Dr. Stephanie Diana Eubank DBA Remote Team Research (AKA Dr. Bear)
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By Stephanie Diana Eubank
I don’t know about you, but when I was making my first resume in high school, the constant adage was that you shouldn’t look like you are job hopping. You need to stay at a company for as long as you can. It looks good on a resume. However, this has not been the case for many decades now. Especially not in the remote work community pre and post-COVID.
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, as of 2022, the average employee stays in the same role for 4.1 years but only stays at the same employer for an average of 3 years. So far, the data matches the average onsite worker as well.
As remote work is only 2020 becomes more of a norm than the 5.7% before COVID, remote workers jumped to 17.9% of all US workers in the US labor market per the Bureau of Labor and statistics as of 2020. However, as of May 2022, 35.4% work remotely.
For clarification, let’s define what tactical job-hopping means. Tactical job hopping refers to leaving one job or company to go to another within a 1–4-year time frame. This is done to either shift careers because of changes to the industry or personal changes or to gain a higher title or higher pay. When discussing tactical job hopping, the concepts that are outside of an employee’s control, like industry-wide layoffs (like that constantly happens in the financial industry to the point it is almost suspicious if you have been at the same company more than four years) or jobs that have outsourced industry-wide or have faded out due to automation.
Now those semantics are out of the way, let’s address another reason people use tactical job hopping that they won’t say in an interview. Tactical Job Hopping to escape a toxic work environment. This reason is especially true for remote workers. There is an adage that people don’t quit jobs. They quit managers. Well, this can also be the case for tactical job hopping.
Also, it is possible to create a toxic work environment in a remote workplace. Unfortunately, it is an easier task in a remote workplace than one might want to think about. The ease of developing a toxic remote workplace environment is often due to managers not being taught to manage and not being instructed on how to manage a remote workplace. Remote work takes a different kind of management style. As I have researched and published before, remote leadership must lead with empathy and true authenticity and communicate more inclusively and creatively. Where remote work has room to build healthy leadership boundaries, it takes more effort to show respect and openness to employees as a leader in remote work.
When leadership is toxic tactical job hopping allows onsite and remote workers to find an organizational culture that addresses these issues. Being able to leave a toxic work situation is liberating and allows employees to prioritize their mental health and prevent burnout. When employees prevent burnout through things like quiet quitting (establishing healthy boundaries) and acting on their wage (prioritizing work and life balance for better mental health without hurting the chain of command or leaving themselves open to being pigeonholed into one job or career field) burn out is prevented and helps to not just better productivity in an organization but also helps keep a stable economy moving by having a stable workforce.
This helps break the toxic work culture concept of staying for the sake of a resume duration to show a new company. When tactical job hopping is considered by an employer, we prevent burnout and embrace new hires that are talented and emotionally mature. Tactical job hopping to not stay at a toxic workplace by not following the old construct of staying in the same company until they are done with you helps break the toxic work culture by breaking the cycle and not staying at a company longer than one should. Staying in a toxic workplace too long can cause workplace PTSD and this can take years of working in a nontoxic work environment and therapy to lessen the stress of workplace PTSD.
Which begs the question of Organizational Leadership, what can be done to prevent this in an onsite and remote workplace?
There are also some good books on these topics to help spot tactical job hopping from a toxic employee or those hurt by the economy.
Remember that sharing is caring, and if you enjoyed this article, please see my social media links and share.
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References
Bureau of Labor and Statistics. (2022, September 22). Employee Tenure Summary. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://www.bls.gov/news.release/tenure.nr0.htm.
Bureau of Labor and Statistics. (2022, May 11). 7.7 percent of workers teleworked due to COVID-19 in April 2022. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2022/7-7-percent-of-workers-teleworked-due-to-covid-19-in-april-2022.htm.
Liu, J. (2022, January 18). 4 shows a company is invested in remote work long-term. CNBC. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/01/18/how-to-know-if-a-company-is-really-committed-to-remote-work-long-term.html
McMenamin, L. (2021, April 19). Why long-term workplace trauma is a real phenomenon. BBC Worklife. Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210415-why-long-term-workplace-trauma-is-a-real-phenomenon
Robinson, B. (2022, October 12). Experts say that remote work is here to stay and will increase into 2023. Forbes. Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/bryanrobinson/2022/02/01/remote-work-is-here-to-stay-and-will-increase-into-2023-experts-say/
By: Stephanie Diana Eubank
For those who are not familiar with my work, while I start the process of defending and finishing my dissertation on remote work, I teach at California State University Stanislaus and East Bay. Specifically, I teach Operations Management. I add a component on Remote Leadership and Remote Work from my research to help prepare future Business Leaders for the growing change to a virtual and hybrid workplace. I touched on the topic of Workplace PTSD and its relationship between what is referred to by business practitioners as Toxic Leadership and what is academically called X Type Leadership. Many of us have examples of bad leaders we have dealt with in our careers, especially at the earlier stages. There are also managers whose leadership style doesn’t translate properly in a remote workplace and can come off as toxic. Further remote work makes it so that toxic leaders are exposed and documented.
