In July 2020, following the first lockdown, we sent a survey to a panel of our candidates (2,310 people). We are sharing part of this survey because it remains a highly relevant topic: remote management.
Discover recruitment experts’ insights on the subject.
Leslie Sanier, co-founder of Shefferd:
“Research conducted during COVID-19 shows that many managers struggled to effectively manage their teams working from home. Many employees felt a lack of trust from their management and pressure from micromanagement. The consequences of management ill-suited to the situation require contributing to the development of managerial skills. Indeed, it is unlikely that simply telling managers to trust their employees will be sufficient. Instead, they must acquire new delegation and empowerment skills to give their teams greater autonomy, which promotes motivation, mental health, and team performance. Organizations must start at the highest level of the organization. Our study shows that managers who struggle to lead remote teams are often themselves managed by overly controlling bosses.”
Marc de Torquat, co-founder of Shefferd:
“If, with COVID-19, remote work was initially seen at the beginning of the first lockdown as an acceleration toward the workplace of tomorrow, our study shows that 100% remote work is not desirable. The need for physical interaction was acutely felt. Managing and leading from a distance does not allow for proper consideration of all the parameters necessary for team performance. The first parameter is people, and they thrive on interaction with others. The knowledge of one another, so essential in collaborative work, fell short in recent times. Indeed, sensing my colleague’s current mood, their emotional state, understanding their environment and personal situation proved almost impossible during lockdown. Similarly, remote recruitment and onboarding proved to be two very delicate exercises. How can you showcase your company values on video? How can you gauge a work atmosphere when everyone is at home? New hires who started their first days of work remotely reported their challenges, particularly in immersing themselves in projects, getting to know their teams, mastering processes, and absorbing company culture. Ultimately, whether for employers or employees, this period forces us to develop our cognitive skills, particularly the ability to think critically and analyze, solve complex problems, manage people, remain agile, and be creative.”
Some testimonials collected in our study.