How can I get buy-in from my senior leaders to allow flexible, remote work? This is one of the most common questions we get when we discuss ways of reinventing work.
Our Pandemic Work Survey showed that working from home and not wasting time on a commute have been extremely beneficial for employees. Research from LinkedIn and PwC reinforces what we found. Remote work and flexibility are not going away, but many leaders still have an “old school” mentality that work happens in an office, between the hours of 9 and 5.
Unfortunately, changing their minds is not as easy as saying, “it’s not 1982,” so here are a few tips to help you make the business case for remote work.
1. Uncover leaders’ fear.
Oftentimes, when someone is trying to keep people in the office, it’s because they are afraid of failing or losing control. Dig in to find out what they’re most worried about. Ask questions like:
- What are you most concerned about?
- What do you think the impact will be if we work this way?
Try to get to the root of what their fears are. Usually they are deeper than whether people can work remotely or not.
2. Find out what’s working or not.
Chances are, you’ve been testing remote work throughout the pandemic. Opening a discussion about what has been working or not working for the team is a great way to learn more about why people are resistant to remote working.
Listen for silver linings around leadership growth, results and how people are connecting with technology.
Watch out for a focus on time and attendance at work (see next point).
3. Focus on the work.
When leaders bring up points like, “Joe isn’t available when I message him,” or “Priya wasn’t online most of the morning,” refocus attention on the work. Ask questions like:
- What results are they not achieving?
- What work is not being done by Joe or Priya?
Help senior leaders to see that when we focus on attendance, we’re not focusing on accountability for the work, but on their availability.
4. Work with leaders to get clear about objectives.
When everyone knows what work needs to be done and why it matters, people can take personal responsibility, increasing accountability across the team. We like Brené Brown’s term, “Paint Done.” When you paint what done looks like versus simply assigning tasks, people are clear about the larger picture of how their role impacts the team, how their projects affect the customer, and how their work will be used by others. This way, as things change in our technology, our schedules, and more, people can make the best decisions to get the best results. If you’re not sure what “paint done” is, you can ask the following questions:
- What’s the ultimate outcome we want from this work?
- How will the work completed by this person be used by others?
- What role does this responsibility play in the larger scheme of the company?
When your senior team is confident that objectives are clear and people know their roles, it gives a greater sense of control over the strategy.
5. Share a few great examples.
In our Reinventing Work Course, we share some great examples of organizations that have made remote work work. One example is CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation). They work in a ROWE™ where people have 100% autonomy and accountability to meet their objectives, wherever, whenever and however they choose. CMHC leaders have been trained to coach for accountability around the objectives of the work, not how much time someone spends doing it. (We share tips and Coaching questions for this in our Reinvent Work course)
Another example is Shopify, whose CEO announced that they will be “digital by default” in May of 2020. They are now able to advertise that you can “work anywhere” in a digitally connected, people-first environment. For a company that has built their culture (and designed their workspaces) for collaboration, they are finding great success in working remotely.
There are dozens of other examples. In fact, so many leading organizations are moving to flexible workplaces, that your company will struggle to attract and retain top talent – the people who thrive on personal responsibility for their work – if you choose to play it old school and return everyone to work despite their work preferences.
What are some other challenges you’re finding in making remote work work?
*** Don’t forget to download our Pandemic Work Survey where we share our findings about making remote work work and more!
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