Dr. Stephanie Diana Eubank DBA Remote Team Research (AKA Dr. Bear)
This site is for promoting my research into Remote Team Design & Implementation.
Hi Everyone,
I am seeking participants for my dissertation research. You must be over 18 years old and have worked remotely before, during, or after COVID. You can access the survey at https://cuchicago.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cGaONOpiCB6du86. I am seeking participants for one on one interviews and a focus group. You can also access the survey using the QR code in my video. Thanks, and remember, remote, it is here to stay.
There is a common trope of “looking busy” at work, also known as “workplace theater.” The new false narrative is that #remotework employees must engage in that. This is a false narrative because, well, in person, people do it too, and this behavior is, in fact, productive.
This sounds counterintuitive, but let me explain. We all often forget that business is a social science. And the social component of looking busy once all work is done and water cooler talk in person is productive. It helps encourage morale and cross-functional collaboration. Breaks and socialization in the workplace are also skill-building and, in fact, productive in it reduce stress and contribute to creative problem-solving.
Also, in-person workers per the Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLA) found that in-person workers are only productive for about 3 hours in an 8-hour workday. Work-from-home employees were found to be productive on average about 4-5 hours in an 8-hour day. So, where workplace theater is standard, remote workers do not embrace or need it. As leaders, we need to rethink productivity and how we measure it. Specifically using both a qualitative and quantitative methodology. This will let the work speak for itself with a louder voice.
Remember sharing is caring, and if you liked this or want additional consulting, check out my social media and consulting firm. Like and subscribe, and remember that Remote is Here To Stay.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wickedbofthewest
Website: wickedbofthewestremoteconsulting.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WickedBoftheWestBusinessConsulting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedbofthewestconsulting/
Twitter: @SDEubank
Blog: drstephaniebeardbaremoteresearch.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-diana-eubank-dba/
A company’s organizational culture is delicate and complex, especially in remote work modalities, because of shifts in leadership and communication skills. With business leadership screaming the false narrative that “people don’t want to work anymore,” they are lying to themselves and the workforce and killing their company culture.
The workforce intelligence and research communities have been studied psychologically and sociologically since the beginning of the industrial era. One unchanged concept is that the workplace culture is like a living organism. One bad apple ruins the bunch for everyone and can have drastic consequences for the whole economy. The modality of #remoteworking has brought a shift back to traditional leadership values of cultivating culture and valuing our teams as a business is symbiotic. When employees feel secure, their safety and time are valued, and their personal life is given space to not be overtaken by work, employees thrive, and so does business.
What do we do to change this tune? More leadership development needs to be done to help cultivate a work-life balance culture to help ensure the quality of our workforce. The first thing that needs to be adapted in leadership is the understanding that there are no more middle managers that just manage in remote work. There are producing managers who take on more of a teacher/ coordinator role. Leadership is less about the spotlight and more about highlighting their teams. Also, doing away with the toxic leadership tricks of getting free labor. Asking workers to work for free belittles their contributions to the company they make during their work day and shows that they are not valued. Studies also show that forced or pushed overtime hinders productivity and lowers quality.
Please visit my other social media links if you want to engage my consulting services on remote and hybrid work and leadership development. And remember Remote is Here to Stay.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wickedbofthewest
Website: wickedbofthewestremoteconsulting.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WickedBoftheWestBusinessConsulting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedbofthewestconsulting/
Twitter: @SDEubank
Blog: drstephaniebeardbaremoteresearch.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-diana-eubank-dba/
https://cuchicago.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cGaONOpiCB6du86
My name is Stephanie Diana Eubank, and I am a Doctoral Candidate for the Concordia University Chicago Doctor of Business Administration completing my dissertation research. The project is titled “Remote Team Followership” (IRB ID 2023951-2). The purpose of this email is to invite all eligible students to participate in the research study.
