The Hidden Cost of Remote Work

Loss of Synergy. Loss of Momentum. Loss of Flow.

Much has been written about the value of telecommuting and the flexibility that comes with being able to work any time, anywhere. Even the most conservative organizations have come around to the idea that people don't necessarily have to be in the same space at the same time to get work done.

The costs for setting up and maintaining remote workers has fallen dramatically in the past few years, and there are now more options than ever before. In a hyper-connected world, we can create and consume digital content from 36,000 feet just as easily as we can at home, the office, or pretty much any place else in the developed world.

The traditional back-office business operation, in which workers have assembled in the same space and time for years, is probably the place that comes to mind most often when thinking about the paradigm shift that represents remote work today. The IT group installs some software, the remote work candidate is either provided equipment or allowed to use his/her own. There is talk of management monitoring productivity and the arrangement being allowed on a trial basis. And then, voila! the bonds are cut and the worker is free to be more productive and enjoy a greater work-life balance than ever before. Today, the technological barriers are minimal, and its hard to come up with a solid reason why most people with office jobs couldn't “work from home” if they wanted. But in our haste to rejoice at the removal of the technological hurdles, we are failing to count some rather significant hidden costs – ones that don't result in a positive ROI.

Good remote workers endeavor to minimize the impact of their absence from the physical space. Quickly responding to phone calls and e-mails, completing assignments on time, and being proactive in communications with managers and co-workers all go a long way to making the arrangement work well. Where remote work is failing us lies in the loss of some of the intangible benefits that come from people being together in real-time. Kicking around ideas and building on them together, quickly moving new ideas and initiatives forward, and attending to ad hoc requests for assistance from others that can be handled quickly (but slow the requestor down when not handled). Let's call these Synergy, Momentum and Flow.

Synergy. I have conversations every day with my co-workers that involve an open give and take of ideas that nearly always produces a better result than any of us working on our own. With a peer, a quick brainstorming session produces better results than I would likely achieve on my own. And in a mentoring situation, these conversations are critical as they help connect vision to tactics. If the person that can help you shape that rough idea into something better isn't around or is not connected, the conversation doesn't happen when it's fresh on your mind – and the idea doesn't reach its full potential. Worse, it doesn't happen at all.

Momentum. As time passes, energy and enthusiasm for an idea can naturally fade. Other things always come up, and we have trouble getting back to that one thing that sounded so great but we really needed some input or support from a co-worker to move forward. When a team is scattered and not connected, these ideas get lost. Loss of momentum seems to be tolerated because losing these ideas is hard to measure and can't always be immediately connected to the team's mission. It may be difficult to see how they are adding value to a particular initiative, but they almost always do.

Flow. By this I mean simply the normal day-to-day flow of doing business, not “Flow”. Someone needs a quick answer to a question to complete a report, a piece of information to make a decision, process a payment, fix something that's broken – and the person with the answer is not connected (physically not present or not otherwise available in real-time). The cost of interrupted flow doesn't register with most companies either, because it's very hard to measure, it's incurred sporadically and most often at a micro level. Drawing attention to it can appear to be swimming against the strong current of “remote work is the new paradigm”.

In an office setting where some workers are remote and some are not, there's no denying that the loss of synergy, momentum and flow has an impact on the satisfaction and morale of those who cannot avail themselves of the work at home situation for one reason or another. Sometimes this is hidden, sometimes it's not. Could these losses contribute to turnover? Maybe. Are they a significant impediment to the company or team realizing its full potential? Definitely.

If you've read this far, you might think I'm opposed to remote work. But I'm not. Organizations just need to pay more attention to these hidden costs and do what they can to address them.

So what's the fix? Here are a few ideas, but basically it's this: Stay connected to your team in real-time. “Remote” should refer to your physical proximity only.

