How The Pandemic Has Rewired Our Definition of Success
The New Workstyle
For many people, the last two years have been a grand experiment in what it looks like to work from anywhere. Seemingly overnight, in the spring of 2020, we went from just 5% of people working remotely to more than 50% working from home (WFH), and it’s been holding steady since. Of course, working remotely is not a feasible reality in all industries, and it is undeniably more prevalent in office-based professions, specifically in higher-wage, highly skilled roles. However, the impacts of dismantling the traditional office have been felt by more than just those who gave up their commute. These monumental shifts have redefined what “normal” means and recalibrated our collective notion of what’s possible in relation to work.
If you think this new workstyle is just a phase, the reality might be sobering. Many of these companies have found that a remote and hybrid approach to work is working! Overall, in the US, work from home productivity has reported to be equal to or higher than in-person work. While some companies initially experienced a dip in productivity in 2020 amid the upheaval and uncertainty, WFH productivity has rebounded in 2021. With this shift, companies are also experiencing a reduction in overhead expenses, and perhaps ironically, as more managerial tasks have increasingly become automated and embedded into technology, many leaders and managers have said that they’re able to focus on relationships and deepening connection with and between colleagues.
Redefining Success
Within all of this, the most important and revolutionary discovery is the significant percentage of employees who deeply appreciate this new workstyle. Studies are increasingly showing that freedom, flexibility, and greater autonomy have become the dominant priorities when it comes to what employees are wanting and looking for. In fact, a recent survey by Ivanti of more than 4,500 office workers from around the world revealed that 70% would pass up a promotion for the opportunity to work from anywhere.
Collectively, we have reprioritized what is important and reinvented what’s possible. WFM has enabled employees to save both money and time by not having to commute, and 43% of employees who went remote say their work/life balance has improved. Of course, there have been some drawbacks, including feelings of isolation, struggling to communicate and collaborate as effectively when remote, and the fact that working from home can come with noise and distractions for some. Yet, the data shows that even with these drawbacks, people don’t want to return to pre-pandemic norms. In the same Ivanti study, nearly 9 out of 10 (87%) said that they don’t want to return to working from the office full time, and the majority of those surveyed (42%) want a hybrid approach. The shifts forced upon us by the pandemic seem to have rewired our collective definition of “success”. While many CEOs and leaders don’t share these preferences about how work should be approached in the future, the bottom line is remote and hybrid workstyles are here to stay. Flexibility around how, where, and when people work is becoming increasingly desired and expected from employees, and companies are innovating and adapting to this shift in real time.
As we move away from the in-person norms of the last century in favor of unboundaried offices, we must also acknowledge how this is dramatically impacting talent retention and reshaping the hiring landscape. We’re seeing the new definition of success play out with the Great Resignation. Employees are not only valuing flexibility and comfortable pay over promotions and pay increases, they’re actively seeking out workplaces that support their overall well-being. People are no longer willing to remain at workplaces with toxic, abusive cultures, and workers are demanding more from their employers at every level.
Retaining Talent
Employees are an organization's biggest asset. If you are worried about retaining your best people, don’t make decisions about remote work policies in a vacuum - start by listening to what your people are asking for. Leaders who do this and adjust their company’s policies accordingly will ultimately win the talent war. Rather than worrying about how to bring your people back to the office, put that energy toward improving your employees' experience and making sure they have the tools they need to do their best work and the perks they need to thrive. Those who enforce a more archaic approach will likely see their retention rates suffer - as many as 1 in 3 employees say they will quit their job if forced to return to the office full time.
Remote & Flexible Work Promotes Diversity & Equity
The ability to work 100% remotely has the potential to revolutionize who a company can hire by significantly increasing the talent pool that a company can hire from. If living in proximity to an office location is no longer a prerequisite for employment, the talent pool you can tap into grows exponentially wider. This shift has the potential to support businesses hiring a more diverse workforce because geography is no longer a limiting factor.
Remote work promotes diversity in other key ways as well. While no one misses long commutes, they were especially challenging, if not impossible, for people with physical disabilities. For these employees, having the option to work from home in a work setting adapted to meet their needs will allow them to experience far less stress and focus on contributing meaningfully to their team.
While some miss the casual conversations and encounters that can happen when working in the same location, and feel that limiting these opportunities will hurt relationship building, that feeling is not felt by all. For employees from more marginalized groups, being able to work remotely actually alleviates the stress and burden of code-switching that, for non-white employees, has long been part of the strategy of surviving a traditional office setting. Remote work alleviates the pressure to present themselves in certain ways by giving employees greater control over their surroundings.
Social dynamics should not influence promotions, pay increases, or bonuses - but sadly, this has been the norm for far too long. The good news is things seem to be changing with the remote and hybrid workstyle. Since virtual interactions are typically more focused than co-located work, this can allow for productivity, individual contributions, work ethic, skill, and output to have increased visibility. When work happens in a hybrid or remote fashion, it’s no longer the loudest and most extroverted employees who take center stage, and more introverted and/or marginalized employees have a greater opportunity to shine.
We are in the midst of this transformation, and big changes are happening quickly. Remote and hybrid approaches to work come with challenges and opportunities, but its ongoing growth is undeniable. Regardless of the remote or hybrid approach workplaces settle on, the most important shift is treating employees like human beings, not parts of an engine. As companies adapt to meet the demands of talent in this new power dynamic, let’s hope that increased empathy, humanity, and mutual prosperity become key components of how we redefine success.