Participation in this survey is by no means mandatory. However, I would very much appreciate all those individuals who completed it. To be eligible to participate in this survey, you must:
Participation in this study involves completing an electronic survey through Qualtrics. Should you have any questions about this study, feel free to contact me, the researcher, through email at: crf_eubanksd@cuchicago.edu
Although you will not be compensated for participating in the survey, your participation will further our understanding of remote work and remote leadership as it relates to followership, communications, team design, and any effects COVID had on these concepts in remote work.
If you are interested in participating in this study, please click the link below:
https://cuchicago.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cGaONOpiCB6du86 and fill in your contact information for a consent form to be sent to you to sign and scheduling.
The survey will officially close on June 30th, 2023
Thank you for your time and consideration!
Sincerely,
Stephanie Diana Eubank
IRB Study ID # 2023951-2
Elon Musk is in the news from @msnbc saying that workers are wrong and selfish for embracing remote work. These comments scream that they are from someone disconnected from what the workforce really wants and needs. It also shows that he needs some leadership development training. It also shows in living color a man who is screaming facilities while living in a glass house.
The future of business is in remote work, and embracing it is far from immoral. Those who truly understand the psychology and history of business leadership understand that remote work is here to stay, and we need to evolve with the change, not work to go back in time. The work-from-home modality helps enhance women’s ability to be in the workplace with less discrimination and address the pay gaps caused by unconscious bias. Specifically in the mom penalties, and how many companies view mothers as less reliable because they have a family and thus are less likely to be hired or promoted. Even though the data shows women bring major organizational talents to the workplace and there is no evidence that they are, as a group, less loyal talent in the workplace. Working parents who can use the work-from-home modality can also better have a work-life balance and bond with their families more. Having more cohesive family dynamics statistically is also a big benefit to the overall economy and workforce as well.
Remote work also enhances diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Those who are disabled do not have to emotionally mask as much and thus are able to lead authentically. Which increases the creative problem-solving in an organization. Also, overall enhancement and expansion of diversity in the workplace have also been shown to statistically encourage increased productivity and creativity in the workplace. Where Elon Musk has a long history of his companies having racial discrimination cases. As an example his most recent case that he lost this year as seen in the link below from Reuters.
Attitudes reflect leadership or the lack there of. Remote work is a call back to traditional work concepts such as workers happiness and the research showing it benefits productivity. Remote work also makes more effective leaders have to be in the trenches with them doing the work by leading by example. Thus correcting disconnections with the workforce shown in Musk’s remarks. Remote work is also a return to understanding that employees are a company’s greatest assets and should be treated as such. Business is a symbiotic relationship and we have to respect each other in it again. We must embrace that remote work is here to stay and instead ask the real questions on remote work instead of living in the past.
If you like this information, please like and subscribe. You can also check me out on my other social media platforms. I also do business consulting on remote work and remote leadership development. Just remember two things Sharing is Caring, and that Remote is here to stay.
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wickedbofthewest
Website: wickedbofthewestremoteconsulting.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WickedBoftheWestBusinessConsulting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedbofthewestconsulting/
Twitter: @SDEubank
Blog: drstephaniebeardbaremoteresearch.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-diana-eubank-dba/
Remember sharing, is caring and, remote is here to stay. If you are interested in additional content on remote work and remote leadership and how it helps our economy like and subscribe. You can also follow me on my other social media sites:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wickedbofthewest
Website: wickedbofthewestremoteconsulting.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WickedBoftheWestBusinessConsulting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedbofthewestconsulting/
Twitter: @SDEubank
Blog: drstephaniebeardbaremoteresearch.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-diana-eubank-dba/
By Stephanie Diana Eubank
I am a mom to two beautiful boys who are sweet and a little wild, and I wouldn’t change a thing. Working from home has provided me with a luxury for over ten years that many moms have not been as fortunate to have. I have often spoken about how hard it was for me as a new mom being away from my son going into the office in person post my first child’s birth. It was genuinely breaking my heart. I am forever grateful to my mentor, who gave me a job remotely so that I had the bandwidth to be a better mom to my boys. I honestly don’t think I would be the active mom I am if I did not have the opportunity to work remotely all these years.
