaders to recognize when employees have certain needs, either personal or professional. In a traditional eight-hour workday, employees likely had multiple interactions, from meetings and brainstorms to lunches and coffee breaks. In that environment, leaders were afforded more time to notice and intervene on potential issues. Plus, there are simply more eyes to take notice or report when someone has an issue that could be helped by a manager.
When the only interactions managers and workers now have involve brief moments on a screen, managers have to pay closer attention so they can continue to spot issues and provide their employees with tailored support.
One of the best pieces of management advice is to make a connection with an employee – and video chatting actually helps facilitate that process in a remote setting. Being able to see into people’s homes offers a different kind of intimacy than working together in a workplace. People’s lives are literally on display. You might see any number of items in the background, such as books you’ve wanted to read, exercise equipment or gear from an alma mater. Making a comment on video that leads to a connection might not be the same as grabbing a coffee for a quick chat with a co-worker, but by really concentrating on what people are experiencing right now, and being present within those conversations, managers have a viewpoint into the support employees need to thrive.
Take for example a potential employee who has children regularly popping into the frame during meetings. Those dynamics you’re witnessing can reveal the type of support that employee might need. What childcare benefits or support can your business provide to alleviate the pressure for parents? Consider another employee whose surroundings might look in continuous disarray, and who can’t quite reach their usual energy level on calls. How can you support the portions of your workforce that might be experiencing burnout? In order to intervene, you must be present and attentive during those virtual moments.
Creating a workplace that works
As companies plan for a return to the workplace, they’ll have to consider a combination of factors, including business needs, safety concerns and the individual comfort levels of their employees. Some workers will be eager to get back to the office, while others will understandably be hesitant. Many companies are likely, at least initially, to take a hybrid approach, with a limited number of employees returning to the office on scheduled days, for example. As circumstances continue to change, businesses will need to remain flexible in their approach to bringing employees back to the workplace, accommodating employees who might be contending with new childcare arrangements, care for relatives or other variables that might impact their readiness and sentiment toward returning to their former routines.
For many companies, working from home became an immediate business necessity in response to the global health event. Businesses without flexible work policies had to quickly set parameters and build a program that could ensure business continuity and sustain productivity and employee engagement. As the experiences of the past year shape the future workplace, many workers have an expectation that these more flexible work-from-home policies will remain in effect even after health concerns begin to subside. According to a recent study from the ADP Research Institute, “Workforce View 2020: Post- COVID-19,” 44% of employers now have official flexible working policies in place, up from 24% pre-COVID-19. In fact, the study revealed most workers (65%) are upbeat about the flexibility of opportunities they will have in the future.
Businesses are recognizing not only the short-term necessity of these offerings, but the long-term appeal for employees. ADP data shows employer calls for guidance on flexible work and pay options rose 116% year-over-year, indicating their desire to develop and implement policies that will bring greater flexibility to their workforce. Additionally, we are continuing to see the trend of personalization across the employee and employer experience shape expectations of the post-pandemic workplace.
As the future workplace continues to take shape, it will be important for both employers and employees to embrace challenge as opportunity and remain both present and flexible. The employers that successfully navigate the new world of work will be the ones with plans as dynamic as the world we all live in.
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