Is Management “Out of Touch” in the Hybrid Work World?

Microsoft’s 2021 Work Trend Index refers to leadership as “out of touch,” and says that they need a “wake up call” – but why, and how? The data shows that employees and employers have some striking differences when it comes to how they’ve been tolerating the pandemic and their perspectives on the future of work. And without taking a good, long look at the ways in which they’re missing the mark with their employees, a manager who misses their wake-up call could end up in a real nightmare.

Thriving… or surviving?

Unfortunately, while many leaders may think of themselves as in-tune with their employees' needs, some bosses are operating under the assumption that everyone has it as good as they do. Statistics show that leaders are exponentially more likely to take all of their vacation days (sometimes, perhaps more than they’re allowed) and have stronger relationships with their colleagues and bosses. Those who are further along in their careers, or work in information or technology, also tend to be enjoying working remotely exponentially more than frontline workers or Gen Z individuals surveyed.

From the worker’s perspective, those without “decision-making authority” are feeling unseen, and unheard. Only 38% of non-management workers say that they’re thriving during the pandemic, and the statistics are even more striking when broken down into demographics. Upwards of 67% of single people report that they’re struggling, and 64% of new workers (those who have been at their companies for under a year) feel the same. Those who are isolated, without family, coworkers, or roommates to keep them company tend to feel the most abandoned. And while there have been many positives about switching to remote work, without addressing some of the issues, employees will lose the motivation to work, and they may even quit.

Productivity comes at a cost

One of management’s biggest disconnects with their employees is that while they’re seeing the fruits of their subordinates’ labor, the workers are collapsing in the fields trying to gather the fruits in the first place. While the U.S. Labor Department’s statistics show that productivity is at a new high since the pandemic began, and many businesses report doing better financially than in past years, all of this success is coming at a cost. Because workers have a more difficult time unplugging when everyone is working from home, managers can unintentionally take advantage of their employee’s urge to work themselves into exhaustion. It doesn’t feel like much, as it’s just one Slack message here or one email there. But these extra hours pile up, and while leaders have the power to dodge out of the office or take an extra vacation day if they so choose, lower-level employees don’t necessarily have the option, which causes them to feel helpless and unappreciated.

A whopping 37% of those without decision-making power polled in the Work Trend Index say that their employers are asking too much of them given the current emotional and financial climate brought about by COVID. An additional one-fifth of respondents feel that their employer doesn’t care at all about their work-life balance, and 54% feel overworked. While managers might see this behavior as productive and go-getting, they need to start seeing it for what it really is: A cry for help.

Getting back in touch

Another issue that management sometimes isn’t fully aware of is that the notion of connectivity has changed. Often, we get hung up on the fact that loneliness and isolation have run rampant in the technology-laden world of remote work, and management is constantly looking for ways to reconnect their employees. Little do they know that employees have been connected all along and that the bonds they’ve built have drastically improved their pandemic experiences.

The way that co-workers interact has changed dramatically – distant networks have fallen by the wayside, and the people you work with on a daily basis have become your confidants, allies, and emotional support systems. Those who met their colleague’s pets, their children, saw their homes and spouses (around 18%) or even shared a good, cleansing cry together (17%) all experienced positive benefits. The statistics show that these human moments improved work relationships and that productivity among coworkers who shared intimate moments was 23% higher than those who didn’t.

The stronger the bonds between teammates, the harder they’ll want to work for and with each other – even if the work can be stressful, detrimental to their wellbeing, or frustratingly time-consuming. Sometimes, especially if you’re single, living alone, or new to a job, your coworkers are all you have to keep you emotionally afloat. And employers who operate under the assumption that their employees are disconnected may just be disconnected themselves.

What managers need to know

It can be disheartening to feel like you’re out of touch with your employees, especially if you pride yourself on being an empathetic and understanding boss. So if you’re a manager, and you feel as if COVID has been generally a great break from the daily rat race, and that you’ve been more productive, happier, and stable without the constant stress of full time, in-person work, first thing’s first – don’t feel guilty! Your job as a boss isn’t to make yourself feel worse so that others can feel better, it’s to bring others up to where you are, so we can all share in the joys of remote work. Even if you have been misunderstanding the needs of your employees, there’s always time to right the wrongs.

The Microsoft Work Trend Index recommends that managers start by focusing on the one thing employees have been preaching since the words “return to work” were first uttered: Flexible work. You’ve heard it before – flexible work is here to stay, and in order to retain employees, management has to figure out a way to allow for shifting schedules. But this doesn’t just mean that teams should be in the office one day and home the next. There are certainly more creative and innovative flexible work options that allow for both employees and employers to feel satisfied.

First, managers should consider hiring more staff to make up for “digital overwhelm,” which is just a term for the inherent stress of managing various technical aspects of remote work. Jobs like this include roles that work on the coordination of desk spaces and cubicles for in-person days, a thorough tech support program for employees struggling to keep up with constant updates. If technology is to be the cornerstone of the future of work, it must be a beneficial tool that aids worker flexibility, not a constant, complicated obstruction to productivity.

Additionally, the Work Trend Index notes that asynchronous collaboration will be a huge help for employees who require more malleable schedules. Managers need to trust that employees are able to get tasks done on their own time. The more workers have access to programs that adopt asynchronous work, the more opportunities they’ll have to be self-starters, go-getters, and tempo-setters.

The last thing is something you’ve also probably heard before as a manager, but it’s something many have a tough time implementing: Taking consistent breaks. You’ll be fighting against an office culture that demands constant engagement, or an employee who might feel guilty or ashamed for taking breaks when “it’s not that bad, I’m just sitting in front of a computer.” However, if you encourage employees to work on their own time at their own pace, they’ll be less likely to feel the unreasonable and unnecessary pressure that causes work-impeding stress.

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