The White House is calling on federal agencies to return more employees to the office. In a recent memo, the Office of Management and Budget is asking leaders to bring more employees back into Federal offices for in-person work, while still allowing telework capabilities. This latest push comes as many businesses and organizations grapple with return-to-office mandates and employees who still wish to work from home. In Washington D.C. specifically, a new Washington Post-Schar School survey finds a majority of workers in the area with remote-capable jobs say they'd prefer to mostly work from home if they had the choice.
If you’re looking for more context on this matter, please consider Sharon Hill, associate professor of management at the George Washington University School of Business. Her primary research area focuses on virtual work, seeking to understand both the positive and negative implications of virtuality at work in different types of virtual work arrangements (e.g., virtual teams, telecommuting, hybrid work) as well as the role of leadership in promoting effective work outcomes and employee well-being in virtual settings.
Her latest research papers have specifically explored how virtual work impacts employee well-being both positively and negatively as well as the key behaviors that make an effective leader in a virtual work environment.
“Leaders need to balance employees’ desire for flexibility with the strategic needs of the organization when determining the best hybrid/remote work configuration for their group,” Hill says. “This involves considering employees’ specific job demands (e.g., need for intensive collaboration, in-person client interaction, etc.) that require onsite presence rather than implementing blanket policies. This more intentional approach may result in different groups in the same organization having different hybrid/remote work policies.”
“My research shows that leaders also need to adopt a more empowering leadership approach that promotes remote worker autonomy while putting guardrails in place to ensure their activities align with and support the strategic mission.”
If you would like to speak with Prof. Hill, please contact GW Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at cdouglass
gwu [dot] edu (cdouglass[at]gwu[dot]edu).
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