Federal Managers Key to Improving Remote/Hybrid Experience: Webinar

More than four years after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government and other employers are still struggling with the transition to hybrid and remote work.

FEDmanager recently hosted a webinar to explore what federal managers and employees are getting right and what they are getting wrong in the great remote work debate.

The webinar, “Cubicles v. Culture: Winning Strategies for a Results-Driven Hybrid Workforce,” featured insights from three workplace experts: Mika Cross of Strategy@Work, Kate Lister of Global Workplace Analytics, and Jeff Vargas of Generationology.

The top takeaways: the federal government needs a shift in mindset on workplace flexibility, managers need to recognize that skillsets and communication matter more than physical location, managers need to be trained better, and meetings can be conducted more efficiently and inclusively.

Workplace Culture

In the federal government, there are several challenges on culture. According to Vargas, a former federal agency chief learning officer, the government is stuck in a “baby boom model” where often managers arrive early, leave late, and watch employees on the clock.

Vargas noted that this mindset is unhelpful and promotes “presence bias.” In other words, just because an employee is not physically in the room, it doesn’t mean they can’t do a good job or shouldn’t have access to the same information that physically present employees should have.

It was a point echoed by Lister.

“Presence has never been a proxy for productivity,” said Lister. “If we don’t get to managing by results then we’re never going to get equity, we’re never going to get safety.”

Cross also agreed noting that it’s not about location, it’s about values and skillsets.

“Changing the location of where you work is not going to be a fairy wand that magically changes engagement and culture and connection and performance,” said Cross.  “If we’re pointing the finger at location as the indictor of success, we’re looking at the wrong method.”

In addition, with at least half of the federal workforce required to report to a job site everyday due to their nature of the position, it’s important to create spaces that are collaborative and connected and to ensure that time in-person is not wasted time.

The panelists stressed the need to foster an open and collaborative culture, where employees are seen as valued and rewarded. And one where managers are embracing change and taking time to learn about the potential opportunities with remote work.

“The greatest gift a senior leader can do is being present with their employees and asking questions from a curiosity point of view. We’ve got to replace blame with curiosity,” said Vargas.

Mixing Up Meetings and More

It was clear from viewer comments that many employees are frustrated with meetings, especially frequent virtual meetings.

The panelists offered some suggestions, noting that it’s important for “norms” to be set in an organization or a team for meetings and overall work structure. That includes whether meeting attendance is required, whether the camera is off or on, whether an employee can be on a walk at the time, etc.

The panelists also stressed that it’s possible to cut down on meeting times. One way is to send everyone a meeting document with all the highlights, allowing them to have a look ahead of it, or even skip the meeting altogether.

“We’ve got to stop wasting time,” exhorted Lister. 

Sending a one pager also helps remote/hybrid workers feel more included and gives more people a chance to have their voice heard.

“Information equity is causing stress for hybrid folks,” noted Vargas.

Regardless, the panelists agreed that it’s time to change things up in terms of management style, if the federal government is to remain an employer of choice for decades to come.  

 “Our whole model of work is trying to fit this square peg into a round hole of the industrial age concept of having to put in at least 8.5 hours. Our civil service is the same,” said Cross. “There are better ways of working.”

WATCH THE WEBINAR Cubicles v. Culture: Winning Strategies for a Results-Driven Hybrid Workforce — FEDmanager