Expect 143% More From Remote Workers

Let’s say there are only two basic modes of work – individual or interactive. Working individually in an open environment with intermittent interaction still qualifies as interactive. Each mode offers different benefits.

In the first mode, working by oneself in a private setting there are no barriers to cranking it out. You’re entirely focused on the task -- except for daydreaming or, if at home, the distraction of laundry. (Assuming of course that your goal is clear and you know what you’re doing.)

In the second mode, working in a group setting involves unavoidable encounters and ambient awareness of others that distract from such a direct march toward a goal. At the same time, you’re motivating one another, discovering and learning together; getting to know strengths and weaknesses,  failing safely but publicly in small ways that build capability over time. You’re building trust with eye contact and mutual reliance.

Personal development and corporate vitality depend on such shared experiences. Without social motivation, knowledge sharing and trust there is no growth or innovation. These are not merely ancillary by-products of other work; they are essential corporate assets created through interaction.

Let’s say we expect each person to deliver 100 units of value each hour, regardless of where they’re working. Even with the “cost” of distraction lowering interactive output of deliverables to a guesstimated 70, total value creation matches the baseline 100 when we properly count intangible benefits as well.

Meanwhile, the solo/remote worker provides 100% of their value in deliverable output alone. Therefore to maintain parity the solo worker must produce 100 units of deliverables for every 70 units produced in the office. Looking at it another way, the solo worker must deliver 1.43% more than an interactive worker. (100 = 70 x 1.43)

No matter how you weight each component of value, the fact that individual work only contributes in one category makes it clear that we can and should expect more from people working alone, whether remotely or in a private office or focus room.

How much more? 143% more

Digital Literacy

If you discovered that someone on your team struggled with reading and writing, I’m guessing you would see the necessity of helping that person gain an essential life skill. It might be awkward to align the right support and motivation but I don’t think you’d let it pass. If you discovered that someone on your team struggled with electronic documents and processes, I’m guessing you’d get frustrated and try to avoid working with them.

What if technological competence is the literacy of today’s workplace?

Without it your organization is stuck in the 1980’s; dependent on paper files, perpetuating manual processes, burdensome approvals, no mobility. Unless you like being trapped at your desk surrounded by stored paper, that makes it your problem too. Or maybe it’s you who gets frustrated and tries to avoid new ways of working

Regardless, it’s high time we ensured that everyone on our team has these essential skills. Here’s a handy checklist of key concepts and capabilities.  Does your whole team have mastery over every item?

Key concepts
Files: Awareness, Findability, Authorship, Access
Email: Action, FYI, CYA
Database: Record, Field, Relationship, non-duplicative

File Management 101
“Where” is the file?
Shared network drive - folder organization
File naming conventions
Search features
Save As
Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V
Print to PDF
Archive and purge

Aging Workforce: The Real Danger

"... Baby boomers includes people who are between 52 and 70 years old in 2016 …. It is projected that by 2020, the proportion of the U.S. labor force that is composed of older adults (55+) will be 25.2%. This continues a trend in increasing rates of older adults remaining in the workforce, as the rates were 13.1% in 2000 and 19.5% in 2010." [1]

This simple fact of workforce demographics can ruin a business in two ways:

#1 Boomers are still here.

In 2008, they lost 40% of their retirement savings and haven’t gotten a real raise since then. Short on cash and eager to stay active, they're blocking the career advancement ladder and hoarding good jobs. Seniority allows them to work from private offices and vacation homes, depriving the next generation of both opportunity and information.  [2]

#2 They’re going to retire eventually.

Even with delayed retirement, Boomers won’t be around forever. When they go they will be taking thousands of years of experience and knowledge that has not been transferred to the next generation.

What to do NOW

We need to encourage immediately more fluid transfer of knowledge – in both directions. Subject matter expertise flows from old to young; work process improvement flows from young to old.

Here are three ideas that can work for any company:
A. Design the workplace around face-to-face interaction – F2F is the main benefit (maybe the only) of coming into the office, considering that most people can “get work done” anywhere with wi-fi and a laptop. So we need to really push that work mode: face to face. Perhaps more even more importantly, looking someone in the eye builds trust, the core of positive workplace culture and essential foundation for innovation.

B. Recognize that 68 year olds might not thrive in an airline hangar with bean bag chairs. A demographically diverse workforce needs a variety of interactive workplace options. Let’s not design valuable older workers out of the picture prematurely.  