Unfortunately, the work culture tends to back these leaders because they produce a lot although they have a revolving door of employees and a bad reputation. Rather than calculating all the exit interviews and other Human Resources data to analyze how this is not a sustainable leadership model. Much like micromanagement, these sort of leadership tactics is only meant to be used in short bursts as needed, not a consistent method of leadership. In these cases, those managers don’t know how to lead and instead mix up fear with respect. This mixes up can have devastating implications past how it can hurt a business.
After pointing out these facts to my students, I shifted to the topic of workplace PTSD. Which is a topic that has been studied mostly in psychology for decades now. The news has been reporting workplace PTSD, which it goes horribly wrong and results in workplace violence. The news and academic research have even found an uptick in workplace violence, especially since the COVID Pandemic.
A recent and heart-breaking example (and personally, I cried talking about this to my classes and cried again while writing this article) was the family in Merced that was kidnaped and killed. Per the referenced news articles, an employee who stole from the family’s business and was convicted and imprisoned was released this month. He went to their business and kidnapped the owners (a wife, husband, and brother-in-law) and their eight-month-old baby girl. After, the local police were on a massive manhunt and found a burnt van that they were abducted into and later found their bodies in the middle of a field in a neighboring county. Per the news reports, the suspect, a past employee, believed they still owed him money. His cohorts were found dead, and the suspect was found attempting suicide.
Another major example is found in a news article referencing a Valley Transit Authority Worker during the pandemic that shot up a transit station and killed many people. The news and research have been sounding the alarm that the excuse for it is that businesses don’t work, and there is a growing concern about workplace violence. In fact, a referenced Reuters article from 2009 notes how these sorts of workplace violence tend to uptick during recessions. As we look down the barrel of another recession, we must ask ourselves as leaders what we can do to help calm the waters?
Here are some suggestions for calming the waters and preventing workplace violence:
Also, here are some additional reading resources on workplace violence:
There is a growing risk of workplace violence to stress, burnout, and workplace PTSD, and with a growing recession, post-COVID issues have made a perfect storm. To prevent unwanted outcomes in business, we do risk assessments, and these mindful business practices suggested may help protect us all. Stay safe and remember the fundamental principle of business your employees and teams are your greatest resource, so treat them well.
References
Serrin, G. (2022, October 7). Here’s what we know about the Merced family kidnapping deaths. KCRA. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.kcra.com/article/merced-kidnapping-deaths-abducted-sikh-family-suspect-information/41548620#
Romo, V. (2021, May 27). We’re seeing a spike in workplace shootings. here’s why. NPR. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2021/05/27/1000745927/why-were-seeing-a-spike-in-workplace-shootings
Eubank, S. D. (2022, October 21). Workplace risks shouldn’t mirror risks of service members: an article on the rise of PTSD caused by bad leadership even in a remote workplace. Dr. Stephanie Diana Eubank DBA Remote Team Research (AKA Dr. Bear). Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://drstephaniebeardbaremoteresearch.org/2022/10/20/workplace-risks-shouldnt-mirror-risks-of-service-members-an-article-on-the-rise-of-ptsd-caused-by-bad-leadership-even-in-a-remote-workplace/
Bunch, K. (2021). When employees turn deadly at work. WebMD. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.webmd.com/men/features/when-employees-turn-deadly-at-work
Doucette, M. L., Bulzacchelli, M. T., Frattaroli, S., & Crifasi, C. K. (2019). Workplace homicides committed by firearm: Recent trends and narrative text analysis. Injury Epidemiology, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-019-0184-0
Tiesman, H., Marsh, S., Konda, S., Tomasi, S., Wiegand, D., Hales, T., & Webb, S. (2022). Workplace violence during the covid-19 pandemic: March–October, 2020, United States. Journal of Safety Research, 82, 376–384. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2022.07.004
Pihl-Thingvad, J., Andersen, L. L., Brandt, L. P., & Elklit, A. (2019). Are frequency and severity of workplace violence etiologic factors of posttraumatic stress disorder? A 1-year prospective study of 1,763 social educators. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 24(5), 543–555. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000148
Wizner, K., Cunningham, K., Gaspar, F. W., Dewa, C. S., & Grunert, B. (2022). Occupational posttraumatic stress disorder and workplace violence in workers’ compensation claims. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 35(5), 1368–1380. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22836
Hampton, T. (2022, January 5). Study holds warning on pandemic drinking. Harvard Gazette. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2022/01/covid-related-drinking-linked-to-rise-in-liver-disease/
Grossman, E. R., Benjamin-Neelon, S. E., & Sonnenschein, S. (2020). Alcohol consumption during the covid-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional survey of US adults. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(24), 9189. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249189
Wulfhorst, E. (2009, April 22). Recession fuels worries of workplace violence. Reuters. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-workplace-violence/recession-fuels-worries-of-workplace-violence-idUSTRE53L0SV20090422
By: Stephanie Diana Eubank
When the phrase Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) is uttered most of us think of the term shell shock and think of our brave service members and how this disorder affects them. However, as detailed in the article, McMenamin (2021); published on the BBC PTSD is a growing issue in the workplace both in person and remotely. The issue detailed in, McMenamin (2021); are not that people are coming into the workplace having PTSD but, rather people are developing in the workplace. Welcome to the growing term and phenomenon of Workplace PTSD and Workplace CPTSD.
