Speaking recently with a friend of mine on remote work, he seemed convinced that the vast majority of people currently employed in a remote position ‘weren’t working as hard’ as if they had been back at the office. Meanwhile, across the US, we see companies ‘mandating’ a return to the office; convinced that we can only be productive in a cement square with bad WiFi a 45minute commute away.
It’s an interesting challenge. I know folks from both camps. Do I have friends who diligently sit in their offices at home, doors closed, Spotify playing, churning out code for 8 or 9 hours straight? 100%. Do I also have friends out golfing at 1PM on a Thursday, unbeknownst to their employer – absolutely.
I’m not here to say who is right and who is wrong, or who is more or less productive. To be fair, I’ve seen just as many untirely unproductive people at an office all day as I have incredibly productive people who work off a more…flexible schedule. At the end of the day I think it’s about transparency, accountability, and clear expectations. If you, for example, are expected to build 10 widgets a day, I’m of the opinion that so long as the widgets get built, which hours you use to build them shouldn’t matter. If you, however, only build 6 widgets, or routinely need to build 14 widgets to make up for days past, I think then it’s time for some serious introspection as you are generally failing at your role. It’s an admittedly simple metaphor but an important one.
“Don’t ever let your boss get surprised” was a piece of advice a friend of mine gave me years ago and it’s stuck with me ever since. If you’re expected to be available, be available. If you have an SLA with a customer, meet your SLA. If you have a deadline to build a feature, hit your deadline. Pretty straightforward, right? So why do we allow ourselves to complicate it with questions about where we work or when. So long as you communicate with your employer, do what you say you’ll do, and manage expectations along the way both you and your employer should be set up for success. And while I understand both sides, I think the debate of ‘remote vs in-office’ highlights a glaring trust issue we have with our employees. At it’s core, it’s rooted in micro management, needing to see you working gives us this false sense of security that simply isn’t there. I, admittedly, had to avail myself of that same habit years ago and I’d like to think I’m better for it.
I started off this thoughtstream by saying it’s all about transparency, accountability, and clear expectations. I stand by that, but I also see now that it goes both ways. This is the virtue I mention in the title. Once we’ve got visibility, a common understanding, and a two-way street of communication going, I don’t think it matters whether you are on a plane, a golf course, the corporate headquarters, or the NICU – the work is getting done and both sides are happy.