Remember life before hybrid working when everyone was office-based and you had a tight grasp on exactly who was doing what, when and how?
It seems like an age away now.
Being together in person allowed a team to observe its leader as a decision-maker and someone whose direct input could be relied upon. The individual’s position as a leader was respected and their experience valued.
Then the pandemic came along and hybrid working blurred those lines.
When your team no longer has regular face-to-face contact and people are working more independently than ever before, there’s a worry some may ask, “Who’s the boss?”
For organisations, remote working structures can leave leaders feeling removed from what’s happening ‘on the ground’ and less in control. For workers, it can lead to questions about how well they are being led.
To further understand the impact of remote working on the perceptions of leaders, Zenger Folkman analysed 500,000 direct reports pre-pandemic and over 12,000 direct reports during the pandemic to find out how motivated and engaged they felt within their work environment.
The results showed increased engagement and commitment, with employees willing to work harder and feeling more satisfied when working remotely.
Further data was gathered on the perceived effectiveness of leaders both before and during the pandemic. Results showed staff rated leaders as more effective during the pandemic.
These findings may run counter to what many believed would happen, but from these findings, it appears that increased independence brings benefits.
