What is the “new normal” for the modern workplace?

The COVID-19 Pandemic altered the global workplace and introduced a variety of online resources to connect remote employees during quarantine. Zoom meetings, Slack chats, and PJs became synonymous with the typical workday. Yet, despite the ubiquity of remote work during the pandemic, a majority of employees would eventually return to the office full-time, right? Well, not quite. 

McKinsey’s American Opportunities Survey highlights increased workplace flexibility and employee interest in remote work. Specifically, a hybrid model, where employees work both from home and the office, is gaining traction. From computer science and business to education and healthcare, remote work has impacted the lives of millions. In early 2022, 87% of respondents who have the ability to work from home indicated they’re working in a hybrid or remote environment. In fact, it’s one of the primary motivators for job searches only behind better compensation and career advancement [1]. 

Hybrid and remote workplaces allow employees to meet family or academic commitments, operate across time zones, and avoid frequent commutes to the office. Poojan Palwai, a Quantitative Research Intern at Two Sigma and a full-time graduate student at Carnegie Mellon, discussed the benefits of remote work. He reflected on having, “more flexibility during the workday” and being able to, “fit a work schedule around my classes”. A busy schedule involving classes, side projects, and other commitments can become more manageable and fluid with remote work. 

While remote work presents many benefits to employees, potential drawbacks must be addressed. In particular, employee engagement, or the mental focus and emotional connection they share with their work, can be hindered by a remote setting [2]. A study on telework conducted by the Department of Psychology at Utrecht University brought up mediating factors that help predict employee engagement in a remote environment. Employees with greater levels of loneliness were more likely to “check out” and feel a lower level of engagement. Additionally, with decreased oversight and communication, employees may become less focused and invested in their work [3].

Palwai echoed these sentiments as he found, “the atmosphere of other people working around me was motivating, it limited distractions”. As employees strive to balance the benefits and drawbacks of remote work settings, companies can take a proactive approach to the issue.

In order to combat potential obstacles, successful organizations, from established corporations to rising startups, develop a protocol to increase and maintain employee engagement. 

Incorporating interactive activities that stress teamwork, learning, and friendly competition can help accomplish this. This process, known as gamification, can occur through point systems & leaderboards, badges, team competitions, and a variety of other interactive incentives. Gamification can be finite, such as an employee onboarding points system that rewards completion of training modules, or infinite, with employee of the month being consistently awarded. Within industry, companies have gamified everything from training to document submission. Deloitte used badges to increase motivation and training outcomes among executives and Google gamified submitting expense information [4]. With remote employees reporting lower levels of engagement and motivation, gamification provides a needed boost in motivation and focus [4]. This can also reduce loneliness associated with remote work through team bonding. 

But interactive activities aren’t enough. Organizational support is a crucial component of employee engagement in the remote workplace. With decreased oversight and organic conversation, employees may feel uncertain about their company responsibilities and relationships. Ryan Present, an incoming AI & Data Science Analyst at JPMorgan Chase preferred in-person work during his internship with the company. “I felt the engagement of social connections [while in-person]…My productivity was better in the office”, Present recalled.

To establish this in a remote setting, providing workers with timely technical support, frequent check-in meetings with managers, and a detailed description of their role is vital. Specifically, making sure employees have up-to-date software and stable telecommunication can reduce project delays and increase connectivity with co-workers. In doing so, employers can begin to increase engagement and decrease emotional exhaustion among their workers [5]. 

A comprehensive engagement strategy also emphasizes personal wellness resources, an important, yet often overlooked, aspect of employee engagement. In a remote setting, the lines between work-life balance become blurred. The home and office space intertwine making it difficult to disconnect from work-related projects. This can exacerbate work-related and personal life stressors, leading to greater burnout. Access to professional therapists, personal wellness check-ins, and other mental health resources can enhance social, emotional, and physical health for employees who spend the majority of their days at home [6]. To support its remote employees, Google developed a program called “Meet the Moment”. It’s a series of 5 minute videos that cover a variety of wellness topics, ranging from breathing and sleeping techniques to work-life balance as a parent. Google also expanded their “TEA” program, which encourages managers to engage in personal growth discussions with employees. Short for thoughts, energy, and attention, the program strives to combat burnout and provide consistent support by meeting employees where they’re at [7].

As the workplace adjusts to the “new normal”, organizations can implement the strategies above to increase engagement and focus while establishing a culture of support and belonging.

References 

1. McKinsey & Company. Is remote work effective: We finally have the data [Internet]. www.mckinsey.com. 2022. Available from: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/real-estate/our-insights/americans-are-embracing-flexible-work-and-they-want-more-of-it

2. Schaufeli WB, Bakker AB. Job demands, Job resources, and Their Relationship with Burnout and engagement: a multi-sample Study. Journal of Organizational Behavior [Internet]. 2004 Mar 30;25(3):293–315. Available from: https://www.wilmarschaufeli.nl/publications/Schaufeli/209.pdf

3. Bareket-Bojmel L, Chernyak-Hai L, Margalit M. Out of sight but not out of mind: The role of loneliness and hope in remote work and in job engagement. Personality and Individual Differences. 2023 Feb;202:111955.

4. Pura JJ. Linking Motivation and Employee Engagement through Gamification in Remote Working. International Journal of Academe and Industry Research. 2022 Mar 5;3(1):52–69.

5. Brown A, Leite AC. The effects of social and organizational connectedness on employee well‐being and remote working experiences during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 2022 Oct 13;53(2).

6. Dongarwar D, Yusuf KK, Maiyegun SO, Ibrahimi S, Ikedionwu C, Salihu HM. Covid-19 and Neuro-Behavioral Economics: A Conceptual Framework to Improve Physical and Mental Health among Remote Workers. International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS (IJMA). 2020 Sep 15;9(3):360–3.

7. Elias J. Google is tackling mental health challenges among employees through “resilience training” videos [Internet]. CNBC. 2020 [cited 2023 Aug 8]. Available from: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2020/11/27/google-tackling-mental-health-among-staff-with-resilience-training.html