The issue is both employees being abused in the workplace and developing workplace PTSD and those who have been suffering from what is called Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) where employees are being abused from one company to another. There are also employees trying to recover from workplace PTSD from previous abuse because they cannot afford to take time off to recover. The worst part about this phenomenon is that it isn’t new.
The article, Staglin (2022); which was published in Forbes comments on the fact that this has been a long-term issue with no name in the business industry. There is something to say about the trauma that can be found in emotionally labor focused jobs like customer service and sales jobs. Also, there is something to discuss in remote work and essential onsite workers during the pandemic seeing some truly disturbing things and dealing with stress on unparallel levels.
Whereby some trauma is uncontrollable. However, there are a lot of examples as detailed in, Petereit-Haack et al., (2020); of this being a more pervasive issue due to management being toxic and not knowing how to lead. Which from my personal experience has been a significant factor in leadership also becoming traumatized by stress at work, promoting toxic people by other toxic leaders, and a general lack of understanding from leadership the difference between fear and respect.
Toxic workplaces where things like racism, agism, disability shaming, bullying, gaslighting, screaming among other Human Resource No, no’s also can contribute to PTSD and CPTSD in the workplaces. Some, of these behaviors can become pervasive and embedded into organizational culture. However, attitudes are an overall reflection of leadership. Although remote work allows for more diversity in the workplace and allows room to document and stop these behaviors it is not impossible to make a toxic workplace in a remote workplace. It is hard to imagine however, I have experienced it firsthand even in a remote workplace. Worst of all many companies rather cover up the abuse and gaslight workers by saying that they cannot handle the wonderful leaders they have and their methods of authentic leadership. (Which is a perverted interpretation of authentic leadership. See, my article on authentic leadership.)
PTSD and having a toxic workplace that can contribute to PTSD in the workplace is a serious issue for business. Not just for the obvious reasons of potential lawsuits for hostile work environments. According to, Bass (2019); employees who are suffering from PTSD in the workplace are less productive and have a lower morale. When depression from PTSD gets bad enough employees can become a danger to themselves and others.
So, the question becomes how should a business work towards fixing this problem?
For additional information about workplace PTSD and CPTSD, here are some great books to check out:
Remember, sharing is caring, and please feel free to share workplace incidents that felt traumatic. It is good for helping with the healing process.
Work Cited
McMenamin, L. (2021, April 19). Why long-term workplace trauma is a real phenomenon. BBC Worklife. Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210415-why-long-term-workplace-trauma-is-a-real-phenomenon
Manion, L. (2022, February 4). When trauma is triggered at work. NAMI. Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/February-2022/When-Trauma-Is-Triggered-at-Work
Staglin, G. (2022, October 12). Trauma at the workplace, what to do about it. Forbes. Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/onemind/2021/11/10/trauma-at-the-workplace–and-what-to-do-about-it/?sh=6c3953b439e1
Petereit-Haack, G., Bolm-Audorff, U., Romero Starke, K., & Seidler, A. (2020). Occupational risk for post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma-related depression: A systematic review with meta-analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(24), 9369. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249369
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7765156/
Bass, B. (2019, August 8). Increasing awareness of the impact of PTSD in the Workplace. Sedgwick. Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://www.sedgwick.com/blog/2019/08/08/increasing-awareness-of-the-impact-of-ptsd-in-the-workplace
By Stephanie Diana Eubank
Remote work is supposed to provide workers with more work and life balance. This includes simple concepts like being able to work in different parts of one’s home or in the yard or traveling. With so many companies and industries making a fuss about people taking their time off, complaining when staff takes their work laptop to go on trips so that they can enjoy the area after hours or enjoy the mental health benefits a change of scenery provides an odd conflict. From personal experience, management has become concerned and reprimanded me for working out in my backyard. I felt a little confined, so I went to do my afternoon meeting outside to get a little sun. To change locations or work outside on my property remotely is one of the ways detailed in Wiest (2020); remote work can help improve mental health.
