自2020年3月以來,許多團隊轉向了遠程工作模式。這種情況已經持續一段時日,現在許多人都有這樣的疑問:到底什么才算工作?
《財富》雜志最近與軟件公司Slack的未來論壇聯盟(Future Forum)攜手,召開名為“重新構想工作:領導新方式”的虛擬座談會,專門討論這一話題。
未來論壇的負責人布萊恩?埃利奧特表示,其公司研究表明,不同群體的員工對遠程工作的體驗和適應能力存在顯著差異。在與工作壓力和社交隔離的博弈中,“中層管理者的表現尤其顯眼。”他說。根據這份針對全球9000名知識工作者的調查,與個人和公司高管相比,中層管理者有91%的可能性會抱怨遠程工作受阻。越來越多的初級和高級團隊成員已經基本上認為遠程工作的效率更高,但認同這一看法的中層管理者比個體工作者少36%,并且其中只有60%認為他們能夠管理好自己的工作。
這應該歸咎于誰?許多中層管理者的人際網絡比不上公司高管,而且他們也無力掌控自己的日程安排,從而導致“會議倦怠”。考慮到年齡因素,這些處于職業生涯中期的管理人士往往是在職父母,他們試圖在家庭和工作之間找到平衡。埃利奧特表示,他們總體認為“在這種遠程工作的環境中壓力更大”。
哈佛商學院(Harvard Business School)教授拉杰?喬杜里最近在《哈佛商業評論》(Harvard Business Review)的封面故事中講到遠程工作,他認為公司應該承擔起責任,減輕“自由工作地點”所帶來的挑戰和機遇。若想成功做到這一點,則需要對生產力、溝通甚至社交進行反思。他主張虛擬社交實際上好過在茶水間閑聊,因為前者可以讓你擴展自己的網絡,對象遠遠不止你每天在辦公室看到的人。他認為關鍵在于“有計劃的隨機互動”,公司能夠通過這種方式在短時間內聚集一群人,跨越等級和地域。
這與珍妮?約翰遜的發現如出一轍,她是全球投資公司富蘭克林鄧普頓基金集團(Franklin Templeton)的總裁兼首席執行官。她認為關鍵要讓每個團隊領導者在居家辦公的問題上,自由決定事情的輕重緩急和工作流程。她告訴自己的首席信息官“要利用這段時間挑戰極限,探索如何彈性工作,這樣才可以挖角人才”。他們還嘗試通過提出具體問題來促進公司內部的人際關系。例如他們會說:“我們想讓你在下次開會之前與五位陌生人聯系。”
座談會的所有人士最后都贊同這樣一個觀點:如果無法在一起實體辦公,就必須更努力去讓每個人明白自己在做什么工作。達倫?墨夫是代碼托管平臺 GitLab的遠程主管,他表示目前這種透明度十分重要。“在沒有辦公室的情況下,人們會意識到差距和隔閡。如果你看不到大家在做什么工作,你就會更加沒有歸屬感。”他說。看到別人的目標、進度和狀態,“會讓我們覺得自己屬于這個團隊。”
Slack的埃利奧特補充道,“不要害怕未雨綢繆”,尤其是面對那些超負荷工作的中層管理者。他表示,其公司已經“提供機會讓中層管理者聚在一起”討論各自會遇到的障礙,并探討和比較解決方案。“可以私下聊聊你的工作負擔,也可以公開討論你或公司的頭等大事,這么做真的能夠減輕壓力。”他說。(財富中文網)
譯者:秦維奇
自2020年3月以來,許多團隊轉向了遠程工作模式。這種情況已經持續一段時日,現在許多人都有這樣的疑問:到底什么才算工作?
