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1. Remote work has escalated harassment. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen you swap in-person meetings for Zoom conferences and desk chatter for Slack, there are fewer boundaries, more opportunities to disguise oneself, and greater susceptibility to harassment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The EEOC<\/a> defines harassment as: \u201cUnwelcome conduct that is based on race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, or pregnancy), national origin, older age (age 40 plus), disability, or genetic information (including family medical history).\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\nFastCompany<\/a> reported some alarming statistics about the uptick in harassment since the pandemic alone:<\/p>\n\n\n\n- One in four employees says they\u2019ve been the target of unwelcome sexual behavior online since COVID-19. Where? Videoconferencing, text messages, emails, and internal chat programs.<\/li>
- 26% experienced more gender-based harassment. <\/li>
- 10% endured more bias related to their race or ethnicity<\/li>
- 23% of those 50 years and older experienced more ageism<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSince the start of the pandemic, employees have felt as if online environments are the Wild Wild West, and the usual rules don\u2019t apply,\u201d said Jennifer Brown, DEI expert, to the New York Times<\/a>. \u201c…HR in most workplaces still has not caught up to what virtual forms of misconduct and harassment look and feel like, and there\u2019s a lack of policies and procedures around what is acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nOrganizations must develop standards for unacceptable remote communication on channels like instant messaging, video conferencing, email, etc. A critical part of curbing this behavior is to host discussions and training to show employees you\u2019re holding them accountable and help those who\u2019ve been the target of unwelcome virtual conduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Employee work-life balance\u2014nice in theory but doesn\u2019t always happen in practice. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nAccording to SHRM<\/a>, nearly 70 percent of professionals who transitioned to remote work in the pandemic say they now work on weekends. Forty-five percent say they work more hours during the week than they did pre-pandemic, and working parents were more likely to work on weekends than childless employees.
\u201cWhile remote work affords employees more flexibility, it makes disconnecting extremely difficult,\u201d said Paul McDonald, Senior Executive Director at Robert Half. \u201cMany people feel pressure to keep up with rising workloads and are putting in long hours to support the business and customer needs.\u201d
Employees may also feel like their managers take advantage of the lack of commute and travel to assign more work. Being overworked may not only cause employees to seek greener pastures with other employers\u2014it may lead to long-term health problems.
\u201cThe pandemic has pushed companies to prioritize employee experience,\u201d said McDonald. \u201cSavvy employers are making lasting changes to support their staff\u2019s needs and well-being, such as providing greater autonomy and flexibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. Employees don\u2019t always feel heard.<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\nRemote work adds a new layer to company culture and employee engagement. Nearly half of employees say their company doesn\u2019t have an established feedback loop, according to research from SpiralMethod<\/a>, an executive coaching company. <\/p>\n\n\n\nTransparency is also a common issue. Three-fourths of employees say that more transparency would boost their morale and improve their company\u2019s success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While employees value transparency and feedback, there is clearly a disconnect for most organizations to realize those principles. Leaders also must recognize that even though they may receive employee feedback, it may not be honest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
“In many cases, management is hearing what they want to hear,\u201d says Leslie Jones, SpiralMethod founder. \u201cIf you’re not listening to the growing voice of your employees, you’re missing an enormous opportunity to cement your company culture in trust \u2014and they will know it. There’s so much you can learn from your teams if you really listen with an authentic concern to hearing them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remote work means new, different challenges. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe remote work era has transformed business culture. Workplace principles are constantly evolving. Leaders must be aware that just because their employees haven\u2019t directly complained doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re not struggling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Organizations need to provide ways for remote employees to give authentic feedback. Even though they\u2019re not physically present in an office, you should still make sure they\u2019re heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you want a way to capture candid, remote employee feedback? We\u2019re here to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n<\/div>\n\n\n\nTRY IT OUT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nCheck Out Incogneato Now<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
FastCompany<\/a> reported some alarming statistics about the uptick in harassment since the pandemic alone:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSince the start of the pandemic, employees have felt as if online environments are the Wild Wild West, and the usual rules don\u2019t apply,\u201d said Jennifer Brown, DEI expert, to the New York Times<\/a>. \u201c…HR in most workplaces still has not caught up to what virtual forms of misconduct and harassment look and feel like, and there\u2019s a lack of policies and procedures around what is acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Organizations must develop standards for unacceptable remote communication on channels like instant messaging, video conferencing, email, etc. A critical part of curbing this behavior is to host discussions and training to show employees you\u2019re holding them accountable and help those who\u2019ve been the target of unwelcome virtual conduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to SHRM<\/a>, nearly 70 percent of professionals who transitioned to remote work in the pandemic say they now work on weekends. Forty-five percent say they work more hours during the week than they did pre-pandemic, and working parents were more likely to work on weekends than childless employees. Remote work adds a new layer to company culture and employee engagement. Nearly half of employees say their company doesn\u2019t have an established feedback loop, according to research from SpiralMethod<\/a>, an executive coaching company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Transparency is also a common issue. Three-fourths of employees say that more transparency would boost their morale and improve their company\u2019s success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While employees value transparency and feedback, there is clearly a disconnect for most organizations to realize those principles. Leaders also must recognize that even though they may receive employee feedback, it may not be honest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “In many cases, management is hearing what they want to hear,\u201d says Leslie Jones, SpiralMethod founder. \u201cIf you’re not listening to the growing voice of your employees, you’re missing an enormous opportunity to cement your company culture in trust \u2014and they will know it. There’s so much you can learn from your teams if you really listen with an authentic concern to hearing them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The remote work era has transformed business culture. Workplace principles are constantly evolving. Leaders must be aware that just because their employees haven\u2019t directly complained doesn\u2019t mean they\u2019re not struggling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Organizations need to provide ways for remote employees to give authentic feedback. Even though they\u2019re not physically present in an office, you should still make sure they\u2019re heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you want a way to capture candid, remote employee feedback? We\u2019re here to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n TRY IT OUT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Check Out Incogneato Now<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n2. Employee work-life balance\u2014nice in theory but doesn\u2019t always happen in practice. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhile remote work affords employees more flexibility, it makes disconnecting extremely difficult,\u201d said Paul McDonald, Senior Executive Director at Robert Half. \u201cMany people feel pressure to keep up with rising workloads and are putting in long hours to support the business and customer needs.\u201d
Employees may also feel like their managers take advantage of the lack of commute and travel to assign more work. Being overworked may not only cause employees to seek greener pastures with other employers\u2014it may lead to long-term health problems.
\u201cThe pandemic has pushed companies to prioritize employee experience,\u201d said McDonald. \u201cSavvy employers are making lasting changes to support their staff\u2019s needs and well-being, such as providing greater autonomy and flexibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. Employees don\u2019t always feel heard.<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Remote work means new, different challenges. <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n