The tale of two remote work workplaces

Peter du ToitI'm the founder of FutureWork IQ where I spend my time assisting businesses to improve their climate literacy so as to understand the projected impacts from the expanding climate crisis and how to adapt their workplaces in the face of these impacts.

BUILT ON SAND: This remote work workplace was hastily put in place because of the pandemic. There was no prior planning for this. Everybody suddenly went home. It’s “kinda” of working. Teams are “sort of” getting things done. But people are feeling isolated, communication and collaboration is frustrating. As a result the “let’s get back to the office” sentiment is strong, especially in the leadership team. Employees love the flexibility idea but feel they need some in-office days to see their colleagues.

BUILT ON ROCK: This remote workplace, was meticulously and intentionally designed. Time was taken to learn and understand all the established remote work best practices and then assimilated into the business. Unlearning previous in-office behaviours, as well as learning the new way of working is prioritized. A system is in place to deliberately confront all challenges and solve them. As a result team members don’t feel isolated, communication and collaboration is as good (if not better) as in-person. No effort is spared in maintaining strong connections. The leardership team models the best practices. In these workplaces the sentiment is “we can be location independent!”

Which of these reflect your remote workplace?