Insights Your Instinct Provides to Your Ideal Working (Physical) Environment
The fact that people are quitting their jobs in record numbers indicates mass worker discontent. While many employees have resigned to take a role with more meaning, stronger compensation or greater responsibility, our working world has made a major, under-discussed assumption over the past two years. During that infamous weekend of March 2020, we were challenged to move our businesses remotely within 48 hours. But the mindset was temporary; it was something we all needed to do for 6 weeks to ‘flatten the curve’.
Nearly two years later, we now know that this is not just a blip on the radar. Working remotely is integral to professional life as we know it. While some of your team members may have slipped seamlessly into this world, many others have not. Now is a good time to check in on your team members and their physical space.
What is The Great Resignation?
The record number of people leaving their jobs due to conditions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has been termed, The Great Resignation. Mid-career employees in healthcare and technology lead the way, but workers from many industries are resigning in record numbers.
Managers must reevaluate working conditions and determine how they can be altered to support the effectiveness and comfort of each worker, to prevent valued employees whose needs are not sufficiently met from leaving the company.
The rapid rise of remote work is one major pandemic-induced change that has impacted many employees. These new working conditions, while welcomed by some, can fail to provide the elements necessary for other employees to produce their best work and find fulfillment. Assessing the needs of each employee individually and adjusting conditions, when possible, will best support efforts to retain valued individuals who now work remotely.
The Reality of Remote Work Since the Pandemic
Remote work offers many advantages for companies and employees, but there are challenges to implementing a program that works for everyone. Working from home has changed some aspects of the way people work, but the features each worker needs to remain productive and content remain unique to each individual.
For example, a survey of people who use video-conferencing noted:
63% of people say they are fine with the amount of time spent on video calls, while 37% say they are worn out by it.
65% see video conferencing and instant messaging platforms as a good substitute for in-person contact, yet 35% say they are not a good substitute. Additionally, workers under age 50 more frequently reported having difficulty staying motivated in a remote work environment.
It's apparent that different people have different requirements when it comes to what conditions help them work best when working remotely. Other common challenges when working from home include workspace and equipment issues. Potential interruptions that occur in a home setting are another factor inhibiting productivity.
The Impact on Instinct
The tie into instinct can be seen in all of the Action Modes, but, when focused on physical space, the largest connection is the Implementor. Implementor measures the way each of us handles space and tangibles. Individuals who initiate in the Implementor action mode - who score high in that category on the test - work best when completing tasks requiring action with 3D figures like prototypes and/or design models.
It's unnatural for these individuals to be chained to a desk all day. If they must serve in a position that requires them to sit behind a computer for long periods of time, or fulfill other physically restrictive roles, it's important for their comfort, satisfaction, and efficient function to get up and move around for a few minutes on a regular basis.
Help Your Remote Workforce Excel by Determining the Needs of Each Member
Here are a few things that employers can do to support employee performance and satisfaction when working remotely. The suggestions are especially helpful to those who initiate action on the Implementor:
Try letting each employee dictate what they need to be at their best. Maybe coming into the office - thereby changing the environment - is crucial to them. Perhaps it is an IT investment - new computer, camera, etc
Provide a stipend for your employees to get the appropriate furniture for their home office. Remember that everybody's home office is not the same. Some may not have a dedicated space. They may work from their kitchen table or bedroom. Originally, many people only expected to work from home for two weeks, not full-time, on a long-term basis.
Encourage your team to get up and move frequently, rather than sit in front of their computer for hours at a time. Integrate walking meetings. Exercise and movement throughout the workday is helpful for everyone, and is essential for individuals who initiate on the Implementor.
Keep in mind that remote work is not what your team signed up for. While you may now be hiring employees that are excited about working remotely, it's possible that many of the employees that were initially working in the office likely enjoyed and perhaps preferred that type of environment.
Remote work may be the new normal for many, but in person work is still very important. See what you can do to include tangible elements in your setup, especially for team members with high implementer scores.
The Process we Recommend:
Have your employees take the Kolbe A™ Index so you know exactly how each of them handles space and time as it relates to the workplace.
Create a custom plan for each employee based on their specific needs. Example: Employee A may require a more tangible working environment, so they should perhaps have a weekly meeting in the office or at a coffee shop. Employee B may not want or need a more tangible environment, so they won't likely want or need a weekly touchpoint.
Think about how you hire as you move forward. The people you hire and the work setup you provide should complement each other.
Remote work, which accelerated in response to the pandemic, promises to become more and more common in the future. Yet remote work, when done poorly, or less intentionally, has resulted in dissatisfaction and contributed to the great resignation.
But that doesn't have to be the case. Remote workers can thrive when the Kolbe test is used to assess how they work best, and creative means are provided to support their success.
Contact us at The Instinctive Advantage to help your employees become happier and more productive remote workers.