Some interesting insights on remote work, from Michael Maguire

Some interesting insights on remote work, from Michael Maguire 

Originally shared by Michael Maguire

The Unanticipated Collateral Damage of Remote Work

"In a study of a Fortune 100 company in Silicon Valley that freely allowed off-site work, researchers found that the employees who chose to continue working in the office ended up feeling lonely and disconnected" - Phyllis Korkki: The New York Times http://goo.gl/bXyzaA

In a post to the Cloud Computing for Business community I made recently I suggested that cloud computing provides useful tools for team building, but wondered if they could supplant the value of being in the office on a regular basis. https://goo.gl/kxzxwt

What I hadn't considered in my discussion was the collateral damage of remote work - those left behind. Office bound team members, abandoned by their departed remote colleagues, are deprived of the camaraderie they all once enjoyed, making the office a less stimulating environment.

Remote workers and those that remain at the office have fewer opportunities to feel good - a feeling that, by transference, is associated with their work. Where does this feeling of feeling good come from?

There's a reason we're happy to see our friends. Our bodies release endorphins that make us feel good. Sharing a laugh, even indulging in gossip results in the same release. For more on this see "Why Laughter may be the best... medicine" by Jennifer Welsh in Scientific American http://goo.gl/JByfU1

Why is this significant for team building and bottom line results?

The endorphin release of team association is the foundation of team building. Deprived of regularly getting together a team risks losing its cohesion. Members cease to have each others backs, operating more in isolation - synergy is lost.

Even if we could, returning to the office isn't the way to safeguard our teams. What we need to do is be aware of the importance of being together on a regular basis. I don't think we need to return to the company picnic, adventure retreat, or similar extraordinary measure.

I work remotely. In my experience, I start feeling removed from my teams about every six to eight weeks. I jump on a plane and work out of the office for three or four days, and I've had my fix. I'm good to go again - I've reconnected.

Every team and team member has different needs. If you're feeling a disconnect - you're probably not the only one. If the team of remote and stay at home workers you're responsible for isn't performing as well as you'd like, perhaps give a little thought to what you might do to regain the connection.

#teambuilding #management #corporateculture

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/03/business/telecommuting-can-make-the-office-a-lonely-place-a-study-says.html?_r=0