Further to some thoughts that occurred to us in a tete-a-tete with Financial Express, (see media article here) we decided to pen down a series of Myth-Busters so that the adoption of Remote Work is neither marred nor mis-directed. This is the fourth in the series.
The Myth that remote or hybrid work dilutes company culture…
At times, beliefs in this myth are underpinned by deeper insecurities emanating from a need for control or a need to micro-manage. A true self-evaluation can help one think through whether this is the case. It is a well-accepted fact that micro-management causes much harm, from low morale, high turnover, inefficiency to instability.
Of course, at other times, some may have genuine concerns around weakening of culture. They should rest easy, however.
Culture is an ever-evolving concept and is rarely constant.
All cultures dynamically adapt to changes. In fact, a transition to a hybrid or remote work environment designed and orchestrated with this in mind can actually elevate a business and its culture and corporate identity.
It leads to increased role and goal clarity and a shared responsibility.
Moreover, with ‘work delivery’ becoming the primary arbiter, there is an increased feeling of responsibility to ‘deliver’.
As this sinks in, there is an overall improvement in culture while ‘perception-management’ as a means of advancement takes a back-seat.
It takes work and expertise, but the long term benefit is an improved cost structure with a happier and responsible workforce that is delivery focussed.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR(s)
A senior banker from the complex global markets space, Mr. Nishant Shah has worked for more than two decades across Citibank, Standard Chartered and JPMorgan Chase before taking over as our Managing Partner. Passionate with word and pen about finance, technology, macro-economics and future trends, he is a Chartered Accountant by education and the winner of various prestigious awards during his career, including the ‘India Awards for Excellence’.