Burnout, according to the research in the Fortune article by Wiest (2020), is a major factor in employee retention. Small steps can be taken to help with the mental health aspects of burnout through remote work. Travel as a method to utilize the work-life balance of remote is another way to combat burnout and other mental health issues caused by the isolation of remote work. As detailed in the article by Kemmis (2021), the term digital nomad has been coined to reference people who use their time to travel and work remotely. There have even been findings that working in places like coffee shops, libraries, or other places adds to balance and can help with feelings of isolation. I enjoy taking my laptop to the library or restaurants with indoor playgrounds to do my homework or take classes allowing my children to have fun while I balance self-improvement and caring for my children.
The comment that home is where the wifi is as an effort to balance having a career while seeing the world, especially after the COVID lockdowns. The article also details that not all people vacation as part of being a digital nomad but live for months or years in other countries to enhance their experience. The article, Ekstein (2022), posted on Bloomberg, notes how digital nomads are also part of a fiscal movement redefining the cultivation of building wealth and blending work/ life balance. Specifically, Ekstein (2022); notes millennials, Gen Z, and even some semi-retired remote workers have been using the mobile lifestyle of RV life. Again, embracing the concept of home is where the wifi is to both afford to travel and enjoy their work. The example I can give is some of my professors at the doctorate level live on their boat, travel up and down the Gulf of Mexico, and make sure to doc on days they teach to do so remotely. I have worked with other professors and managers, constantly traveling to enjoy their families while meeting work commitments remotely.
So, why are companies upset that workers are traveling or working in different places in their homes? The Fortune article, Kelly (2022), specifies it isn’t companies having the problem with the remote worker’s location. In the article, Kelly (2022); states it is specifically middle management. The reason is that remote work has made it so that employees can work independently and won’t need middle management workers, especially with productivity no longer being linked to a specific amount of hours work is a progressing trend. Also, it is cited in Kelly (2022); that middle management is often only armed with micromanagement as the tool to manage employees and teams. Micromanagement as a long-term management plan is not feasible in a remote workplace. In fact, this behavior in management is linked to creating a toxic work environment and can breed a hostile work environment. Although per the article by Liu (2021), these leaders who take Umbridge on remote work locations and digital nomads argue that not being in the stationary workstation can always lead to data theft. However, there are basic tools remote workers can use to mitigate these issues.
The tools that can be easily obtained and easy to afford to combat any data thefts are as follows:
Conclusion: Some leaders are taking a stance with remote workers about their physical location, which is folly. It is a waste of leaders’ time because there are simple steps to protect data. If they require that of employees, it will limit issues and help prevent further push and pull conflicts with remote workers going forward in the Great Resignation. Instead, leaders must practice authentic leadership, learn about their teams, and support them. That’s what real leaders do.
If you have stories of leaders making a fuss about personal location, leave a comment here or on Twitter @SDEubank, and let’s talk about it. Remember sharing is caring.
Work Cited
Ekstein, N. (2022, February 7). How Working From Home Will Permanently Change the Way We Travel. Bloomberg.com. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-07/how-working-from-home-will-permanently-change-the-way-we-travel
Kelly, J. (2022, April 14). The real reasons why companies don’t want you to work remotely. Forbes. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackkelly/2021/08/17/the-real-reasons-why-companies-dont-want-you-to-work-remotely/?sh=41cda83a7fb3
Kemmis, S. (2021, April 14). How to rethink ‘home’ and ‘travel’ if your job is now remote. NerdWallet. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/travel/working-remotely-while-traveling-considerations
Liu, J. (2021, April 8). Why a remote job might not mean you can work from anywhere. CNBC. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.cnbc.com/2021/04/08/why-a-remote-job-might-not-mean-you-can-work-from-anywhere.html
Wiest, B. (2020, September 11). Remote work shown to significantly improve mental health, 80% prefer flex options post-pandemic. Forbes. Retrieved August 2, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/briannawiest/2020/09/11/remote-work-shown-to-significantly-improve-mental-health-80-prefer-flex-options-post-pandemic/?sh=4bdb97945d47
By Stephanie Diana Eubank
I have worked in the financial industry for over twelve years now. While working in the financial industry, I have been blessed to have three mentors throughout my career. Two of them are women, and one identified as a man and happened to be a member of the LBGTQ community. The diversity of my mentors has helped me as a leader and a college-level business instructor and given me a more global perspective. I have truly been blessed to have such wonderful mentors. Although one of my mentors Dean Marks, passed away this week after a long hard battle with cancer. He is missed by not just me but all those in our field which he inspired.
