Would an office by any other name smell as sweet?

March 9, 2020, 6:45 a.m.—The alarm clock goes off. You have one hour to get the kids up and ready for school, shower, get dressed, and get out the door. You sit in traffic or on public transit for another hour and arrive at work by 9 a.m.

March 16, 2020, 6:45 a.m.—You hit snooze one more time. You have one and a half hours before the kids wake up on their own, two hours before you have to log in for your workday, so you sleep in. You brace yourself for another day of unusual business as usual.

In a matter of days during March 2020, more than half of employed Americans made the transition to remote work, schools closed, and we all were quickly forced to work and learn from home. How will this transition affect the future of work in the office?

Planning for this

Large office buildings first popped up in the early 20th century, and from there we’ve worked in offices with doors, cubicles, open offices, and flexible work areas. In the past 20 years, increased access to internet, globalization, flexible schedules, hot spots, laptops, shared work spaces, and video conferences have been trying to tell us something, but corporate America wasn’t listening—until the coronavirus forced its hand.

“Many employers have already been providing their employees with the opportunity to work remotely. Much of this is either a benefit or because of the structural nature of work. The fact that many companies have a global footprint means managers are supervising employees in different parts of the world,” says Charmon Parker Williams, Ph.D., Business Psychology professor at the Chicago Campus.

The globalization of businesses has long driven the need for remote work. While challenges have always existed, businesses have found that productive employees don’t just find success within the four walls of the office. With flexible hours and no commute, employees often build their day to allow for the most productivity—on their schedule. A study found that remote employees work 1.4 more days per month than their office-based counterparts, resulting in more than three additional weeks of work per year.

Dr. Williams explains, “Much to the surprise of many employers, employees can be as productive if not more productive working from home. It is more so the myth that face time equals productivity that leads to hesitancy. Once managers have conversations about the goals they want to see achieved and time frames for those, they can better motivate employees by giving them autonomy on how and when during their day they go about working on those goals.”

Moving online

While virtual meetings can help address the day-to-day communication needs of a remote workforce, longer-term issues with communication must still be addressed. Kristijan Civljak, Ph.D., alumnus and I/O and Business Psychology professor for the Online Campus, is an expert on remote work—completing his education and successfully working online for more than five years.

“One of the most complex issues with working online is fostering relationships. It becomes more difficult in the remote world. If trust didn’t already exist in person, it takes a longer time to develop online. Trust and growth are related—as a person and as a business.”

Connecting online through meetings can be difficult for everyone—but more so for certain types of employees. “Some quieter employees may be more uncomfortable with a position behind screen because they don’t like the spotlight, while some may be energized with the focus. It depends on the personality type,” Dr. Civljak says.

While personality type can alter how employees experience online communication, people of color and transgender individuals may be more vulnerable in this setting. Members of the trans community may struggle with online meetings showing their given names, not their chosen names. For people of color, being talked over and ignored becomes even more of any issue.

“A common phenomenon is for dominant groups or personalities to continue dominating in video conference meetings. This may manifest as interruptions, ‘mansplaining’ or ‘whitesplaining’ a co-worker’s comments. Managers and facilitators should be mindful of this and encourage participation from both extroverts, who will have no problem dominating the conversation, as well as introverts or marginalized groups, who may need to be encouraged to join the conversation,” Dr. Williams says.

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Another overwhelming component of this new normal is a complete shift in work-life balance. Being connected 24/7 means that many employers expect employees to be available around the clock.

“A big challenge is the inability to detach from work, given work and one’s personal life are taking place in the same setting. In this regard, technology could be viewed as a blessing and a curse,” Dr. Williams says. “Technology provides the tools and enhances employees’ ability to stay connected (when working properly). However, this might lead to the perceived expectation that one has to be available 24/7 and can ultimately lead to stress and burnout. Employees may neglect to take needed breaks.”

A Harvard Business School study released in July 2020 about early effects of the pandemic found significant increases in the average number of emails sent, forwarded, and received. Additionally, the average workday increased by 48.5 minutes, partly due to increases in emails sent after business hours. The number of meetings has also increased by 13%.

Blurring the lines between home and work was inevitable because of the quick transition. However, Dr. Civljak has found that a focus on building a home workspace and acknowledging there is a strategy to working online breeds success.

“Many didn’t have home offices or any corner that was suitable for business, but as we remain at home, it’s important to find a way to create this professional atmosphere,” Dr. Civljak adds. “We also didn’t have any learning curve to understand how to work at home or how businesses support online workers. It’s not as simple as logging onto Zoom, but this will change and get better with time and attention.”

Staying online?

A recent study found that 75% of CFOs planned to increase the number of permanent remote workers, and 60% of workers would like to remain remote after restrictions on businesses and schools have been lifted. The businesses that will be successful are those that have supportive leadership and emotional intelligence. Dr. Williams adds that businesses that are “agile, have a learning mindset, and implement inclusive practices will fare much better when pivoting to things that have not been done before.”

This quick transition is offering organizations the opportunity to think creatively and innovatively to provide solutions to issues as they arise. PR agency Highwire challenged their employees to cut 30% of meetings as well as shorten 30-minute meetings down to 25 minutes or less and hour-long meetings down to 45 minutes, while cloud communications platform Twilio mandated “no meeting Fridays.”

“Managing remote teams requires managers to use all of their senses and sensibilities to determine the impact on employee contribution,” Dr. Williams says. “It means looking for subtle changes that might manifest in work output. It also translates to having one-on-ones that provide a safe haven for employees to download or share their concerns.

“Given remote work was thrust upon many employees during the pandemic adds another layer. Employees either embraced this change, found it challenging to adjust to, or something in between. This means that there might be initial dips in productivity, followed by spikes and additional dips, before performance levels out,” Dr. Williams says.

The death of the office

The office may ultimately be a thing of the past, but as we’re designing what comes next, some challenges will continue to abound, like connection and company culture. Connecting with and trusting colleagues is vital for growth and success—and one of the downsides of not being in an office environment is the intention and time it takes to form these relationships online.

“Working at home can get lonely, solving problems remotely can be even more difficult,” Dr. Civljak adds. “Your problem is your problem in a virtual environment. You really are alone to figure things out yourself if you don’t have those connections.”

One study found that 70% of employees said maintaining relationships with their co-workers was just as important as their jobs, with only 19% saying they prioritized work over relationships.

Dr. Williams explains that The Chicago School has made it a priority to value these relationships and continues to build them in a virtual setting. “As we know, work is a primary social outlet for individuals, and we need to keep this in mind in the remote environment. Working remotely may diminish the ability for team outings or informal conversations, but these don’t have to come to a standstill. The Chicago Campus provides a good example of this: It has continued its third Thursday social hours via Zoom. No work required—simply a time to connect and have fun!”

Adjusting normative practices and expectations is key for remote work to continue to provide growth and success. Success is a driver to all parts of business, and whether we’re remote for now or forever, successful companies will continue to value their employees and evolve as their workforce and workplace changes.