Remote Worker Productivity & The Leadership Relationship

Gretchen Skalka featured in Inc.com article about remote work

Don’t hate the player – hate the game.

Because the data behind the exceptionally misleading headline of this article about remote worker productivity has the master takeaway of ‘leaders’ giving remote workers mixed signals when it comes to what is considered ‘productive’.

Are you kidding me with this?
This is neither new nor newsworthy.

Remote Worker Productivity

What’s at issue isn’t so much 𝘩𝘰𝘸 or 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 actual work is getting done, but rather what is considered productive work in the first place.
Which, in this case, turns out to be adherence to a time-bound schedule.

NOT work accomplished, projects closed, calls made, KPIs achieved, ROI smashed.
Nope.

“… many leaders are sending mixed messages, officially encouraging flexible, remote work while informally signaling that those who stick closest to the old 9-to-5 will get ahead.
The result is the worst of both worlds–the work-life blur and “quick” midnight email checks of remote work without the benefits of autonomy and control over your time. That’s a recipe for burnout and annoyed talent.”

Good friggin’ GRIEF already.
This trash?
STILL?

It has been more than two years since COVID turned the world of work upside down and people were, for all intents and purposes, left to figure it out for themselves.

And they did.

It’s no longer an experiment.
Yet ‘leaders’ treat it like it is, collecting worthless data points to justify an olden-days, 1980s image of what they think ‘work’ looks like.

“More than half of workers (54%) say their colleagues are stuck in old habits, and almost two-thirds of people (63%) believe that management and senior leadership within their organization ‘prefer a traditional culture with employees in the office.’ And when employees can’t be in the office, presenting themselves as ‘online’ is likely seen as the next best thing,” the report says.

Workers reporting on their perceptions of their colleagues work habits?!

Again, are you kidding me with this?
THIS is neither new nor newsworthy.

Nope.

It’s just Cliff the Clockwatcher over in the row of cubicles by the printer having a snit because his department has to be on-site 4 days a week while others can be remote or come in 1-2.

And that’s not even a Cliff problem.

Remote Worker Productivity – A Leadership Problem

That’s a ‘leadership’ problem – or, rather, a lack of leadership problem.

Cut the crap with this already!
It’s 2022. NOT 1982.

If you want to babysit, go manage a daycare.

👉 People who are getting their job done 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗱𝗼𝗻𝗲 regardless of what time it’s happening.

And anyone who feels compelled to 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦 they’re busy isn’t being compelled. They’re being 𝘤𝘰𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 by people in leadership roles who don’t know how to lead.

Don’t hate the player.

Level up your leadership game.

———————–
👋I’m Gretchen

👉I am a career and personal development strategist on a mission to teach you to find what you love without losing yourself in the process.

🎯I create sane strategies that produce serious results.

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