Productivity Archives - Virtual Leadership Matters

The Desire to Work Remotely

Most of us are six months into social distancing and the remote working that goes with it. Don’t let the working from home dishearten you, there are many benefits, which is why so many workers have adapted to it since the arrival of COVID-19. A study by Zapier found that 74% of people would be willing to quit their job to work remotely and another study by Buffer found that 98% of remote workers would like to continue doing so, at least some of the time, for the rest of their career. Accordingly, 97% would recommend remote working to others and up to 70% were happy with the amount of time they worked remotely.

The Benefits of Working Remotely

The most cited reasons for satisfaction for remote workers included the ability to have a flexible schedule (32%), flexibility to work from anywhere (26%), not having to commute (21%). And, employers have referenced a range of benefits they are keen on too; increased employee engagement, boosted organizational efficiency, improved organizational flexibility, ability to hire from a wider talent pool, more resiliency in the face of issues that can compromise on-site working (natural disasters or illnesses), decreased commutes which adds up to lower stress and transportation costs and in some cases improved employee productivity. A study by Stanford found that employees are far more productive when working from home than when working from the office. All summed up these benefits certainly can make employers and employees happier.

The Drawbacks of Working Remotely

For the reasons listed above there may be a strong preference for remote work above and beyond the obvious safety fundamentals associated with COVID-19. However, there is another side to it with drawbacks that need to be considered.

Less social interaction. Workers have less social interaction with their coworkers, which is why it is important to keep them engaged. Introverts may prefer the social distance, but a lack of social interaction can lead to other problems
Decreased oversight. Managing remote workers is certainly possible, and some businesses have done very well operating entirely remotely. However, since workers are not physically located in the same place, managers must attempt to focus on outcome-based performance management as opposed to activity checking. This is a whole different management style to assume.
Decreased ability to concentrate. When working from home, family members or pets can often prove distracting.
Increased feelings of isolation and loneliness. Working alone, instead of in an office with others, can quickly transform feelings of solitude into feelings of isolation and loneliness which has an emotional impact.

Addressing the Drawbacks of Working Remotely

Fortunately, most of the drawbacks covered here can be remedied with the right approach. For example…

To combat social isolation, workers can connect frequently with others via phone or visual technologies.

Establishing healthy and creating a dedicated home workspace with acceptable ergonomics can help block out distractions

Clearly, remote working is not going to be easy to sustain for all organizations and it is not going away anytime soon. With the right leadership approach and strategy, employees and organizations can both realize significant gains from a remote working, a new fundamental in the times we are in. Virtual Leadership Matters Inc. helps clients with this new reality everyday.

The Author

David Smith, BComm, CMC, ACC, RPM has over 30 years of experience as an organizational leader and a decade as certified executive coach, facilitator and management consultant. He has served as a corporate executive (CEO), business owner and entrepreneur in multiple start-ups in different industries including one of Canada’s ‘50 Best Managed Companies’ and is Co-Founder of Virtual Leadership Matters Inc.

In this time of great pause in many activities and new virtual connecting with relationships in our lives, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have the opportunity to either build up vital aspects of our character or, be victim in their absence or weakness. To maintain our momentum, we need solid organizational skills and ‘self discipline’ which both play a huge role in our personal success and fulfillment. If this is a character muscle you would like to flex and build, this will be a valuable guide.

The Value of Self Discipline

A favourite poem for many is called “If” by Rudyard Kipling. If you have not heard of this poem, you are invited to read it for yourself. In this poem, the author writes to his son, lessons on how to succeed in life and become a mature adult. Many of the lines of the poem involve delayed gratification and remaining disciplined and committed even in tumultuous times.

While working remotely from home due to Covid-19, one of our associates, Gabriel, reflected on this poem and the necessity of self-discipline. The following are the strategies he found resourceful in beginning to expand this trait within his life. Perhaps you will also share in his rich findings with applications in your life and maybe even in your use of virtual technology to keep human connections intact.

Defining Self Discipline

Self-discipline to me means “doing the thing you are supposed to do when you are supposed to do it whether you feel like it or not”. This is a simple concept however not necessarily easy to consistently implement each day. Developing a new trait begins with our thoughts and how we view or relate to the concept of discipline.

Shifting the Way We View Self-Discipline

How we view self-discipline can have both positive and negative associations. The negative associations with self-discipline include viewing it as repressive, limiting, uncomfortable, and consistently saying NO to things. When viewed through this lens, developing any character trait is far less appealing.

Instead, actively choose to view self-discipline in its positive form. Rather than repressing, self-discipline PRIORITIZES our most important goals and commitments over lesser ones. Rather than limiting, self-discipline brings ORDER to our many wants, goals, and desires. The act of saying NO really means saying YES to something else more important to our lives.

This often is the case when doing what feels good or comfortable in the moment goes against a greater more overarching goal or commitment. Saying yes to these goals and commitments requires self-control and the ability to delay gratification.

Value of Delayed Gratification

When we consistently say yes to our most important priorities (family, career, health, etc.) even when doing so does not feel comfortable in the present moment, studies show that our achievements and happiness levels increase significantly. A 2013 study conducted by Wilhelm Hoffman concluded that those with higher levels of self-control wasted less time, made more rational decisions, and indulged less in activities detrimental to their health.

One of my favourite studies on the value of delayed gratification is the famous Stanford Marshmallow experiment. In this experiment, children were offered a choice between a small but immediate reward and a bigger reward if they waited 15 minutes. During this time, the child was left alone with one marshmallow and could choose to eat it now or wait and be given two marshmallows when the researcher returned. Years later in follow up studies, it was shown that the children that were able to wait for the second marshmallow had better life outcomes in their career and health.

Taking Action

Write out your most important goals, priorities, and commitments. Next rank each in order
Audit yourself, is the time you spend each day or week reflecting what you hold most important in your life? How much time/energy do you spend on things that are momentarily gratifying but take you further away from the main priorities you wrote down.
Consciously reallocate your time/energy to better reflect your initial list. Focus on one item until it becomes an ingrained habit in your life. This could be waking up earlier to exercise before work or turning your phone off while spending quality time with your loved ones.
Until that time of habit formation, you will encounter resistance that requires you to exercise your will to remain disciplined.
Willpower has been shown to deplete over the course of the day. Mitigate this by proactively avoiding temptations all together specifically at the end of the day.
Reward yourself along the way. Begin small and celebrate your tiny victories with scheduled breaks, treats, or other rewards after you remain committed for a pre-set time.

Key Insights

In a world becoming increasingly filled with distractions, communications overload and immediate gratification so self-discipline is integral to your success. Deciding what is most important and investing time and energy into them, regardless of how we feel in the moment, will not only bring greater results but promote long term happiness in our lives. Start small and seek to go to bed just a bit more committed and disciplined each day.

Virtual Leadership Matters is a collaboration between two experienced and esteemed leadership & development coaches. Their goal is to bring virtual leadership skills to leaders adapting to changing times. For more information, or to sign up for their “Effective Leadership in Virtual Teams” complimentary interactive 1-hour learning session, click here.

The Two sides of Remote Working