Why Remote Work can be hard – and how leaders can manage the challenges

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, 70% of people globally worked remotely at least once a week, while 53% worked remotely for at least half of the week. However, since the pandemic started most of the corporate workforce has moved to home offices on a full-time basis. This change in working conditions also poses a risk for the companies, especially when we look at corporate culture. Working from home requires a fresh look at the challenges, as well as the ability to come up with innovative solutions, such as employee pulse surveys, which will be explored in this post.

Of course, there are many potential pros and cons of working remotely. Some possible pros of working remotely include increased flexibility, the ability to work from anywhere, and potential cost savings for both employees and employers. Some potential cons of working remotely include potential isolation, lack of in-person collaboration with colleagues, and difficulties maintaining a work-life balance.

In this suddenly almost exclusively virtual world, where it’s much easier for employees to become almost invisible, how can we see the employees' needs, reward great performance and also deal with performance challenges? 

Tiago Reis, Client Service Director at COMON Group, says that “When talking about the impact of Covid on companies, it is mainly cultural. Culture is basic stuff - the place where you drink coffee, the smell of the spot where you work, and what's your experience when you are with your team. And that is the factor that makes you choose company A or B". So, the question is: how can we keep this culture alive by working from home? 

According to McKinsey&Company, there are four key actions the organizations should focus on: Make it credible; Make it feasible; Make it feasible; Make it sustainable; Make it personal.

The solution is easy

Pulse surveys have emerged as a great method of assessing employee engagement. It can give you important insights into the overall team mood and productivity. It differs from traditional annual performance surveys because it reflects a more day-to-day approach to employee engagement. Here you can also track employees' moods over time. They are also much easier to answer and much less time-consuming.

Tap My Back has a variety of Pulse Survey templates. You can edit and create new templates that can best reflect what you need for your team. It can help you be a more dynamic presence as a leader. 

To monitor the emotional state of employees, COMON group decided to create a quarantine check: biweekly pulse surveys that measured the emotional fluctuations of employees in important periods, such as the beginning of quarantine and the voluntary return to the office. Through this tool, the leadership was able to make important decisions and, most of all, keep close to their employees. It's all about keeping close. 

Are you listening to your employees enough? Listen. Lead. Engage - now more than ever. 

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