《財富》雜志最近與軟件公司Slack的未來論壇聯盟(Future Forum)攜手,召開名為“重新構想工作:領導新方式”的虛擬座談會,專門討論這一話題。
未來論壇的負責人布萊恩?埃利奧特表示,其公司研究表明,不同群體的員工對遠程工作的體驗和適應能力存在顯著差異。在與工作壓力和社交隔離的博弈中,“中層管理者的表現尤其顯眼。”他說。根據這份針對全球9000名知識工作者的調查,與個人和公司高管相比,中層管理者有91%的可能性會抱怨遠程工作受阻。越來越多的初級和高級團隊成員已經基本上認為遠程工作的效率更高,但認同這一看法的中層管理者比個體工作者少36%,并且其中只有60%認為他們能夠管理好自己的工作。
這應該歸咎于誰?許多中層管理者的人際網絡比不上公司高管,而且他們也無力掌控自己的日程安排,從而導致“會議倦怠”。考慮到年齡因素,這些處于職業生涯中期的管理人士往往是在職父母,他們試圖在家庭和工作之間找到平衡。埃利奧特表示,他們總體認為“在這種遠程工作的環境中壓力更大”。
哈佛商學院(Harvard Business School)教授拉杰?喬杜里最近在《哈佛商業評論》(Harvard Business Review)的封面故事中講到遠程工作,他認為公司應該承擔起責任,減輕“自由工作地點”所帶來的挑戰和機遇。若想成功做到這一點,則需要對生產力、溝通甚至社交進行反思。他主張虛擬社交實際上好過在茶水間閑聊,因為前者可以讓你擴展自己的網絡,對象遠遠不止你每天在辦公室看到的人。他認為關鍵在于“有計劃的隨機互動”,公司能夠通過這種方式在短時間內聚集一群人,跨越等級和地域。
這與珍妮?約翰遜的發現如出一轍,她是全球投資公司富蘭克林鄧普頓基金集團(Franklin Templeton)的總裁兼首席執行官。她認為關鍵要讓每個團隊領導者在居家辦公的問題上,自由決定事情的輕重緩急和工作流程。她告訴自己的首席信息官“要利用這段時間挑戰極限,探索如何彈性工作,這樣才可以挖角人才”。他們還嘗試通過提出具體問題來促進公司內部的人際關系。例如他們會說:“我們想讓你在下次開會之前與五位陌生人聯系。”
座談會的所有人士最后都贊同這樣一個觀點:如果無法在一起實體辦公,就必須更努力去讓每個人明白自己在做什么工作。達倫?墨夫是代碼托管平臺 GitLab的遠程主管,他表示目前這種透明度十分重要。“在沒有辦公室的情況下,人們會意識到差距和隔閡。如果你看不到大家在做什么工作,你就會更加沒有歸屬感。”他說。看到別人的目標、進度和狀態,“會讓我們覺得自己屬于這個團隊。”
Slack的埃利奧特補充道,“不要害怕未雨綢繆”,尤其是面對那些超負荷工作的中層管理者。他表示,其公司已經“提供機會讓中層管理者聚在一起”討論各自會遇到的障礙,并探討和比較解決方案。“可以私下聊聊你的工作負擔,也可以公開討論你或公司的頭等大事,這么做真的能夠減輕壓力。”他說。(財富中文網)
譯者:秦維奇
Plenty of teams have switched to working remotely since March 2020. Now enough time has passed that many are starting to ask: What's actually working?
That was the topic of a recent virtual panel presented by Fortune and Slack's Future Forum called "Reimagine Work: New Ways to Lead."
Brian Elliott, who leads the Future Forum, said that his company's research showed a stark divide in terms of how different groups of employees are experiencing—and adapting to—remote work. When it came to having stress at work and wrestling with social isolation, "middle managers stood out," he said. According to his company's survey of 9,000 knowledge workers around the globe, middle managers were 91% more likely to say they were having trouble working remotely when compared to individuals and senior executives. And while more junior and more senior team members largely felt that they were more productive working remotely, middle managers were 36% below individual contributors on that scale, with only 60% feeling that they could manage their workload.
To blame? While many middle managers lack the extensive networks of their more senior counterparts, they may also have less control over their own schedules, leading to "meeting burnout." Because of their ages, these mid-career execs are often working parents who are trying to balance caregiving responsibilities that have bled into the workday. Overall, they are "feeling the squeeze even more in this remote work environment," said Elliott.
Raj Choudhury, a Harvard Business School professor who just authored an HBR cover story on remote work, made the case that the responsibility falls on companies to help mitigate the challenges and opportunities brought about by "work from anywhere," and doing so successfully involves a rethinking of productivity, communication, and even socializing. He argued that socializing virtually can actually be more effective than relying on the "watercooler," because it allows you to expand your network far beyond the people you'd generally see day to day at the office. The key, he thinks, are "planned randomized interactions" whereby a company draws a group together for short bursts of time, cutting across hierarchy and geography.
That tracks with what Jenny Johnson, president and CEO of global investment firm Franklin Templeton, has found as well. She says giving individual team leaders the freedom to set their own priorities and processes when it comes to WFH has been key. She's told her CIOs to "use this time to push the envelope on how you can flexibly work so you’re the one that is poaching talent." They've also experimented with encouraging networking within the company with specific asks. For instance, they'll say, "We want you to reach out virtually to five people you don't know before your next meeting."
Finally, all the panelists endorsed the idea that when you can't physically work together, you have to work harder to let everyone know what people are working on. Darren Murph, whose job title is head of remote at GitLab, says this kind of transparency is radically important right now. "With no office, people recognize gaps and silos. If you can’t see what people are working on, you feel like you belong less," he said. Seeing other teams' goals and progress and status, "makes us feel like we belong to a team."
Slack's Elliott added that, especially when faced with those overtaxed middle managers, "don't be afraid to get super tactical." He said at his company they've "built opportunities for middle managers to get together" to discuss and compare obstacles and solutions. "Private conversations about your workload plus public conversations about your [company] priorities really help with the stress level," he said.