Post-COVID; is the remote working or are you working remotely ?
We Work Just as Hard as Management, if Not Harder…So Why are they
the Only Ones That Get to Work Abroad?
Chances are, before COVID-19, you never gave much thought to working from home. After all,
it’s what only a small subset of people – 4.9%, in fact – did, most recently as of 2019. But then
the pandemic happened. And, suddenly, those working in sales, marketing, and even at law
firms, were trading in their shoes for slippers and morning commutes to the office for morning
commutes to their kettle.
Now, more than two years into the pandemic, the way we work has shifted. Searches for
remote-based employment have skyrocketed, with the phrase being Googled over 18,000 times
monthly. And the reason why is simple: 75% of people are happier when they have the flexibility
to work from home and live their lives more freely than just sitting behind a computer screen
that’s confined to an office. Now, with the help of Skype backgrounds and virtual team meetings,
employees are taking that freedom and flexibility one step further by using these products to
their advantage, secretly working abroad when their peers are convinced they’re in their living
rooms. I mean, home can be anywhere right? So why not plug your laptop in while you’re
staying at, let’s say, a 5-star resort in Riviera Maya or at a hotel that gives you a perfect glimpse
of the Eiffel Tower from your balcony?
But, like with most things, this concept isn’t so simple when you factor in the disproportionate
realities of how executive leaders and regular staff live. In our post-Covid society, is it fair that
senior executives get to work abroad while “lesser” staff don’t and, furthermore, have to abide
by certain rules? How does a separation like this affect the company culture and does it help to
foster employee morale or hurt it? That’s exactly what this article aims to answer.
How COVID-19 Nurtured the Work-From-Home Environment
The reality is that everyone – both employers and employees alike – were thrust into navigating a
new normal. In the “olden times” – we mean pre 2019, employees would categorically ask their
boss or HR department for time off because that’s just what it was: time off from work.
But in today’s fluid post-pandemic society, employees are more accessible than ever. And
because so many employees still work remotely, the need to take time off for personal tasks or
even doctor’s appointments seems to have gone by the wayside. Yet despite the ability to
maintain a work-life balance so seamlessly, why is the concept of working abroad still so taboo?
Why can those in higher-ranking positions have the freedom to take staff meetings from their
car, their beach house, or residence abroad when the rest of us have to remain at home, even
though our newfound work environment gives us the freedom to move about just as easily? Can
an employee really be less focused if they have palm trees or Dutch Baroque buildings behind
them instead of their couch?
In Loopline’s opinion, the answer is no, and we found some receipts to back it up:
● 55% of employees claim to have better focus while working remotely than in an office
● 75% of employees claim they are more productive than they were at the office
● 39% of respondents (from a Huawei survey) claim to have fewer distractions from their
co-workers
● 58% of employees believe a remote environment gives them more autonomy over their
day-to-day
…and that last statistic is one we want to focus on because it’s the crux of this article. Manager
of Professional Development Programs at EDUCAUSE, Joan Cheverie talks a lot about
autonomy in the workplace in her article titled, Why Autonomy Is Important for Peak
Performance.
It’s worth the read, but if you haven’t checked it out yet, here’s the gist: According to Cheverie,
“…everyone experiences the workplace as a social system.”
Dr. David Rock, President of the Neuro Leadership Institute, who is referenced in Cheverie’s article, states that when employees feel undervalued, they “…become purely transactional employees, reluctant to give more of
themselves to the company because the social context stands in their way.” In other words, they
don’t want to put valuable work in at a company that doesn’t value them.
That idea is really at the heart of why so many employees want to work from home, but also feel
anger toward bosses who have the freedom and flexibility to work abroad. UK employment laws
dictate that employees may need to get advanced permission from their employer to work
abroad because they are otherwise considered UK-based employees, meaning that they only
have the authority to work in the United Kingdom.
In 2020, TK Maxx (TJX UK) Senior Vice President Cat Funk sought permission from a then-senior manager to go and work abroad. A disgruntled junior vice president Rachel Martin from
the Gift Card team was less than impressed with the decision, as it was an aspiration of hers to
work from abroad as well. Further Ms Martin had knowledge that the TJX tax team had
previously frowned on the idea and in turn gossiped about the issue out of frustration on the
matter. The learning of the scenario is obviously that any lack of clear policy in such matters
may encourage a toxic work environment.
Furthermore, an employee working abroad may hinder their employer’s ability to terminate their
employment, as well as offer time off, and affect their rate of pay. All of this is starting to make a
clearer picture as to why executives have an easier time working abroad than regular staff.
How the Social System Affects Performance
These factors affect the social system, resulting in employees feeling not only undervalued but
trapped. What is it about the “boss” that employees tend to frown upon? That they’re not
subjected to the same rules and standards as anybody else, right? Working abroad is a good
example, as is having to tell your boss that you can’t make a meeting when they can forget to
attend one they scheduled, regardless of how it wastes their staff’s time. It’s that “rules for thee,
but not for me,” kind of philosophy, and when you feel like your autonomy has been taken away
– or worse, simply relegated to weekends when the kids’ sports schedule and homework take
residence, it can make you feel stifled, both personally and career-wise.
And if you feel stifled, like nothing you do makes a difference or that you can’t do something, it
only serves to hurt you in the long run.
It’s because of this that some employees, as linked above, have decided to utilise virtual
backgrounds, check local weather apps, and utilise a VPN to create the illusion of working from
home. Is it wrong? Maybe. But is it justified? Absolutely.
How Employers Can Lead the Change
So what can employers do about it? Well, they can change their policies. But will they? If we
start having honest conversations about all of this, then maybe there’s a chance. There are
plenty of statistics out there that highlight how desperate employees are to remain at home and
their reasons why. Perhaps, instead of employers simply changing their policy, they should take
the time to analyse the stigma and inferred consequences they associate with employees
working abroad.
Employees aren’t going abroad, shutting off their laptops, and laughing at those suckers back at
the office who have to work. They want to work. But, they also want the ability to see a
magnificent sunrise on the Labadi Beach. They want to shove the laptop in the bag at 5:00 pm
and stroll the streets of Paris or Rome, taking in the sights and sounds of somewhere other than
the tunes played on shuffle at their local grocery. They want to go to bed, memorised by the
sparkling sky that they don’t get to see beneath clouds of rain and smog back home. Working
abroad doesn’t mean it takes the place of their day-to-day responsibilities, rather, it gives them a
new experience that has advantages for the workplace.
Over half of remote employees in the UK have higher rates of job satisfaction while
simultaneously being able to devote more time to both their physical and mental health. A
miserable home life or mental health state doesn’t just affect an employee’s job. It affects their
functioning, state of mind, decision-making, personal maintenance, hobbies, relationships, and
housework.
“Working in a new space disrupts the monotony because it allows remote workers to try
something new, meet new people, see new things, thus stimulating creativity inside them.”
If you still need a little more convincing about the benefits of remote environments, partially the
benefits of working abroad, only about “…one third [of employees] tend to log in from the same
location every day, with 85% of employees setting up their new workplace outdoors.”
We want the ability to work, but we also want the ability to live beyond a few cubic feet and four
walls. When employees are happy, the company reaps the benefits and is more successful.
Isn’t that a win-win for everyone?
LOOPLINE MEDIA
