Do Not Buy Into Myths and Misconceptions About Managing Remote Employees

When I was researching my first book on telecommuting back in the 1990s, I never imagined what we now more commonly refer to as remote work would one day become the norm. In fact, the lack of interest in telecommuting was clearly conveyed to me when only one person showed up for the breakout session on the topic that I hosted as part of an otherwise very well-attended national conference.

So, despite the many negative impacts of COVID-19 on people and organizations around the world, I believe one very important positive development occurred. Employers realized that all employees do not have to be physically located on-site to be efficient and effective. In fact, studies are beginning to show employees are as or more effective at home as they are in the office. For instance, Mercer surveyed 793 U.S. employers during July and August 2020. Ninety-four percent of respondents indicated “productivity has remained the same or improved since employees began working remotely.”

Still, many managers and supervisors continue to balk at the prospect of managing remote workers and are anxiously awaiting the time they can bring everyone back to the office. This is often because they labor under the following wide-ranging myths and misconceptions related to managing remote workers.

Misperception: If I Can’t See My Employees, I Can’t Tell if They’re Working

“Out of sight, out of mind” is a common belief, and it is often the most significant objection managers and supervisors raise when asked to allow their employees to work from home.

The truth is that even in a traditional work setting where employees are on-site, managers should be evaluating outputs and results rather than taking note of the time spent on assignments. Outcome-based management is a best practice in settings of all kinds. To understand why, just ask yourself whether you would rather have an employee work 10 hours to complete a single task, or two hours to complete a dozen.

Another interesting aspect to this that I often laugh about is many organizations provide no actual line of sight between supervisors, managers and employees. Clerks serve customers in satellite offices. Maintenance crews go to where their skills are needed. Much of any organization’s real work is done completely out of view of the boss.

Managing is not about observing the time employees put in. It’s about measuring the quality and quantity of employees’ output.

Myth: Telecommuting Is All-or-Nothing, and an Employee Who Starts Working Remotely Will Stay Remote

Working off-site for eight hours each day, five days a week became common during the COVID-19 pandemic. This does not have to continue as offices reopen. Telework arrangements have always varied depending on the needs of the employer and the situation of the employee.

Decisions on when to allow employees to work remotely and when to require them to come into the office should be based on the legitimate need for face-to-face interactions. Consequently, the ability to work off-site all the time, on scheduled days or never will likely vary by position.

Misperception: If We Let One Employee Telecommute, We’ll Have to Give Every Employee the Opportunity to Do So

Certain jobs cannot be done remotely, especially in the public sector. Similarly, each employee is not suited for telecommuting.

Jobs that require frequent face-to-face interactions with internal or external customers are obviously not right for telecommuting. Employees who require direct supervision or who have not demonstrated a high level of competence would not be good candidates for such an arrangement.

The bottom line is that decisions regarding remote work must be made intentionally on a case-by-case basis. Part of the process is establishing clear guidelines, standards and policies. The criteria for requesting and performing remote work must also be clearly communicated to employees, along with the reminder that no guarantees can be made that everyone can be a telecommuter.

Myth: Managers Can’t Work From Home

The pandemic experience has proven that managers and supervisors certainly can do their jobs remotely. Consider, again, how managers spend much of any workday physically separated from the people who report to them, even when everyone is at the same worksite. When it comes to work relationships, long distance can and does work.

Myth: Remote Employees Will Become Isolated and Alienated From the Team

These are legitimate concerns for employees and employers. The pandemic definitely heightened feelings of stress and being left on one’s own. But it can be difficult to determine whether those issues stem from working from home or can be more simply attributed to living through a pandemic in general.

In addition, many organizations have found creative ways to keep coworkers connected formally and informally. Trivia nights, gift exchanges, Zoom happy hours and virtual potlucks allow employees to socialize.

Several very large employers such as Alphabet/Google, Facebook and JPMorgan Chase have announced they will allow work from home to continue after the pandemic abates. Now, more managers in organizations of all kinds are realizing that employees can work in remote settings without becoming less effective and unproductive. Experiences during the pandemic have busted many of the myths and misperceptions about remote work, which opens up new opportunities for everyone.