With COVID dividing leaders and aspiring leaders of all walks of life, there are four concepts to consider in mentorship that are often swept under the rug. These four concepts are true for onsite and remote workplaces. However, with remote work becoming more normative, the focus needs to be on how mentorship can be addressed in a remote work environment.
The concept in Mentorship #1 is Ambiguousness of what mentorship is.
Mentors play a vital role in business employee development and leadership training. Since COVID and the lockdowns connecting with mentors and networking has become a more vital skill than ever. Not just for mentees but for those who are mentoring. This fact has never been truer than now as we try to adjust to the new normal that is COVID. In the book, Rolfe (2021), which can be found on Amazon at https://amzn.to/3PIp63H talks about the fact that mentoring often is an ambiguous term and can be confusing for both mentors and mentees. In this book, Rolfe (2021); also takes a practical approach versus a theoretical approach. The book Rolfe (2021) also details the importance of communication, boundaries, and how to structure mentorship so proper implementation can be used.
The concept in Mentorship #2 is Encouraging Diversity in Leadership.
As a woman, there can be stigmas about being mentored regardless of the gender of one’s mentor. As detailed in the book, Sandberg (2013); can be found at https://amzn.to/3IUyL4Z. Many are familiar with the book “Lean In” by Sandberg (2013); the research noted within both practical and observational findings by Sandberg and data researched to support the findings. The book Sandberg (2013); touches on the fact that there are few women of any race or creed in places of leadership. With COVID hurting women’s careers as they fight to get into and stay in places of leadership in a growing remote workplace, mentorship has never been more important towards growing diversity in leadership and business. Although may criticize Sandberg for her privileged vantage point that not all women can enjoy. However, she raises interesting points on how women being in places of leadership paves the way for positive change and creative problem-solving through diversity. With COVID rates surging and women either having to leave the workforce or work remotely while balancing childcare and child education while the pandemic rage on mentorship is important and can make it difficult for mentors and mentees to ask for the help needed to progress.
The concept in Mentorship #3 Asking for Help Is a Strength.
Asking for help is a soft skill that is often ignored in leadership. Mentors are a great resource in learning how to effectively ask for help and for mentees to learn what resources they truly have. Moreover, in a remote workplace, often leaders see asking for help as a weakness. Which is a toxic leadership trait for any leader. Teams asking for help and leaders asking for help keep turn times under control and support workers regardless of onsite or remote workplaces. An interesting book that tackles this topic of asking for and receiving help in a leadership role is Brand (2019), which is found at https://amzn.to/3PmPT60. It seems unconventional to read mentoring advice from Russel Brand, but his book highlights the concept of toxic leadership, where often, employees are not regarded as an organization’s strongest asset. Also, in the book Brand (2019); it is noted that asking for help even before COVID has always been regarded as a weakness when the need for help is poor planning on leadership, and employees asking for help really allows leaders to know when the house is on fire in time to save it.
The concept in Mentorship #4 To Thy Own Self Be True.
Another concept discussed in the book Maxwell (2021), found at https://amzn.to/3v5r06x is the concept of authentic leadership and knowing oneself. Everyone has blind spots regarding our own personal flaws. As leaders, we need to be introspective, not just with how we lead but how we pick mentees. The book Maxwell (2021) discusses how knowing we and what works to lead authentically is important as leaders. However, some concepts of knowing oneself include knowing what leadership styles don’t work in the remote world.
Conclusion: I have been blessed to have many mentors who are diverse leaders in their rights. Remote work has made mentorship even more important to furthering the training of future leaders. In researching mentor books, four concepts emerged in mentoring. The four concepts are as follows:
These four concepts are important to remember when mentoring remotely because having the bravery to reach out and ask for help and mentoring is half the battle of working in a remote workplace. Reaching out to mentors with remote employees’ professional isolation is healthy for all involved. I don’t know where I would be today without my mentors, and the fact that one of them has passed is a great loss to the community. I only hope I positively impact my mentees as he has on me.
If you enjoyed this article, remember that sharing is caring. Also, if you have a mentor you want to discuss, leave a comment.
Work Cited
Brand, R. (2019). Mentors: How to help and be helped. Henry Holt.
Maxwell, J. C. (2021). The self-aware leader: Play to your strengths, unleash your team: Play to your strengths, unleash your team. HarperCollins Leadership.
Rolfe, A. (2021). Mentoring: Mindset, skills and tools. Mentoring Works.
Sandberg, S. (2013). Lean in: Women, work, and the will to lead. Deckle Edge.
