Who is best suited to be in a remote work setting?
The grand remote work experiment we have all participated in over the last few months has resulted in a renewed interest in the concept becoming a regular component of the corporate landscape. And while enthusiasm for the approach has grown considerably, abandoning the physical office may not be attractive to everyone. In fact, some people have been quite vocal in their call for a return to the workplace, as they complain about their increased workload, lack of social interaction, constant parade of exhausting Zoom calls and inability to quickly (and clearly) communicate with colleagues. So how can we tell the difference between an admirer and an adversary of this new model of work?
One size does NOT fit all
According to Lighthouse Consulting Services, when the right person is selected for the job, work production has the potential to increase by 30% to 300%. It is therefore critical to put people in a position to succeed by understanding what will help them personally be effective (and what can potentially hinder achievement). Infor’s team of industrial and organizational psychologists investigated behaviors associated with successful job performance in a remote work setting by compiling data across a variety of industries to better understand the behavioral characteristics associated with success. Five characteristics bubbled to the surface.
The top characteristics identified were: discipline, humility, emotional consistency, pace and need for recognition. While there is far more complexity to the human condition than can be captured in a brief assessment, there can be a benefit to recognizing the importance of certain attributes and temperaments in a remote work setting. Successful remote workers seem to have little reliance on external praise and are intrinsically motivated by a sense of urgency on work tasks. The data indicates that these behaviors stand to impact work performance in several ways and are helpful to cultivate in each team member.
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