Why can’t I work at home?

Your colleagues are returning to their offices. But not everyone is happy about it. Some people would rather work at home. If they’re hitting their goals what difference does it make where they work? Here are a few tips to consider before you answer.
• What’s your bias about people working at home or in the office? Some leaders believe everyone needs to be on site to keep things running smoothly. Others are comfortable with teams working at different locations.

• Examine your bias and ask yourself if it makes sense as we transition to a post-lockdown world. Try to imagine life with some people working at home. What does that look like? Do you see any payoffs? Any hitches? What are the immediate, short term and long term consequences? What could go wrong? How would you remedy that?

• If you give the green light for people to work remotely who gets to stay home? Here’s where things can get murky. Make your decision by following your guiding principles. Be transparent and let everyone know your decision is based on your core values of what’s best for customers, the business and employees.

• Have a team meeting with managers and employees to put together a work-at-home policy based on key principles and outcomes. Decide how to measure its success. It’s an experiment. Policies can be revised.

• People will notice if anyone gets special treatment about working off site. If you don’t stick to your espoused principles you’ll raise questions about integrity and equity. You don’t want to go there.

• What are the boundaries? Can people live anywhere in the country? Do they need to live a certain distance from the office? How come? How often do they need to be at the office? Are there any non-negotiable items like meetings they must attend?

• Last week a manager asked “How do we make sure they’re getting the job done if they’re home?” I asked, “How do you hold people accountable now?” Be clear about your performance expectations and accountability standards. If someone isn’t measuring up, use your coaching and leadership skills to help them get back on track whether they’re home, at their favorite café or in the office. And lastly don’t forget to show appreciation and gratitude even when they’re not at the workplace. They may be out of sight but you haven’t forgotten them.