By: Stephanie Diana Eubank
The topic of diversity in the workplace is a stimulant for creative problem solving and has been well researched and embraced in business. In the Forbes article, Agona (2021); explains in layman’s terms why diversity creates more creative problem-solving. In a nutshell, as detailed in, Agona (2021), workplaces with people with the same culture and similar backgrounds can create group thinking and, yes, people. The article, Agona (2021); goes on to note that workplaces with diverse workforces have more dissenting ideas. It may seem counterintuitive to have “no” people on one’s team, but as detailed in, Agona (2021); the diversity and difference of opinions and views leave room for developing creative problem-solving.
Companies that want to expand diversity to increase collaboration and creative problem-solving have a unique opportunity to do so in remote workplaces. Sadly, many companies are missing out by pushing back against remote work. As detailed in, Hunt (2021); remote workplaces allow for people from diverse, social, ethnic, and geographic locations. Additionally, in the Forbes article, Hunt (2021); notes that single parents and women benefit from remote work as it allows more balance between life and work.
In the past companies often had to address geographic issues by transplanting or having to relocate workers from one area to a mecca of the industry like Silicon Valley. Other issues when companies relocated to areas such as Texas to cut costs of running a business and paying to relocate employees or losing a large proportion of the staff because relocation would cause professional isolation. As detailed in Cascio (2000), professional and geographical isolation has been long documented issues in remote work. The pandemic has since made this into an opportunity.
In a LinkedIn article, McLaren (2021); details how the pandemic made many companies convert to remote, allowing expanded use of telecommunications tools like Zoom and Teams to be used more frequently and normalized. Further detailed in the article, McLaren (2021); the wide utilization of remote work has helped dwindle the need for relocation and the costs for companies. Further remote work has helped expand the use of telecommunication systems to dispel the age-old argument that remote work in business dulls collaboration and productivity.
The facts about remote work and diversity and how remote work aids inclusivity shifts the conversation to ask how does a company battling the Great Resignation deal with attracting and retaining a diverse workforce? As detailed in the article by White (2021), there are three ways to accomplish this.
To quote one of my industry mentors, leaders need to remember to “Focus on managing the work not managing the people”. Developing that concept in a nutshell as part of remote organizational culture will encourage employee retention and curb the stress on leaders and followers.
In conclusion, companies need to encourage remote work as a tool to increase diversity in the workplace. The recession and the great resignation are teaching all sectors of business the value of creative problem solving and how diversity helps encourage collaborative thoughts. Remote work is an underused tool to help give organizations the competitive advantage needed to survive the trials ahead.
If you would like to read more on remote work and diversity, please see the citations below. Also, if you like this post, be sure to leave a comment, like, and subscribe. Sharing is caring, so please share far and wide.
Work Cited
Agona, L. (2021, October 13). Council post: Is remote work a diversity and inclusion issue? Forbes. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2021/10/13/is-remote-work-a-diversity-and-inclusion-issue/?sh=3f16d771626c
Cascio, W. F. (2000). Managing a virtual workplace. Academy of Management Perspectives, 14(3), 81–90. https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.2000.4468068
Hunt, S. T. (2021, May 12). SAP brandvoice: How hybrid remote work improves diversity and inclusion. Forbes. Retrieved July 8, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2021/05/12/how-hybrid-remote-work-improves-diversity-and-inclusion/?sh=8965f01321fe
McLaren, S. (2021, February 3). Why the rise of remote work may help companies become more diverse – and more inclusive. LinkedIn. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-acquisition/why-remote-work-may-help-companies-become-more-diverse
White, N. (2021, May 27). Here’s how to foster diversity, equity and inclusion in a remote-work world. Entrepreneur. Retrieved July 11, 2022, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/372149
By: Stephanie Diana Eubank
There are a number of articles in the news about companies pushing back against remote workers. A particularly glaring example is the NBC News article, Bendix (2022), which is cited below, commenting on Elon Musk stating that remote work is “no longer acceptable.” There have been a number of old-school comments that have, according to the article written by Cascio (2000), noted excuses about hindrances to collaboration that have been bought up since the 1980s. (Yes, remote work has been a concept researched in business since the 1980s. Sadly, it took a pandemic for the world to see that remote work is the future.) The research cited from SHRM, Maurer (2021); comments on how comments of lack of productivity and lack of collaboration in remote workplaces that have been spouted sing the ’80s is flat out wrong, and the lockdowns during the pandemic proved it.
These arguments from leadership on the validity of remote work are causing the round in circles argument that has sparked what is coined “The Great Resignation.” The Great Resignation is famous for employees no longer asking for remote workplaces but rather demanding remote workplaces.
As an effort to stop the merry-go-round of arguments from leadership, this article is to address why companies should encourage remote work as it is for their (business industry as a whole) best interests. Here is a list of why businesses should work to pivot and encourage the expansion of remote work.
