In 2020, work has taken on a Gertrude Stein sort of feeling, a sense of distance from our old work sites. These lines from “You There,” a verse that appears in my book Get the Hell to Work, try to capture our disconnectedness.
But then the rules were changed, the goats and sheep were scattered wide
No longer in my cozy cubicle could I abide
For office space had lost the status that it once conferred
And working in a place where others work? That’s just absurd
So now I toil in coffee shops, at home, in libraries
A cup of caffeine in one hand, my laptop on my knee
I drift, alone and dispossessed, unmoored from any place
Don’t bother trying to track me down – I haven’t left a trace
I’ve learned that if you’re space-free and you office everywhere
To paraphrase the poetess: there’s simply no you there
Our places of work have changed, for better or worse, temporarily or permanently. The requirements for people to thrive in fulfilling jobs haven’t changed, however, even though our workplaces may be situated between the kitchen and the bathroom and our wardrobes have devolved to sweat pants and bunny slippers.
Regardless of context, fulfilling work offers maximum positive challenge and minimum negative challenge. Jobs in which people thrive engage individual energy, capitalize on personal traits, support well-being and help the organization prosper. The table below is a checklist of the requirements for a role that gives people the opportunity to flourish, regardless of whether their commute takes seconds or hours.
Requirements of a high-fulfillment job
| Factor | Fulfillment requirement |
|---|---|
| Types of challenges | Moderate to high – plenty of positive challenges (such as opportunity to master new skills); few impediments and burdens (organizational politics, for example) |
| Magnitude of challenges | Moderate pressure and urgency (for example, workload, deadlines, pacing) are stimulating but not overwhelming |
| Sources | One form of stress at a time – minimize the additive effects of multiple stressors (don’t hit me with a novel assignment, a new team and an impossible deadline) |
| Duration | Not endless – prolonged stress damages physiological systems |
| Potential job outcome | Positive – the prospect of a winning outcome (a happy customer, a big sale, a new skill mastered) |
| Conditions | Positive – physically comfortable, psychologically healthy and socially supportive; I may need some financial support for equipment to make my home office functional |
| Individual ability and performance requirements | Aligned – individual ability matched to the job, with enough stretch to make me extend just beyond my current ability |
| Control afforded | High – job provides substantial autonomy to decide how to approach the tasks |
Remote work offers a way for managers and employees to color outside the lines, for people to have flexibility not only in where they perform their tasks but also in when, how and with whom. When managers and employees are in different places, the risk of micromanagement decreases, and the opportunity (and need) for trust increases accordingly.
In a post-COVID world, will we return to a place-centered form of employment? A hybrid model will likely evolve, with some people out of the office some (or all) of the time and others gathering at a central location some (or all) of the time. Regardless, the requirements for fulfilling and productive contribution remain largely unchanged.
Put people with the right traits in thoughtfully crafted jobs and they will perform well, whether they work downtown or downstairs. In part 2 of this blog, I discuss the characteristics that make remote workers successful.
