Not a work-from-home experiment - this is about crisis management
Remote work is not the same as work-from-home. Working from home is not the same as working from home during a pandemic. Many of the remote work manuals out there neglect two very important details:
Your work-from-home equipment and policies are new to everyone, including yourself.
Your remote employees might not be home alone, nor fully focused.
And yet, companies will use the current situation as their litmus test to decide whether “remote work” makes sense for them. Many will come to the conclusion that this did not work, and will be even more reluctant to implement sustainable remote work policies. The thing is: this is not a remote work experiment. This is a crisis response experiment.
Work from home expectations vs reality
There is no lack of advice on how your perfect work-from-home setup should look like. Just check Instagram or Pinterest if you need inspiration. The idea here is that you can choose your perfect space, your preferred chair, the music you like, the temperature that you need, and maybe even the schedule that best matches your energy cycles.
The current reality, for many, looks more like a laptop at the kitchen table, and little options to get an ergonomic chair (or an adjustable standing desk). Work policies continue to operate on meetings and online availability - in some cases virtually monitoring every click the employee is doing on their computers. The lack of written records of past (and present) decisions, and the reliance on tribal knowledge (ask Rachel, she knows) make work feel slow. And suddenly, your remote workers are not only stressed, but also insecure.
Conflicting priorities and overlapping responsibilities
Everyone is home. Everyone. This includes children of all ages, roommates, or parents. Those who are trying to work from home, might also be responsible for keeping the kids entertained, queuing for food and emotionally support those around them. The image of a solitary remote worker concentrating on his work oblivious to the world around him is cute, and inaccurate. Many employees working from home today are expected to also homeschool their kids. The experience, especially for single parents, suddenly looks very different from the flexibility promised by remote work.
Never mind the fact that it is challenging to concentrate on a work task while being exposed to a constant influx of worrying news. While it’s people are dying, closing twitter and logging off your phone is an option. But at this scale, soon it won’t be “people”, but “people I am connected to” that are affected by the virus. Even the most dedicated worker will have a harder time concentrating in this scenario.
It’s not a remote experiment - it’s a crisis response experiment
As a company, you should treat this situation as what it is: a stress test for your processes and protocols. Carefully track what works, and what doesn’t. Notice how information flows when your employees can’t rely on natural encounters over lunch or at the watercooler. Which decisions are postponed? Which decisions are suddenly decided unilaterally? Who is left out that maybe shouldn’t? Who’s included everywhere?
Don’t expect increased productivity, and instead show empathy for those who are hit hardest by these changes. Flexibility in work hours can be a lifesaver for parents. Video calls without video can reduce anxiety for those who don’t want to broadcast their shared bedroom. Show empathy, and make sure your employees do the same.