Where we all can advocate for more remote work to support working parents everywhere and support more inclusion in the workplace, there is an easy thing we can all do to help working parents. We can encourage parents, especially moms, to engage in more self-care. This can take the form of encouragement to:
These self-care tips are a great way to support your local mother figure no matter what form that takes. Moms come to us in all shapes and sizes and are not always blood. We need to show appreciation.
If you are like me and having a hard time finding a good gift that encourages self-care for your local remote working mom, here are some ideas:
Remember, sharing is caring, and remote is here to stay. If you are interested in additional content on remote work and remote leadership and how it helps our economy, subscribe. You can also follow me on my other social media sites:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wickedbofthewest
Website: wickedbofthewestremoteconsulting.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WickedBoftheWestBusinessConsulting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedbofthewestconsulting/
Twitter: @SDEubank
Blog: drstephaniebeardbaremoteresearch.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-diana-eubank-dba/
By Stephanie Diana Eubank
With Mother’s Day quickly approaching, we take time to thank the women who brought us into this world. However, just getting Mom a card isn’t enough anymore. We need to start doing more to help support women in the workforce. It is not a secret that women are statistically more often the caregivers in their families. Be it caregiving for children, a disabled spouse, or a family member, etc., many roadblocks, including finances, are put up to hold these hard-working and caring women back. This also means we must do more to support families in the workplace, as it takes a village to raise a child. Yet, unconscious bias holds working parents back and hurts the economy.
This is evident by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics Press Release of April of 2023 https://www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.nr0.htm, which detailed how families where a single mother is the head of the household is currently 78.5% likely to be unemployed compared to Male lead and duel income households. The press release went on to detail how women who were mothers of children under the age of 18 years old 72.9% of them were in the workforce or actively looking for work. This statistic is only up from 2022 by 1.7% compared to men who were in the workforce or actively looking to be in the workforce, which is at 92.5%, and that is down from 2019 at 93.3%.
The press release from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics went on to say:
“Mothers of younger children remained less likely to participate in the labor force than mothers with older children. In 2022, 67.9 percent of mothers with children under age 6 participated in the labor force compared with 76.7 percent of mothers whose youngest child was age 6 to 17. By contrast, fathers with children under age 6 were more likely to participate in the labor force than those whose youngest child was age 6 to 17 (94.4 percent versus 91.8 percent).” (Employment Characteristics of Families Summary 2023)
This is further stressed for those who are caregivers of children, a disabled spouse, or a family member. According to an article on A Place for Mom.com, by Samuels (2022), over 75% of caregivers who are caring for a child or a disabled family member are women. The article further details that approximately 23.7 hours a week is spent caring for a loved one outside of their home and 37.4 hours caring for loved ones that they live with. The same article details that 62% of those providing unpaid caregiving are employed.
So, the question becomes, now that we know these statistics, what can we do to help working caregivers and working parents? Well, from the business perspective, one big thing can be done. Promote remote work. Speaking from experience as a mom and a caregiver, remote work and the flexibility in remote and hybrid work allows for a work and life balance that is not afforded to all. It also allows me to afford to take care of my family. Which gives me a level of pride and security that not every working parent or caregiver has.
I have several friends who have been parents working remotely or caregivers working remotely who found not only an ability to balance life and work in remote work while addressing these responsibilities but were able to lower their stress levels about the care of their loved ones. Personally, when I had my oldest son when I went back to work, childcare was so expensive, and I had to commute so far for work that I found myself crying in the bathroom at work a lot, longing to just be near my baby. So, when one of my mentors offered me a remote job, I jumped, and even when I needed to get any level of childcare and when they started school, my stress levels were lower because I was nearby and often, I could get home help for a cheaper rate. Knowing if an emergency happened, I was able to be right there for my kids lowered my stress so much. It has also saved me money and allowed me to have lunches and doctor’s appointments with my kids or with friends. This sort of self-care level is not easily afforded in onsite work. A workforce with lower stress is statistically more productive and better able to creatively solve problems than a stressed and depressed one.
To support working moms, I ask everyone who reads this to share this article, add the hashtag #remoteworkformom and say how remote work has helped you as a parent or caregiver or helped someone you know.