Remote work allows employees to balance this issue and make child care more affordable. (Speaking from a mother’s perspective, it is easier and cheaper to get a nanny in the home while I am at home than to drop my children at daycare. Moreover, businesses forget or discriminate against those employees who have families. In the Forbes article, Ibarra et al. (2017); noted that men, especially single men without children, tend to be promoted more. They are promoted more than women or men with children, regardless of marital status. According to Ibarra et al. (2017), businesses tend to view single men as “hungry” and more “go-getters.”
However, now that we are in a pandemic and unprecedented recession, businesses are undervaluing people with families. People with families are both skilled and show commitment. Giving these employees a remote workplace allows for increasing employee retention and maintaining a skilled workforce. Another thing major corporation forgets on this topic is that employee retention is both cheaper than recruiting and looks better to investors and the public compared to a publicized revolving door of employees.
All six of these reasons are in addition to the fact remote workplaces allow for lower overhead costs, and give companies the ability to pare down the real estate and other physical operations costs. Making remote work even more of a win-win scenario. The reasons noted above are topics that have been researched since at least 80’, especially in relation to remote work specifically. All the research cited in this article is noted below in the work cited in case you want to read further.
The conclusion to this article is that remote work is an unprecedented opportunity for business, and many of the most outspoken thought leaders are giving pushback to all industries’ detriment. Especially these thought leaders saying no to remote work are influencing other leaders to cut their own noses off despite their faces. The business world and the workplace where business is conducted are changing, and companies either evolve or share the fate of dinosaurs.
Work Cited
Bendix, A. (2022, June 8). Musk is pushing staff back to the office, but the research is only partly on his side. NBCNews.com. Retrieved July 7, 2022, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/elon-musk-staff-back-office-research-mixed-rcna32136
Cascio, W. F. (2000). Managing a virtual workplace. Academy of Management Perspectives, 14(3), 81–90. https://doi.org/10.5465/ame.2000.4468068
https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/ame.2000.4468068
Collins, C., Ruppanner, L., & Scarborough, W. J. (2021, November 8). Analysis | why haven’t U.S. mothers returned to work? the child-care infrastructure they need is still missing. The Washington Post. Retrieved July 8, 2022, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/11/08/why-havent-us-mothers-returned-work-child-care-infrastructure-they-need-is-still-missing/
Hunt, S. T. (2021, May 12). SAP brandvoice: How hybrid remote work improves diversity and inclusion. Forbes. Retrieved July 8, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/sap/2021/05/12/how-hybrid-remote-work-improves-diversity-and-inclusion/?sh=8965f01321fe
Ibarra, H., Carter, N. M., & Silva, C. (2017, September 7). Why men still get more promotions than women. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved July 8, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2010/09/why-men-still-get-more-promotions-than-women
Kramer, S. (2021, May 28). U.S. has world’s highest rate of children living in single-parent households. Pew Research Center. Retrieved July 8, 2022, from https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/12/12/u-s-children-more-likely-than-children-in-other-countries-to-live-with-just-one-parent/
Maurer, R. (2021, July 6). Study finds productivity not deterred by shift to remote work. SHRM. Retrieved July 7, 2022, from https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-news/pages/study-productivity-shift-remote-work-covid-coronavirus.aspx
Perry, M. (2021, October 14). Women earned the majority of doctoral degrees in 2020 for the 12th … American Enterprise Institute. Retrieved July 8, 2022, from https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/women-earned-the-majority-of-doctoral-degrees-in-2020-for-the-12th-straight-year-and-outnumber-men-in-grad-school-148-to-100/
By: Stephanie Diana Eubank
As we grow into the new normal that is our post-COVID lockdown world the concept of remote work and the remote workplace are going to require companies to change what leaders are promoted and developed. There is a traditional trope of leaders using authentic leadership as a catch-all term to excuse bad behavior. This is the opposite of what true authentic leadership is.
There is a wonderful FORBES article, Kruse (2014); defines authentic leadership best. Article, Kruse (2014); defines authentic leadership as a person in leadership that leads with the following concepts:
Leaders who follow the true definition of authentic leadership are now being coined as “Empathic Leaders”. With the stress of remote work, and COVID still raging employees in remote workplaces are suffering from a whole host of new issues that in the past research of remote work were not the case. So, moving leaders who may or may not have had Toxic Leadership traits into a remote workplace is not only helping to drive employees to join the Great Resignation movement both in remote and onsite settings.
We have all had a toxic leader in the workplace. The concept of toxic leadership and how it may cause trauma to employees emotionally has been becoming a better-documented issue due to the great resignation. Traumatized workers don’t want to work on-site or remote for a company promoting a toxic work environment through the work of a toxic leader. Attitudes in the workplace reflect leadership. In many cases unfortunately employee trauma reflects previous leadership at other companies’ toxicity.
