Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere

Neeley (The Language of Global Success), a professor of business administration at Harvard Business School, shows in this much-needed survey that the seismic shift from in-person to virtual workplaces has been long underway and is here to stay. While Neely cites many benefits of remote work (increased productivity among them), she also shows that there are considerable drawbacks, including employee isolation, lack of synchronization and the ability to have shared goals, and problems with bonding and trust. To combat these challenges, she offers employers and managers research-based guidance, tackling common issues such as how to best use digital tools (cloud-based apps such as Slack and Microsoft Teams “require virtually no investment in infrastructure”), assess productivity, manage global teams across different cultures, and identify when remote working fails. Among the examples of companies who have made successful transitions to remote work, Neeley cites Unilever’s formation of agile teams and petrochemical company Tek’s move to add “respect for others and their cultural differences” to their annual employee evaluation criteria. A supremely helpful guide for addressing topics covered in each chapter rounds things out. Significant and timely, Neeley’s guidance will provide vital information to those struggling to work and lead in the virtual workplace. (Mar.)