Remember, sharing is caring, and remote is here to stay. If you are interested in additional content on remote work and remote leadership and how it helps our economy, subscribe. You can also follow me on my other social media sites:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wickedbofthewest
Website: wickedbofthewestremoteconsulting.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WickedBoftheWestBusinessConsulting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedbofthewestconsulting/
Twitter: @SDEubank
Blog: drstephaniebeardbaremoteresearch.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-diana-eubank-dba/
Work Cited
Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2023, April 19). Employment Characteristics of Families Summary. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved May 11, 2023, from https://www.bls.gov/news.release/famee.nr0.htm.
Samuels, C. (2022, December 2). Caregiver Statistics 2022: Total Unpaid & Demographic Data. Caregiver Statistics 2022: Total Unpaid & Demographic Data. https://www.aplaceformom.com/caregiver-resources/articles/caregiver-statistics
By Stephanie Diana Eubank
Even in remote work and remote leadership, mentorship is still needed to advance in business. Networking can be more difficult post-COVID. Soft communication skills are sorely needed in today’s marketplace, and mentors do more than help open doors.
But are you picking the right people? There is the concept of finding your tribe, and the same idea is the case for mentorship. It would be best to have mentors with goals aligned with yours who want to see you succeed. Also, most of us are good at giving criticism but forget to provide actionable, constructive comments. Mentors blaming others are not helpful and can lower your vibe as you work towards bigger and better things, especially in business. This is true in person and in work-from-home modalities. Please watch the attached video for tips on picking the right mentors that work well for you and are the type of council you want and need.
If you want more information on #leadershipdevelopment & #remoteleadership, like and subscribe. Also, check out my consulting firm and other social media at
Stephanie Eubank
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wickedbofthewest
Website: wickedbofthewestremoteconsulting.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WickedBoftheWestBusinessConsulting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedbofthewestconsulting/
Twitter: @SDEubank
Blog: drstephaniebeardbaremoteresearch.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-diana-eubank-dba/
This a question I often get from students and people new to #remotework and #remoteleadership “How do I network remotely”? Social networking is a necessary skill and is often the learned skill that is the biggest key to success. But those who think it must be a new dark witchcraft to develop robust remote social and business networking is a bogus notion. In truth, many of us have been cultivating these skills since social media started. Initially, we didn’t consider how it could help or hinder our careers.
With this said, I have a video on how you can work on your social and business networking in a remote workplace. And for those still in skill, these skills are excellent for helping to learn how to reach out to network with teachers. Mentorship is an easily forgotten tool we all need to develop our individual council or, as I call mine, my coven of business specialists. (I refer to my personal mentors as a group as my coven because the root word of which is in the word weird. All mine are unique and, to the untrained eye, abnormal. They embody the concept of why blend in when you are born to shine. They also have the communication style of all being aligned and collectively speaking to each other as equals to be genuinely supportive has always made me so grateful for their presence in my life and respectful of their differences. Their differences are part of the core of their authentic leadership and have taught me so much in work and life. One of which gave me the inspiration to name my consulting firm Wicked B of the West because of an insult a sales rep gave me on the job. My mentor within my Coven told me, “When people reach for cheap insults and seek to discredit and remove you from your seat, you know you have arrived. Cause you are making those people actually work so they want to get rid of you. Not everyone can handle the magic in you. Her words have always rung true, and I greatly appreciate her guidance.)
With this in mind all business professionals should be developing their network and their mentorship council to help get to that next level. And this concept is not impossible in remote work. Watch my video and comment on ways you have found for enhancing your network remotely.
If you want to seek out my consulting services or learn more about remote work and remote leadership as part of the future of business, check me out at:
Stephanie Eubank
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Wickedbofthewest
Website: wickedbofthewestremoteconsulting.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WickedBoftheWestBusinessConsulting
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wickedbofthewestconsulting/
Twitter: @SDEubank
Blog: drstephaniebeardbaremoteresearch.org
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-diana-eubank-dba/
Dr. Stephanie Diana Eubank DBA Remote Team Research (AKA Dr. Bear) 