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Yahoo’s CEO sparked a firestorm of debate with her recent decision to call teleworkers back to the office. But in order for the company’s move to succeed, she may need to focus as much on how these workers are being led as where they are located.
“Marissa Mayer made what she believes to be the best choice for her company to create the dramatic performance changes they need,” says Mark Murphy, CEO of Leadership IQ. “But her move in no way represents a mass change for the many companies that will continue to build and thrive with telecommuting workers and often long-distance separation of leaders and employees.”
In fact, we’ve seen a steadily increasing demand for strategy and management advice around how to manage remote workforces. Advanced technology is leveling the field, allowing more companies than ever to operate in the global economy. Management concerns around managing remote employees remain a top worry for leaders worldwide.
“Employees want leadership,” says Murphy. In a Leadership IQ study of co-located and remote employees, 66% of employees studied said they have too little interaction with the boss. And it’s not just positive feedback or praise they’re looking for. Because while 67% of employees studied said they don’t get enough positive feedback, 51% said it’s actually more constructive criticism that they want.
Whether employees are in the office down the hall, across town or halfway around the world, there are three key issues managers must focus on to effectively manage a remote workforce: connection, alignment and accountability.
Connection: There are relationships and bonds managers must make with their employees. This is more difficult in remote environments. The best remote leaders are true company evangelists. They need to be pro-company kind of people if they want evangelism to spread across a phone line, video conference or email.
Alignment: It’s up to managers to ensure everybody is reading off the same page; that they’re focusing on the right things. The strength and clarity of message naturally degrades when employees are located at a distance from their leaders. Remote managers must increase the frequency and focus of their communication so employees know exactly what they’re intending and can respond.
Accountability: This is one of the biggest challenges in face-to-face environments. It is exacerbated in remote situations. Managers must balance the obvious autonomy that comes from working remotely with the need for transparency to achieve significant accountability with remote workers.
“We have to remember, Yahoo was one of the leaders in deploying technology and allowing workers to telecommute,” says Murphy. “Bringing those employees back to the office is a decision more indicative of the drive for fresh innovation and performance than a harbinger of a new workforce trend. CEOs must assess specifically what their organization needs to deliver results and ensure their managers are equipped to lead effectively.”
With more than 20 years in-role corporate executive experience, Lauryn has provided research, insight, information products and events that inspire dynamic growth by aligning people, plans and practices around a shared purpose to companies across the Global 1000.
As Leadership IQ’s President, Lauryn leads strategy development, execution and leadership communications initiatives. A creative strategist and inspirational communicator, she has recruited, trained and led high-performing creative and business teams for international research, media, and training companies in the U.S., U.K. and Europe in energy, telecommunications, financial services, health and wellness, social media, education and the performing arts.
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