Pavel Shynkarenko, an entrepreneur with 20 years of experience in fintech, founder and CEO of Solar Staff, a payroll company for freelancers
Nothing lasts forever. Remember when Jack Dorsey, then Twitter’s CEO, announced that the company’s employees would now be able to work from anywhere indefinitely? Or when Mark Zuckerberg famously said, “We’re going to be the most forward-leaning company on remote work at our scale”?
Well, that discourse has changed now. Even Zoom, a company that, as a result of remote work, saw its valuation skyrocket to staggering numbers, has now made the headlines for recalling their workers back to the office.
Managing People Remotely
However, before getting caught in this sweeping trend of believing that returning to the office will solve all of the company’s problems, I think it’s crucial to examine and justify the reasons why a return to office would make sense. This is easier said than done. The best example here is Google, a firm that, even if it was once revered for its generous remote work allowances, recently delivered a memo to its employees that said, “There’s just no substitute for meeting in person.”
There can be many reasons why companies like Google prefer to meet in person, whether it is the possibility of more informal collaboration (for example, discussing ideas in the hallways), a better setting to brainstorm solutions to critical problems and a reinforced sense of commitment.
However, there is also the possibility that some companies simply don’t know how to manage people remotely. As a result, they cannot create the conditions for remote employees to feel fulfilled and productive.
In this scenario, I think there is no need to be afraid. It is absolutely normal that the development of management skills harnessed to a remote workforce is still incipient—after all, we have only been, as a majority, working remotely for the past two or three years. How could we expect any better?
There are no degrees available for “remote workforce managers”; hence, the only way to learn is through experience. And experience requires doing, falling over, getting back up and putting into practice what we’ve learned.
Work From Home Or Return To The Office?
Some companies have a better structure in place to support remote work, while others do not. Besides, there are no clear findings that state whether remote work affects efficiency or not. Whatever data we have can often be contradictory.
For example, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employee productivity rose by 4.4% in 2020 and 2.2% in 2021 before falling in 2022. However, in 2023, it went up again, rising 3.7% during the second quarter and 1.3% for the third quarter. And, like with many phenomena we are still understanding, there is no common, underlying cause to explain the changes.
There are many reasons why remote work succeeds or fails. Well-known factors include the company’s size, its management structure, the prevailing corporate culture and even the geographical area where the offices are located.
All of the above need to be accounted for when developing a return-to-office strategy, which needs to be evaluated carefully depending on the needs of the business. The accelerated digital transition that ensued from the pandemic broke all previously known rules, so apply this philosophy to your remote work strategy. The right strategy is the one that works for your organization, regardless of what other people are doing.
The Need For In-Person Work In Small Businesses And Startups
If you are a decision maker at a small to medium business or at a startup, it can be easy to feel pressured to do whatever big tech companies are doing. However, I don’t think this is necessarily the right approach. Here are some tips that can help you navigate the situation better.
• Don’t follow the hype. You do not need to bring people back to the office just because others are doing it. Whatever Zoom or Meta needs is different from what your organization needs, so start from within. What does your company need? Not understanding this cost dating startup, Grindr, a considerable part of its workforce.
• Look at the nuances behind every “return-to-office” case. For example, Zoom’s mandate only applies to employees who are located within 50 miles of an office and on a part-time basis. Meta still allows employees to work remotely, depending on their tenure.
• Address existing problems before returning to the office. Getting everyone back to work in person is not a magic pill. Before you do that, take a hard look at your business, see what its problems are and brainstorm what potential solutions could be. Ending remote work might be completely unrelated. For example, if the problem is a high turnover in the sales department, something worth looking at could be redistributing salaries or changing the bonus schemes.
• Hybrid work is an experiment, and everyone is figuring it out. As I stated before, what works for some might not work for everyone. Hybrid work is not a one-size-fits-all solution. So be patient. You will likely have to learn some things by doing, and that means that there will be mistakes and the need for adaptation along the way.
• Communicate changes effectively. Nothing damages culture more than people finding out about a change through a back channel. As a leader, it is your responsibility to promptly address all stakeholders with whatever changes you make to the company’s working policies.
In conclusion, the return to the office is not a universal solution, and, frankly speaking, it is a topic that we could debate about forever. There are both staunch advocates and firm rejectors of remote work, but at the end of the day, you, as the leader of your company, need to assess your unique circumstances, team dynamics and challenges in order to develop your own form of hybrid work.
This can be a valuable experiment, but it is key that you approach it with thoughtful consideration and open communication. Ultimately, it is all about finding the situation that fits your business and leadership style.
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