Trust your team to get the job done.
The vast majority of people will not abuse this trust
and end up doing a better job for you as a result.
***
Observing myself over the past years, I work more efficiently in home office.
Mostly because people approach me when seeing me in the office, which always needs a reaction from my side. From an unplanned catch-up to a “no, let‘s meet on another day” - a reaction is needed.
At home, I focus so deeply and jump from one call to the next, that I sometimes don’t even get up from my chair in like five hours.
And I find it often easier to intentionally call a colleague to talk about a topic (proactive approach) instead of being approached by questions and smalltalk in the office (reactive approach).
However, I would never just “hide” at home, since efficiency is not everything. Meeting people in real life, being in the same room, sensing each other, and establishing real connections is so crucial that it should never be underestimated.
If you want to work on your company culture, it is much easier when meeting each other in person. That does not mean that you cannot work on culture with purely virtual connections, but actually meeting the others is a huge benefit and enabler. And it is nowadays a very underestimated value!
Also for employee retention, I believe that meeting people in real life creates a different kind of loyalty.
And it’s not the same for everyone. Some people feel distracted at home and need the office setting for high productivity. While others perform much better when left alone in their home office. For me, the mixture currently works best - with regard to productivity, efficiency, healthy behaviors, and relationships.
As leaders, on the other hand, we should not assume that everyone works and feels like we do. Try to find out what your employees need and rather look at their performance and outcomes than at how they work, when, or in which setting.
When in doubt, is it about facts or your personal fear? Your fear of losing control should not limit your employee’s freedom. However, if the facts prove the employee wrong, address your concerns openly and work on a setting that ensures high productivity for this individual.
Maybe it will need some time until your team has found their right setting. Until you know what degree of remote working is good from a business perspective and until you recognize how to boost your employees’ performance - with maybe different settings, but similar rules and standards for all.
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