Just about every organization is working to improve the employee experience of remote working. As it becomes clear that this pandemic will endure for some time, leaders are working to improve technology access, address mental health challenges and maintain employee productivity. These are the table stakes. Leaders also need to Help Teams Align to ensure that the team can be on the same page and deliver on its most important goals.
While these are great things to focus on, we also need to focus on another kind of ‘remote worker’ to cultivate high-performance culture: people who feel remote. It is great to ask employees how we can improve their remote working experience, however remote working has different forms. There are people in your organization who have felt remote for years, perhaps even if they worked in the office. The good news is that these people have likely been feeling this way for a long time and will be relieved to get your support.
Who are the people who feel remote on your team?
Perhaps members of your team:
- have been working remote for years and see a limited career path relative to their in-office counterparts
- feel that they miss out on critical information, goal review meetings and the ability to develop tight relationships with their peers
- feel that they have less opportunity because of their age, their ethnicity or their gender.
The data is compelling
The people who feel remote, feel disadvantaged. We often see that remote or marginalized workers score lower in the SupportingLines High-Performance Index™️. There is also variation when we break down the results by demographic. A recent study showed that 80% of remote workers feel they face greater challenges than their in-office colleagues, and 61% feel they are missing out on important information.
So what can you do to help employees who feel remote?
The good news is that many organizations are already surveying teams on how they can improve remote work. But they are only getting part of the story. The High-Performance Index™️ helps leaders identify ways to improve both remote working AND identify employees who feel remote or marginalized at the same time. As an added bonus, it is also likely less expensive than your current engagement survey, and actually provides the level of detail you need to cultivate a high-performance culture.
Jeff Smith
Jeff is the Founder & CEO of SupportingLines. He is also a certified Master Corporate Executive Coach, seasoned C-suite business leader and yoga instructor.