C. Incorporate virtual workplace improvements: network drive organization, file management protocols, chat and screenshare applications. Tools for online collaboration are exploding right now – they’re affordable and readily accessible.

Contact workplace1080.com to find out what a knowledge-transfer initiative could look like for your organization. Explore strategies for supporting a demographically diverse workforce.

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The Virtual Workplace: your collaboration hub

“Work” used to be a place, as in “I can’t talk now, I’m at work.” The work-place housed the things we needed to do our jobs: desk, phone, computer, copier, files, fax machine, mail sorter, supplies, etc. 
 
Now, work is an activity that can happen in a variety of places anytime. The only constant is the shared network drive. That's where everyone goes to work, no matter where they are physically. But for many organizations the shared drive is a non-collaborative, counterproductive mess.

How to fix it

State the goals:
Awareness       I know this file exists
Findability        I can find it
Accessibility    I can view and edit it unless it’s private for a good reason
Ownership       I know who is in charge of this file
Sharing            I can share this file with others as needed
Disambiguity    I am confident there is no other place for this subject

Organize the network drive by function rather than by department. You might be surprised at how may functions involve more than one department, spawning duplicate inconsistent files. Ask what does your company deliver that people are willing to pay for? A good place to start is your website tabs. This is your value proposition, and the basis for your functional buckets.

Welcome to the new collaborative workplace – it’s the shared network drive.
Promote collaboration, eliminate redundancy and highlight intersections that spark innovation. A fresh network drive is a lot cheaper than renovating the office.

Soap and cramps

Do you suffer from leg or foot cramps in bed? Next time it happens place a bar of bath soap near the cramp. Wait a minute or so. Experience the joy of release. 

This ridiculous treatment is not “scientifically proven” or even understood, but it works (based on loose experimentation by my own self and numerous friends). Don’t expect double blind tests and FDA approval anytime soon, in the absence of related profit-making opportunity.

Maybe cramps are caused by an energy feedback loop. Soap interrupts the feedback loop. Or something like that. 

How could this possibly be relevant for workplace design? 

It has to do with trying new things. The workplace is changing radically, and yet many of us resist new approaches with the claim that “it won’t work for me” or with a challenge to “prove it.” Yet we can’t know what works without trying new things. And we don’t know what we’re missing except through new experience.  When thinking about workplace changes consider this: 

Some good ideas --
•    cannot be totally explained or demonstrated in advance, but are nonetheless valid.
•    lack research and marketing (due to limited profit potential), but are nonetheless valid. 
•    don’t work for everyone, but are nonetheless valid. 
•    are cheap and easy to implement, but are nonetheless valid.

When we demand rational explanations and documented results we can miss out on real value.  

So if you get occasional cramps, keep a bar of soap on your bedside table. Next time, after you stop laughing, grab the soap and place it near the cramp. You might find that a new approach brings benefits that you didn’t even know were possible. Same goes for the new workplace.

Millennials Don't Want Your McMansion

They would rather have brunch with their friends than mow the lawn. They don't want your status-symbol car either. What makes you think they’re going to want your old office?

Until recently it didn’t much matter what Millennials wanted. But now you need them. Look at this – it’s the demographic dumbbell, and it's a huge looming problem.

What it means in the workplace

Boomer retirements eviscerate management ranks.
Generation X population lacks bandwidth to take over.
Competition for qualified leaders gets ugly.
Productivity goes down. Resources are scarce for reactive change.

The fix

Get active about knowledge-transfer.
Cultivate millennials for leadership.
Prepare to compete for talent.
Apply known principles (natural light, social interaction, physical movement, personal choice) for a more productive workplace now.

What it's worth

Changes that improve knowledge transfer, innovation, quality, and well-being, can improve productivity by 10%, measured as gross revenue per employee. For just 50 employees, that's worth $600,000 every year, assuming a modest $120K gross revenue per employee. For gross revenue per employee of $200K, the gains are worth $1.0 mil. per year. Serious numbers.

Action

Who is responsible in your office for thinking about this stuff? If your workplace feels old or you have a lease transition coming up, consider calling us for an expert assessment. We’ll identify your opportunities and create a realistic roadmap. Whether or not you implement the plan, learn what you’re missing out on.

While you're toiling away in your private office, Millennials are eating your brunch.