Remote Work Isn’t the Problem; Holding on to Office-Centric Work Practices Is

The great workforce debate rages on. Should employers embrace a new reality of decentralized workforces and asynchronous flexible schedules, or should they demand a return to the way things were, complete with cubicles and conference room meetings? There are arguments to be made on both sides, but a mistake many C-suite executives are making is that there isn’t an issue with remote work; the issue is with demanding office-centric policies be applied to remote work. Consider the nine to five workday, developed in Henry Ford’s time, this linear workday has since then become the gospel truth for when work is performed. How work is done is also traditionally through in-person discussions and meetings. However, in the day and age of shared drives and digital collaboration tools, we may need to rethink this. The problem may not be working remotely but that we’re trying to force the round peg of tradition into the square hole of the new nature of work.