1. Use something other than e-mail to keep people connected and able to share thoughts and ideas in real-time. An entire new set of applications designed for team collaboration in real-time has arisen over the past few years, and many of them are quite good. Check out BaseCamp, Hall, HipChat, Flowdock and others. At my company, we use an application that is integrated with our telephone system to chat, share files, and collaborate in real-time. Some of us are now using Slack.
2. If you are a manager, establish an expectation that team members will respond to their co-workers quickly whenever possible, and lead by example in this area.
3. If someone you have worked with face-to-face has moved to a telecommuting arrangement or works one part-time, don't be afraid to reach out to them. I often hear “Where's Jane? Working at home? Oh, I'll just wait until tomorrow.” That's a loss of synergy, momentum or flow – guaranteed, and it should not be tolerated. Be open with your remote colleagues about what works and what doesn't.
4. If you are a remote worker, don't take it for granted. Over communicate with your boss, show up at the office whenever you can, proactively schedule face time (meals or whatever works) with your co-workers. Be available, and reach out to anyone you think might be hesitant to contact you. It's up to you to make your remote work arrangement work – not your co-workers. Think about how you can minimize the loss of synergy, momentum and flow and discuss with your team. Again, be open about what works and what doesn't.

The flexibility that comes with remote work has revolutionized the way we look at work, and gives us unprecedented freedom to work when/where we can be most effective and productive. To live richer, more fulfilling lives essentially. We just have to remember that we are humans after all – and connecting, sharing and being there for each other is really what it's all about.

JA in a Day

A couple weeks ago,I responded to a call for volunteers for “JA in a Day”, an effort to provide a day-long blitz of Junior Achievement economic and business curriculum at five Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS). I went for a one hour training session, picked up a packet of materials and was assigned to a school.

I was paired up with a second grade class at IPS school 31, not far from the Fountain Square area of Indianapolis. I arrived at the school, and attended a brief thank you and orientation session provided by the school staff and the JA person assigned to the school. The kids had made “Welcome JA Volunteers!” signs for us, and a representative from each class came to the library to escort the volunteers to their assigned classrooms.

I spent the next five hours or so working through the lessons provided by JA and trying my best to handle any curve balls the kids threw my way. What stood out to me immediately was how well behaved and cooperative the kids were, how they remained focused throughout the day, and how open and honest they were. Some engaged in my discussions and activities more than others, but they were all attentive and polite. For the entire day.

I learned a lot that day. I learned that parent involvement in the school was basically non-existent. I learned that in second grade you can enter a class as a non-English speaker and be doing surprisingly well in just a few months. I learned that some families literally pack up and move in the spring to avoid having a child not move on to the next grade at the end of the year.  I was surprised at how many kids knew what their parents/guardians did for a living.

When I mentioned that hospitals are important elements of a community (part of the prescribed lesson), several of the children put up their hands eager to relate his or her own story of being hospitalized due to personal trauma. One boy had been struck by a car (twice), some had broken arms, and one very openly began relating a story of physical abuse.

The contrast between their world and that of the kids in my own community (including my own) remains stark. I wondered about role models, discipline at home, nutrition, safety...love, essentially. Some of these kids have been through pretty rough times already, and most will face significant obstacles ahead. Still, their exuberance that day was downright contagious.

I witnessed first hand the challenges faced by the teachers and administrators, and the professionalism and effort with which they do their jobs. Some pretty amazing people, facing a ton of pressure and not receiving a ton of support.

I don't know if the kids in that 2^nd grade class will remember much about what we learned that day, but hopefully a little bit of it stuck. I really hope they remember the other messages I tried to work in: you can get paid for solving puzzles and working on building cool stuff (shameless STEM plug); it takes lots of different jobs to make a community work; and that staying in school is really, really important.

There are a number of ways to get involved with Junior Achievement of Central Indiana including volunteering in a classroom, at its facility or at a special event. The time commitment of a JA volunteer can vary depending on the program. If you are interested but unsure how you might fit, get in touch with the JA staff - they'll be happy to help.