Dear Boss… Some Thoughts on Remote Working
Dear Boss,
I hope this finds you well and not in the midst of updating yet another overly detailed spreadsheet tracking our every keystroke (wink, wink).
As we continue to navigate remote work together (even though it has been four years since the pandemic), I wanted to share some light-hearted yet insightful musings on my hopes for you as a leader, especially about micromanaging our team to the promised land of micro-monitoring.
Remember the good old days in the office when you could glance over our shoulders, offering that immediate "constructive feedback" on our font choices? Ah, those were the days. Now, in the remote work era, we've swapped those over-the-shoulder glances for digital ones. But what if we traded in the magnifying glass for a telescope? Instead of focusing on the minutiae, maybe we could look at the broader horizon of outcomes and achievements.
Drawing inspiration from our "Leading Remote Teams Training" from Reimagine Work I attended (what a great HR resource by the way) it's clear that the secret sauce to remote management isn't in the constant pings on Slack and Zoom check-ins that really just translate into a to-do list download. It's more about in setting clear goals, encouraging a work-life balance (no more emails at ungodly hours!), and trusting us to navigate our tasks with brief outcome updates.
Let’s imagine a world where check-ins are less about nitpicking task minutiae and more about celebrating milestones, brainstorming over virtual coffee, and, dare I say, sharing the occasional meme to keep the spirits high.
So, dear Boss, let's add some humor, more trust, and a sizable amount of clear, outcome-focused guidance to our days. It's about fostering an environment where checking in doesn't feel like a surprise inspection but more like a friendly nudge towards greatness.
Here's to our remote work journey, filled with fewer spreadsheets on font choices and more high-fives (virtual, of course) on achievements!
Sincerely,
Your Remote Employee