How do you frame a conversation and assess your readiness to Work from Home?
From the Unprecedented to a New Normal
COVID-19 changed how we view work in many ways. You may be among the millions around the world thrown into the deep end to "try" Working from Home (WFH). It may have started for you as an emergency response, an exception, and now it just might be the new normal.
In early May 2020, Facebook and Google announced that the majority of their employees can be expected to work from home until the end of the year. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey expect "employees will be able to work from home permanently even after COVID-19."
What has become obvious is that years of hesitation and resistance to adopt flexible work arrangements have suddenly been "proven wrong" and that working from home is a viable option. But have we? The fact that it CAN work doesn't automatically conclude that the transition is going to be seamless.
The question is, are you ready? How would you know? To assess our readiness for the "new normal", let's unpack this using a simple framework of People, Process, and Technology.
Technology Readiness
The easiest place to start is to assess technological readiness. We know that technology played a central role to enable employees to quickly become productive from home.
Companies who made heavy investments in mobile technology like laptops, mobile apps and tools, cloud-based systems, etc were able to get their employees productive very quickly. This did not happen overnight and they were the result of years of investment. Cloud-based solutions probable meant that capacity can be ramped up to meet the surge in demand to enable the urgent need to keep the business going while "lockdown" at home.
On the other hand, companies who did not make that transition, this is an opportunity to leapfrog and take advantage of the fast-improving technology landscape. It will take some time, and a lot of courage to take that next step forward.
One glaring gap, that technology experts are paying close attention to, is the fact that home offices are rarely set up with the same level of security rigour that your business premises. In the field of cybersecurity, we know that we are only as good as our weakest link. I am sure experts are looking at this as we speak!
Process Readiness
The conversation about readiness, particularly around sustainability and reliability, is very tightly coupled with the question of process maturity. Many things can be done as an exception, or for a short period of time, but the lack of process maturity will eventually expose the cracks. If processes are not repeatable and measurable, trying to operate it in a low human touch environment is like trying to switch channel on your TV with a faulty remote controller. There will be many frustrating moments and the faults will be exposed.
To enable work from home, it is useful to understand if we know that the business processes can be executed consistently and repeatably. It is probably less emotional when we spend time fixing the process than to think of it as a people issue.
Since technology plays an important role in automating processes, a high degree of business process digitalisation will provide some insight into your process maturity. Doing this well will save you a lot of frustration down the line.
People Readiness
Last, but certainly not least, will be the assessment of people readiness. We are talking about human beings after all and the readiness goes beyond physical readiness but also the emotional readiness to transition into this new normal.
Culture Shifts
The only thing of real importance that leaders do is to create and manage culture. The unique talent of leaders is their ability to understand and work with culture; and that it is an ultimate act of - Edgar Schein
The culture at work and how it impacts business behaviours (office norms) takes years to evolve; even when we spend a large part of our work-day together. To do this with a significant part of the team working remotely is going to stretch the way we communicate and connect. It is important for leaders to consider work culture is about to change.
“When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated.” ~ Brené Brown.
For most, there is a distinction between office and home; what is considered private life and work. It challenges our concepts around privacy and boundaries. The physical working hours in the office allow us to, at least psychologically, "clock out" from work. There is a sense of control and normalcy when we are able to "return to a private life".
Organisations can set themselves up for success by practices that clearly map out acceptable boundaries and hold themselves accountable to enforce them across the organisation. In doing so, they are demonstrating respect.
Change is a process
This change can be an emotional rollercoaster. Even if the changes are necessary and logical, it is important that we recognise that changes affect each person in a unique way. Faced with a novel virus, there is a mood of uncertainly and fear that affects the people around you in different ways.
Leaders, as coaches, can do well when we acknowledge these emotions and support their individuals through this process; without judgement or bias. In doing so, I belief another positive outcome would be the increase in Trust.
The Trust Equation
Building trust is such an important part of organisational and professional efficiency. I was introduced to the Trust Equation by my former boss and it is a very useful way to frame the discussion around Trust.
All things being equal, what changes when changing the work environment would be the impact that it might have on Intimacy and Self Orientation. The mood that we currently experience and the added physical separation can impact Intimacy, the sense of emotional security.
During these difficult times, we experience a lot of fear. It is conceivable that some might retreat to self-preservation mode or at least the clarity in which we can perceive the Self-Orientation of others can change due to physical separation.
“Whether you’re on a sports team, in an office or a member of a family, if you can’t trust one another there’s going to be trouble.” ― Stephen M.R. Covey, The SPEED of Trust
WFH: Are you ready?
Clearly, the transition to WFH requires a lot of work for organisations to invest in the right technology infrastructure, accelerate business process maturity and address people behavioural competencies in order to work well and be sustainable. In other words, we need leaders and we need to accelerate our leadership capacity to manage change.
Working from home offers many attractive benefits for organisations and the people that work there. We can eliminate hours from our commute time, be available and support family needs, opportunities to work from wherever you need to be (like spending a couple of weeks with your kids to help them settle into university studies abroad). In other words, we don't have to be caught in a difficult decision between sacrificing career and life. I am hopeful that when we do this right, companies can attract and retain talents that will be highly engaged, resilient and agile. Working from home is part of the conversation that we can have to set us on the road towards organisational transformation and growth.
I hope the framework of People, Process and Technology can be a useful tool to frame your conversations. I look forward to new operating models that can create meaningful change in a highly volatile world.
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