With the rise of remote working, many organizations have embraced it as a way to improve work-life balance, reduce overhead costs and increase employee productivity. However, despite the potential benefits, remote work is not without its challenges, and some companies are struggling to make it work.
One specific reason why companies fail to work remotely is a lack of communication and collaboration between team members, leading to missed deadlines, confusion and reduced productivity. Below 15 members of businesskinda.com Business Council share more possible reasons why a work from home arrangement fails and how business leaders can fix it to create a culture that truly supports remote work.
Members pictured from left to right.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
Contents
- 1 1. Culture shock
- 2 2. Difficulty changing management habits
- 3 3. Micromanagement
- 4 4. Limited employee autonomy
- 5 5. No framework for collaboration
- 6 6. Lack of confidence
- 7 7. Complicated processes
- 8 8. Disconnected Teams
- 9 9. The “business as usual” assumption
- 10 10. Isolation and burnout
- 11 11. Poor communication
- 12 12. Lack of existing systems
- 13 13. Not being flexible
- 14 14. Limited knowledge sharing and connection
- 15 15. Irrelevance in Business
1. Culture shock
A major reason for failure is culture shock: employees feel unprepared, unsupported or unable to sustain this new way of working. To ensure successful telecommuting within an organization, business leaders must prioritize culture over everything else. This means providing support through training and resources and ongoing opportunities to help everyone adapt to the change. – Ronke Komolafe, Integrated physical and behavioral health alliance
2. Difficulty changing management habits
The main problem with this kind of work is management habits. Some leaders need to talk in person to see and check on people in the office. Most work can now be done remotely. Leaders must build clear communication and task management systems. There are plenty of tools that can help people work remotely, but the key secret is discipline and consistency in implementing the new approach. – Yulia Ponomareva, GetCourse
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3. Micromanagement
Remote work is a high-trust strategy. If your culture relies on micromanagement or timesheet auditing, you will struggle to implement any kind of virtual work option. If you are committed to remote options, try to build more trust with your managers and their staff. Use metrics to make sure things don’t go off track, listen to your team’s needs, and encourage autonomy. – Ian Bouchett, Ledgr
4. Limited employee autonomy
I think leaders need to be clear about the goal and outcome they are seeking from the telecommuter. The employee must decide how to achieve the results most efficiently and effectively. Too often we get stuck in the process instead of just focusing on the outcome we want a team member to achieve. Teleworking is successful when the employee has the autonomy to decide how to do the job. – Angie Noll, Reconciled solutions
5. No framework for collaboration
It is necessary to understand how business processes will be changed and what changes need to be made in the organizational structure. Adopting and creating a good framework for cooperation is crucial. And don’t forget human issues, because it helps people feel involved. – Igor Ryabenki, AltaIR capital
6. Lack of confidence
Trust is one of the biggest challenges organizations face as they transition to true remote work. Building an organization built on trust requires three things: goal setting by both the larger organization and the individual for unity, investment in technology to support an efficient and displaced workforce, and alignment and strengthening the company mission for employees. – Ravi Swaminathan, Task Human
7. Complicated processes
One of the biggest reasons is that “ease of business” is even more important remotely. Customers don’t like filling out 50-page application forms in person. From a distance it is even more important to streamline processes. A world-class product that is hard to sell will sell less than an average product, making it easy for the customer to buy because of the path of least resistance. – Adam Fayed, adamfayed.com
8. Disconnected Teams
A lack of connectivity can occur, so it is critical to ensure that everyone has clarity about the organization’s goals and expectations for achieving them. Managers should foster how the team’s work is connected to the company to build trust and camaraderie. Without a shared vision and action plan, remote teams can be distracted by less effective tactics that may not move the organization forward. – Christine Marvin, Marvin
9. The “business as usual” assumption
A mistake is to assume that it is business as usual. While jobs have not changed to some extent, communication channels have changed significantly as a result of telecommuting, so it is important to create both structured and unstructured opportunities to share information. Virtual watercooler conversations, regular status meetings, and in-person events should all work together to build community and share ideas. – Danielle Levy, Danielle Levy & The Boardroom League
10. Isolation and burnout
Teleworking provides more productivity and flexibility. However, it must be done properly. When employees have back-to-back meetings with no breaks, it can cause isolation and burnout. Consider extra time before and after meetings to allow for natural conversations between colleagues, one-on-one coffee chats, walking meetings, and casual chatting via messaging to build camaraderie. – Sonia Gupta, Change care
11. Poor communication
Communication is key to remote working. I often challenge my team to try to communicate too much because it takes a conscious effort to find opportunities to communicate in a remote environment. You can’t just bump into someone in the hallway or peek to see if the door is open. As a manager I am constantly looking for ways to communicate and to stimulate communication within the team. – Jordan Fischer, Octillo
12. Lack of existing systems
The reason companies fail is because of a lack of existing systems. Remote work often starts out as a novelty or trial to “see how it goes” – but it never will. For remote work to be successful, it must be implemented intentionally. support remote employees and facilitate communication with others, especially if there are employees in the office. Artist Rozentals, DeskTime
13. Not being flexible
One of the reasons companies fail to work remotely is because they lack flexibility in their approach. Draconian one-rule-for-all approaches fail to account for all the different glorious nuances of individuals that make up a team. By celebrating individuality and building a collaborative culture, you create a safe environment designed for people to do their very best work. To be human must come from above. – Andrew Dunbar
14. Limited knowledge sharing and connection
Developing employee skills for home workers is a challenge. For example, every company has a vocabulary and it’s hard to pick that up on Zoom calls. Informal learning over lunch and in the break room is how much knowledge is passed on. People also need to belong, and working remotely blurs that. – Patrick Dwyer, NewEdge wealth
15. Irrelevance in Business
While remote work is a fantastic proposition for productivity, it fails to create connections that lead to innovation. Businesses will fail with 100% remote work because when making the decision to work remotely, they don’t think about innovations needed to keep the business relevant. Organizations should embrace hybrid work, which balances productivity and creativity. – Anjali Sharma, Story: the business of stories
Janice has been with businesskinda for 5 years, writing copy for client websites, blog posts, EDMs and other mediums to engage readers and encourage action. By collaborating with clients, our SEO manager and the wider businesskinda team, Janice seeks to understand an audience before creating memorable, persuasive copy.