Working From Home: 7-Month Pandemic Insights

As significant global restrictions began in March, the challenge of transitioning a substantial workforce from traditional office settings to remote work presented considerable uncertainty.

Earlier that month, I explored potential preparations for such a scenario, consulting with various specialists knowledgeable in the necessary software and related technologies. However, the transition encompassed far more than simply the practicalities of working remotely. This change occurred amidst a pandemic that introduced a wider range of personal and professional concerns.

Now, seven months later, we’ve undoubtedly gained valuable insights into effective remote work practices. The question is, what are these lessons, and how can we best utilize this work model for the duration of the pandemic?

To gain perspective on the current state of remote work as we approach its eighth month and the knowledge acquired thus far, I consulted with Karen Mangia, Vice President of Customer and Market Insights at Salesforce and author of the book, *Working from Home, Making the New Normal Work for You*.

Staying productive

When employees transitioned to remote work in March, leaders began to evaluate how work output would be affected by the change in environment. Although many organizations previously allowed some degree of remote work, it was typically limited to a small portion of the workforce. Adapting to an entirely remote workforce presented new difficulties for managers accustomed to assessing employee performance largely based on physical presence in the workplace during standard business hours.

Early in the shift to remote work, a key focus was ensuring the availability of appropriate resources to facilitate communication despite the physical separation. Mangia notes that these resources can be instrumental in bridging what she refers to as a gap in confidence.

“Supervisors need assurance that their teams are focused on key objectives and achieving results. Simultaneously, team members want to demonstrate their dedication and progress to their managers. I believe that technology and the right tools can effectively address this confidence gap,” she stated.

She suggests that the most impactful step individuals can take currently is to re-evaluate their routines and identify small improvements to enhance their work experience, given the likelihood of continued remote work. “We are finding that enhancements to our experiences as employees, learners, and leaders can often be achieved through straightforward modifications. This doesn’t require a complex, long-term, or expensive plan. Even small changes can be significant,” she explained, citing an example such as investing in a supportive chair if the current seating arrangement is causing discomfort.

Setting boundaries between work and home life

As more people embrace remote work, a significant challenge for many professionals is overworking and struggling to establish clear distinctions between their professional and personal lives. It’s apparent that employees now have additional time previously dedicated to commuting, but how are they utilizing it? A recent investigation conducted by Barrero, Bloom, and Davis examined how individuals were spending their newfound hours, revealing that a substantial majority – 35.5% – were dedicating that time to work. The next most frequent response involved recreational pursuits such as watching television (18.6%), followed by household tasks (15.5%).

However, this heightened productivity, coupled with the constant accessibility of computers for completing work-related tasks, underscores the importance of defining boundaries between work hours and personal time, as it’s easy for these areas to overlap, she explained. “My observations indicate that the most effective strategies individuals can implement to truly benefit from the time saved on commuting are establishing consistent routines, rituals, and boundaries.”

She further noted, “A key consideration is that, without a commute, it’s crucial to develop a routine for starting your workday, and perhaps even more importantly, a routine for ending it each day.” She emphasizes that neglecting this can result in “work creep,” where individuals find themselves completing just one more email, one more blog entry, or one more presentation slide, ultimately leading to burnout due to insufficient breaks.

When working from home presents difficulties

It’s true that remote work isn’t a seamless transition for everyone, and certain groups have encountered particularly significant hurdles. Recent experiences have highlighted the challenges faced by parents of young children and school-aged kids, who are navigating a complex balance between professional responsibilities and family life. This situation, while always present to some degree, became more pronounced as traditional support systems like schools, extracurricular activities, playdates, and daycare centers were either unavailable or severely limited during the pandemic.

Another group facing difficulties includes individuals residing in urban areas within compact living spaces, where areas like kitchen tables or bedrooms have been repurposed as home offices. Many chose city living for its vibrant lifestyle, accepting smaller accommodations and higher rental costs as a trade-off, a compromise that was more manageable when most of the day could be spent outside the home. The pandemic fundamentally altered this dynamic. Furthermore, many are finding it hard to effectively share their homes with others who also require dedicated quiet time and space for work or education. The limited size of the living area exacerbates these issues.

Mangia offers some guidance for those grappling with these added obstacles. For individuals sharing limited space, collaboration is key. “Openly discuss and schedule essential meetings. Coordinate times for activities that demand significant bandwidth or require a quiet environment with those you are sheltering in place with.” She also suggests utilizing a vehicle as a temporary quiet workspace when necessary, acknowledging it’s not perfect but provides a separation from family or roommates during crucial calls.

Regarding parents, she emphasizes the importance of seeking assistance. “When offered support, clearly articulate your needs. I featured a single working parent in the book who exemplifies this approach. When a friend or family member asks, ‘What can I do to help?’ she responds with specific requests like ‘Supervise my daughter for an hour while I conduct a lesson,’ or ‘Assist my daughter with her schoolwork,’ or ‘Let’s collaborate on meal preparation for the week on Sunday,’” Mangia clarified.

What the future could look like

Conversations with technology industry leaders during the summer indicated a return to traditional office settings wouldn't occur this year without a compelling and specific need. Current circumstances suggest this expectation will likely extend into at least the initial months of the coming year, and potentially beyond. Consequently, we must adapt to remote work as the prevailing operational model for the foreseeable future, but what changes can we anticipate when it becomes possible to resume working in a physical office?

During a May interview with Box CEO Aaron Levie on Extra Crunch Live, he predicted that post-pandemic work arrangements would differ significantly from pre-pandemic norms. He envisioned a spectrum of options, with numerous organizations offering increased flexibility regarding employee work locations and methods:

“Consider a spectrum, where one extreme involves a completely distributed, fully remote workforce. The opposite extreme entails everyone commuting to the office daily, necessitating the construction of numerous skyscrapers for traditional office work. I believe it’s reasonable to assume that most organizations, particularly larger ones, will not operate at either of these extremes,” Levie explained.

A recent report from the OECD suggests that in-person collaboration may be vital for fostering innovation, as physical proximity can stimulate new ideas. The report states, “The significance of direct communication, particularly for intricate tasks and innovation, implies that excessive remote work could diminish worker efficiency and hinder long-term productivity growth. The prominence of entrepreneurial hubs and the geographical concentration of high-tech companies within the ICT sector—such as Silicon Valley—along with the importance of laboratories and academic departments, strongly indicate that sharing a common physical space is crucial for innovation.”

However, many businesses are demonstrating success with entirely remote teams, proving that with appropriate policies, established procedures, and effective communication tools, a shared physical location isn't essential for achieving positive outcomes. GitLab serves as a notable example, operating with over 1,200 employees and 30 million registered users. CEO Sid Sijbrandij informed Alex Wilhelm during a TechCrunch Disrupt panel in September that the company has achieved $130 million in Annual Recurring Revenue. This demonstrates that, despite the OECD’s claims, companies can maintain innovation and prosperity without requiring physical proximity.

The timing of a potential return to the office remains uncertain as the pandemic experiences resurgences in both the U.S. and Europe. For the time being, many employees continue to work remotely, and we must continue refining the systems and processes we utilize to accommodate this reality. After seven months, we have gained valuable insights, and it appears evident that when the pandemic concludes, we will integrate these lessons to reshape our approach to work in the long term.