Rethinking Remote work: again
Virtual work has been going through a shift for over forty years. I know, it’s hard to believe that anything before the 2000s counts. But there were hopes and dreams for flexible hours and work-from-home initiatives as early as the 1970s—they were fringe, but they were there.
In 2015, Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg announced that her company would require vendors with more than 25 employees to pay a $15 minimum wage, offer fifteen days paid time off, and, if they don’t provide paid family leave, a $4,000 benefit for parents of new children. That same year New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called for a “Progressive Agenda to Combat Inequality” through, in part, a $15 minimum wage, paid sick days, and subsidized child care. Those things did have a progressive ring, but as a cynical GenXer and not much of a Sandberg fan, the announcement seemed more like a not-so-thinly veiled announcement to keep the momentum of her tone-deaf book Lean In (2013) and the fake feminist movement behind it, which she later admitted she didn’t get right.
Today, people create movements around themselves and their punchy life advice, offering fast fixes to complex, systemic problems. Focusing on self-serving goals of profit or re-election fails to adequately capture a time's ethos, heart, and soul. In this case, the message needed to be bigger than these individuals ’ campaigns. It needed to outlive them.
The movie 9-to-5 is a 43-year-old comedy that remains beautifully, stubbornly, enduringly, and depressingly relevant—years after our grandmothers, mothers, and my colleagues and I now pound our fists to its music. The movie was a very effective “press announcement” of a movement that began in 1973 and became the anthem for the women’s movement up to #MeToo—because it was bigger than any single figure of the movement itself. The National Association of Working Women, 9to5, focused on improving working conditions and ensuring the rights of women and families in the United States.
When Dolly Parton sang “9 to 5,” she was doing more than just shining a light on the fate of American working women. Parton was singing the true story of a movement that started with 9to5, a group of Boston secretaries in the early 1970s. Their goals were simple—better pay, more advancement opportunities and an end to sexual harassment—but their unconventional approach attracted the press and shamed their bosses into change. Featuring interviews with 9to5’s founders and actor and activist Jane Fonda, 9to5: The Story of a Movement is the previously untold story of the fight that inspired a hit and changed the American workplace. —9to5: The Story of a Movement
Image Credit: '9 to 5,' starring Lily Tomlin, Dolly Parton and Jane Fonda, was released December 19, 1980. (Rolling Stone)
A SHORT HISTORY OF REMOTE WORK
1980s —Interest in flexible hours and work-from-home.
1990s—Recession. Windows 95 has come out, and productivity has forced upskilling. Corporate restructurings forcing workforce reskilling. Layoffs result in displaced, untrained, and disoriented workers. Consulting, startups, and general entrepreneurism are stigmatized as “unstable” compared to corporate roles.
2000s—Bill Gates's Speed of Thought (book, 1999)—emphasizes using digital systems to focus on core competencies and outsource everything else; advent of “virtual teaming.” Laptops are now standard equipment, blurring the boundary between home and work.
2008—Recession. Workforce is more skilled, resilient, and prepared with various productivity tools and skills. The rise of freelance, gig, and remote work are viable career choices.
2010 —The introduction of the Telework Enhancement Act, requiring agencies to develop telework policies, such as notifying employees of their eligibility to telework and establishing telework participation goals to help measure and report results.
Post-COVID, there is a lot of pushback to the idea of returning to offices. Organizations think they have it figured out and can resolve it with mandates and perks. But culturally, we haven’t even begun to scrape the surface of the impact of COVID on the distribution of knowledge workers globally.
Considering what is happening in the world today, it is interesting to note that data is a great enabler of diversity, equity, and inclusion and a general concept of fairness and democratization. Data busts silos and flattens barriers between functions. As this distribution is occurring, there will also be some disruptions.
Positive Changes
Shift in Power Dynamics. Many people have moved to more affordable cities during the pandemic, creating opportunities for leaders in less developed areas to play a more equal role in corporate environments. This will impact diversity dynamics and how power is perceived in companies.
Increased connectivity. The absence of travel mandates has led to more general interconnectivity, with all-day video meetings, tools like Slack, and global transactions contributing to enhanced virtual skills.
Remote access = More access. Large companies are rethinking learning and development programs, making more content and experiences accessible to more employees. This shift towards open access promotes greater equity and changes traditional dynamics.
Disruptions
Communication Challenges. Remote work can lead to communication challenges, including delays, message misinterpretation, and difficulties in maintaining spontaneous interactions that occur in physical offices.
Team Collaboration and Cohesion. Building a cohesive team culture is challenging in a distributed workforce, as employees may feel isolated, and team bonding activities are limited compared to in-person work environments. Intentional in-person meetings are still needed and should not be avoided.
Security Concerns. The distributed nature of work introduces security challenges, such as vulnerabilities in remote connections, increased risks of data breaches, and the need for robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive information.
Regarding collaborating remotely, what are your biggest challenges in ensuring all voices are heard?