Finding Harmony In Remote Work: Balancing Autonomy And Expectations

A few tips to follow

Highlights:

• Remote work requires trust between employees and employers, and the current structures in the workplace are rooted in a capitalist system that views people as machines.
• The new era of work is an opportunity to include more rest throughout the day and structure work in a way that promotes creativity and flexibility.
• Workplace harmony requires autonomy and flexibility, which remote work can provide, and it supports employee engagement and retention.

Myth: You don’t work hard enough when working remotely.
Truth: Work looks different in a remote environment and leaders don’t have “eyes” on their people as much as they are accustomed to. That’s scary.  

Remote work is not going anywhere - we’re headed into a new normal of what it means to “go to work”. Before we get any further, we have to acknowledge that remote work requires immense trust between employees and employers. Trust is crucial in remote work because the prevailing workplace structures are based on a capitalist model that treats workers like machines, mandating constant productivity. However, it's possible to break away from this model.

The new era of work is an opportunity for us to include more rest throughout the day and structure our work in a way that promotes creativity, and flexibility to have time to live. In 2022, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy identified workplace harmony as one of the pillars in his framework to address workplace well-being. The two basic human needs to achieve workplace harmony are autonomy and flexibility. Remote work is one way to provide the flexibility needed to advance workplace well-being. It helps that flexibility supports employee engagement and retention.

A Few Tips to Find the Balance:

1. Throw away core hours. More and more organizations are globally distributed and can work effectively without requiring core hours or specific time to be “online”.  
2. Provide work phones or don’t require employees to have all the work apps on their personal devices. Create boundaries around when and where work needs to be done. Requiring employees to be available on their phones at all times crosses the boundaries between work and rest. It also sends the message that you expect employees to respond and be alert at all hours of the day.
3. Set clear expectations. It may sound simple but when expectations are clearly established, employees can have the autonomy to meet those expectations when it suits them within reason. The lack of clear expectations causes conflict and the need to control how employees are spending their time.
4. Allow space for flexible workday structures. Our brains function on a specific rhythm and eight hours of meetings do not support that. Encourage breaks throughout the day and respect the boundary. If employees have designated small breaks on their calendar - don’t ask to schedule something during that time unless it’s an emergency (oftentimes it’s not).  
5. Be the example and set the tone. If you are a leader or manager, step away when you say you are. If you’re checking in during your PTO or a doctor's appointment, you’re letting your team know that truly stepping away is not possible.

Bottom line - Trust your employees to do their work even if it’s not in a “traditional” way. Extend grace to everyone, not just the people you perceive to be high performers. Everyone deserves to work in a way that honors who they are as whole people.

Recommended Resources:

• For Real Productivity, Less is Truly More
• Office of the Surgeon General - Framework for Workplace Mental Health & Well Being
• Avoid Burnout and Increase Awareness Using Ultradian Rhythms
• The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos Burnout and How to Avoid It

Author Bio

Ayanna Kelly is a proud Afro-Latina, mom, wife, and disabled veteran. She is currently the HR & DEI Product Manager at The Rise Journey for their project Rise with OPHR.