In 2020, Google dropped jaws and sent millions into pure joy when it banned virtual meetings. It was a test to see if doing so would come with any of its suspected benefits, such as boosting productivity and improving workplace satisfaction-while saving the company millions of dollars by reducing wasted time. Years later, its approach appears to have proven its hypothesis correct, but it has also proven that many take the wrong approach to remote work.
Google has unintentionally transformed what it means to work remotely. And in doing so, it has reinvented remote work, creating a new gold standard for autonomous roles-and what it means to be one of the nation’s top 10 best places to work.
What we’re seeing now is that as the world shifts towards more widespread adoption of remote work, the new work from home will become work from anywhere.
For employees, this means more true geographic freedom where timezones are largely irrelevant and time is highly respected. Because the reality is that working remotely doesn’t mean total location autonomy as many believe.
As someone who has been fortunate enough to have been working remotely for years, I can say that not all remote work is created equal. What I’ve come to find is that the degree to which I have freedom (and workplace happiness) isn’t solely measured by the distance of my commute from one room to another. But how much room I have to work autonomously.
It’s not only employees benefiting from a work from anywhere remote work model. For employers, it not only helps foster a happier and more productive workforce-but liberating employees also means freeing up more of their time, lending to more money in the bank.
Here are the key benefits of adopting the “work from anywhere” remote work model:
- Cut costs: Hire people from anywhere as well as reduce wasted hours in meetings.
- Increase productivity: Less time in meetings means more time to be productive.
- Retain staff: Increasing workplace satisfaction will help reduce employee turnover.
It’s the type of win-win situation that any business should be striving for. And so below are three simple ways to move the dial towards becoming a top-rated employer and a work from anywhere workplace.
Be strategic with meetings
To limit meetings, you need to know how to determine if you need a meeting.
Consider skipping meetings when:
- Meetings are presentations rather than collaborations.
- There isn’t brainstorming or hands-on work to be done.
- There isn’t a pressing matter that requires an immediate resolution.
Additionally, generally avoid inviting any participants that aren’t actually expected to participate or contribute (send them a recording instead). Remember, being present, isn’t the same as being a participant and the right meeting size isn’t necessarily what you think.
Shift to productivity-based positions
For work from home-and never mind work from anywhere- to work, businesses need to trust their staff. The best way to create a system where trust is built-in is to center positions around output so that roles are productivity-based rather than time-based.
This is a key shift that moves employees away from focusing on the time they put in and instead enables them to focus on the work they put out. To do this, give employees clear tasks, deliverables, and goals-making success easier to measure for both the employee and employer.
Take a creative approach to collaboration
Fewer meetings mean revamping your approach to collaboration is a must.
As roles transform into time-independent positions, you’ll need to find new ways to collaborate from a distance-forcing many to work on something that many have been needing to work on for years. While this will look different from business to business, one key way to do this is to avoid meetings where employees are put on the spot.
Instead, give employees a head’s up on what you’re looking to get out of the meeting so that they can go into it prepared. It will also help avoid meetings from being riddled with the deafening silence of crickets-a key in setting up the best team meetings.
As trivial and evident as some of these things might sound, they are often overlooked or underutilized. By doing these types of things, you can become a better employer and a more attractive workplace. The bottom line is that nearly any business with remote staff can employ these strategies to become a better employer-and a more profitable business. And what it boils down to is the arguably most valuable thing in business: trust.
Read More:Google Banned Meetings and Unexpectedly Reinvented Remote Work. It’s a Game-Changer
2022-03-01 04:30:17
