Sirja Sulakatko, PhD, CEO of the Smart Work Association, EBS alumna
Today, one in five organisations in Estonia offers flexible work opportunities to all its employees, according to the results of a survey by the Wage Information Agency. Over time, the nature of work and the way people work are changing. More people are participating in various project or work groups, focusing on achieving results, i.e., solving specific problems, and often working for multiple employers. When you add to this the almost universal shortage of qualified labour across all sectors, it becomes clear that more flexible approaches need to be found in the workplace.
Yet, we still hear news of organisations calling employees back to the office or of those who believe that offering remote work is not feasible in their field. In this article, I aim to dispel some myths and explain, based on scientific research, why some organisations feel today that recalling employees is the only right solution, and I offer alternatives to this approach.
Remote work today is by no means just a benefit or bonus limited to one or two sectors, such as IT professionals or start-ups. Currently, there are approximately 250 organisations in Estonia that have consciously practised remote work and fostered flexibility, having earned the Remote Work Practitioner label. Among them are numerous examples from fields that, at first glance, might not seem related to remote work. Even among the current applicants and those renewing their labels this year, there are several companies from the manufacturing sector.
All sectors are seeking ways to incorporate flexibility into their work and, thereby, attract talent. Therefore, the key question is no longer whether remote work is offered but in what capacity. We need to think about how to move forward and how to do it better. Even manufacturing jobs can be planned so that some tasks are performed at home. Since remote work no longer only implies location independence but also encompasses flexibility in time and contracts, it is possible to offer flexibility in different ways to employees with different tasks.
The trend of calling employees back to the office is, in fact, one of the fairly common phases in the transition to flexible work in organisations where remote work has been practised for a longer period. In my recently published doctoral thesis, I examined the competencies of virtual teams, the support of the organisation, and the challenges faced. It revealed that employees and organisations go through three phases when transitioning to flexible work.
Firstly, there is the adjustment phase, during which everyone struggles equally to cope with the increased autonomy. There is a lot of hesitation, and, for example, a home office worker may worry whether their teammates believe they are actually working. This can lead to awkward situations: the employee might move their mouse every few minutes to show colleagues that they are in front of the screen and working. The main concern for managers, however, is whether the work is actually getting done. During the adjustment phase, it is typical for organisations to regulate the time spent working remotely, such as allowing people to work outside the office two days a week or having everyone gather in the office on Mondays.
In the second phase, employees and managers become curious about different best practices and tools. Training sessions are held, experiments are conducted, and ways to work more efficiently or have a better overview within the team are sought. Generally, restrictive frameworks, such as fixed home office days, are abandoned because experience shows that remote work can be done just as well, if not better. In summary, in the second phase, many trust-related issues are resolved, and optimism about remote work spreads among employees and managers.
In the final, or third, phase, employees achieve skill and maturity. By this time, there is a wealth of remote work tools and best practices. Now, the focus is on what works better and which less effective solutions could be discarded altogether. However, not all employees and organisations may recognise that instead of adopting new things, it is time to start setting focus and priorities.
In some organisations, there may be a feeling that employees' attention, engagement, and team spirit are starting to wane. This is a turning point where it is often thought that a quick fix might be to lure people back to the office. However, it is important to understand that the real problem is not remote work itself but the fact that, thanks to flexibility, people are involved in many projects and workgroups, which causes their attention to scatter and leaves less time for team activities and substantive discussions.
Instead of forcibly calling employees back to the office, organisations that have reached the third phase should take a step back to agree on priorities, analyse communication strategies, and rethink the structure and purpose of meetings – essentially, revisit the entire work design. Research has shown that setting focus and priorities increases employees' ability to concentrate and participate in team activities and discussions. As a result, the meaningfulness of work, team spirit, and employee engagement increase.
Therefore, there is no doubt that remote work has firmly established itself in Estonia's work culture. We have moved a significant step forward from the question of whether to offer remote work. This shift is driven by changes in the nature of work and the growing structural labour shortage, as well as the willingness of our leaders and employees to experiment with new methods. Today's organisations have the power to contribute to making flexible work even more thoughtful and deliberate – through supporting and involving people and setting focus and priorities in work processes.