There is even now a concept of The article found in Psychology Today on the topic of toxic leadership, Kim (2016); notes specific qualities in toxic leaders. Those traits are as follows:
Toxic leaders are now easier to uncover in a remote workplace. This creates a Human Resource (HR) nightmare in the making. The reason for this is toxic leaders make hostile work environments. Not to mention that these kinds of leaders scare away potential hires. If a company wants to end the revolving door business leaders need to cultivate empathetic leaders and people who truly embody the true meaning of authentic leadership. Also, embracing remote work would help too, but; one issue at a time.
In the comments share some experiences you have had in the workplace virtual and onsite of toxic leaders. And remember sharing is caring. Like and share. There are additional resources on these topics referenced below.
By: Stephanie Diana Eubank AKA Dr Bear DBA
There is an interesting Fortune article, https://fortune.com/2022/04/05/google-work-from-home-hybrid-return-to-office-eric-schmidt/ which, Lodewick (2022); is cited in APA format below. In said article, Lodewick (2022); interviews Google’s former CEO Eric Schmidt on the topic of remote work and Google’s choice to work towards more of a hybrid model. Where in the article it is noted that Schmidt calls himself a traditionalist regarding remote work there are some changes to the business landscape that can no longer be traditional and practiced.
I want to start with saying that I mean no disrespect to Eric Schmidt. He is still an OG within business and tech industries with experience running one of the biggest organizations on the planet. His opinion is valid. However, businesses and growing companies seeing this opinion from Schmidt, needs to factor in the changes in the business landscape since he served with Google in 2001 to 2011.
Such as in the article, Laker (2022); which is a Forbs article that can be found at https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminlaker/2022/02/17/from-the-great-resignation-to-the-great-return-bringing-back-the-workforce/?sh=11bdc91025e5 . In the article, Laker (2022); it is detailed how companies are finding during the pandemic and what has been coined as the “Great Resignation”, companies not offering remote positions or negotiating remote work are having a hard time recruiting. As an area of expertise in the business arena the concept of working in the office is too old school for the changing market. Companies pushing back against this growing work preference is really companies cutting off their noses despite their faces. Remote work saves companies time and money. Also allows for managers to build boundaries while also being true authentic leaders. Meaning leaders can manage with empathy and the best parts about being human. The only difference is leaders must reach out to their teams and put effort into team bonding and collaboration.
Further the article from Fortune, Lodewick (2022); Schmidt makes some rather ageist comments about hiring young graduates and how onsite work allowed him to mentor and advise these hires on professional behavior, and proper dress. Those are concepts that have changed dramatically since COVID. We are seeing up and down the chain employees and leaders tossing old dress code norms for comfort and dressing showier only for special occasions. Also, remote work allows for more mentorship in proper professional decorum without risk of Human Resource nightmares. Speaking from experience people who are HR nightmares from the remote workplace and don’t learn from their lessons they are going to be worse in the office. Mostly because on site means
The article, Lodewick (2022); also noted that the former head of Human Resources at Google saw the method of using a hybrid program to trick employees into getting used to the office again. Essentially the thought is that someone employees can be tricked into wanting to come back to the office full time. The article by Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/01/27/why-leaders-need-to-reevaluate-how-they-manage-their-workforce-today/?sh=71191ef6118e , cited below as Licina (2022); notes this method is a mistake in the long run. Within the Forbes article, Licina (2022); it cites how leaders need to learn to lead in a remote work environment. Also, that employees since COVID have taken a step back and re-evaluated what is most important to them and a commute and the inflation of housing near cities where many industry leaders are located are not top priorities for employees. Not to mention overcrowding and COVID as a risk.
Conclusion: Where the old school methods of onsite work have been helpful for companies in the past that’s not the case today. Today companies hoping to trick their employees to come back to the office full time again will backfire making another talent shortage. Remote workers are investing outside of Silicon Valley, and other major metros and enjoying an unprecedented work life balance. It is time for companies to embrace remote work and the benefits of remote work and invest on training leaders to lead remotely.
Work Cited
Laker, B. (2022, February 21). From the great resignation to the Great Return: Bringing Back the workforce. Forbes. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminlaker/2022/02/17/from-the-great-resignation-to-the-great-return-bringing-back-the-workforce/?sh=11bdc91025e5
Licina, S. (2022, January 28). Council post: Why leaders need to reevaluate how they manage their workforce today. Forbes. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/01/27/why-leaders-need-to-reevaluate-how-they-manage-their-workforce-today/?sh=71191ef6118e
Lodewick, C. (2022, April 5). Good riddance to work from home, former Google CEO says. Fortune. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://fortune.com/2022/04/05/google-work-from-home-hybrid-return-to-office-eric-schmidt/
Dr. Stephanie Diana Eubank DBA Remote Team Research (AKA Dr. Bear) 