Even despite numerous return-to-work mandates among a number of U.S. companies this year, one thing is clear from 2023: remote work, and variations of it, is here to stay. The challenge now, one professor at the George Washington University says, is implementing effective policies and practices to better support the successes of virtuality in the workplace.
Sharon Hill is an associate professor of management at the GW 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. Hill’s 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.
Hill reflects on the virtual workplace trends of 2023, and shares ways managers can more effectively deploy and utilize different work arrangements for their teams as we head into the new year.
Year in Review: “This year has seen a wide variation in the degree to which organizations have implemented remote work in the aftermath of the pandemic. Some have fully embraced remote work, and others have resisted, pulling people back into the office. However, the dominant trend, which seems likely to persist, is somewhere in the middle: hybrid work schedules involving 2-3 days in the office. Yet, in many cases, decisions regarding remote vs. in-person work have been driven by gut feel and managerial bias, resulting in blanket policies that fail to consider the nature of the job or to balance individual vs. workgroup needs. This has sometimes led to tensions between employees and management.”
2024 Outlook: “The pandemic forced these new work arrangements on many organizations, thrusting everyone into a reactive mode and struggling to keep up. Moving into 2024, now is the time to implement practices that support the sustained success of this key component of the future of work. This includes a more strategic approach to determining the best arrangement for each workgroup that balances employee and workgroup needs. In addition, training managers and employees on how to function effectively in hybrid and remote work settings should help ease leaders’ uncertainty and distrust. Finally, it is critical to modify performance management systems to focus on results rather than when and where work is done and implement strategies to ensure this new normal is inclusive for all employees.”
If you would like to speak with Prof. Hill, please contact GW Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at [email protected].
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