ICYMI: The future of remote work in government: working from home, managing virtual teams, and navigating the new normal

On March 2, 2021, IPAC Nova Scotia hosted an engaging discussion on the future of remote work in government with Dr. Sara Filbee, Dr. James Barker, ADM Darlene de Gravina, ADM Christine McDowell, Dr. Phil Clampitt and Matthew Kobylar. Below is a live recording of the event.

Moderators:

• Dr. Sara Filbee, former Assistant Deputy Minister for the Atlantic Region, ESDC and currently Public Servant in Residence at Dalhousie University’s School of Public Administration

• Dr. James Barker, Lamb Chair of Business Education at Dalhousie’s Rowe School of Business and Founding Fellow, MacEachen Institute for Public Policy and Governance also at Dalhousie

Speakers:

• Darlene de Gravina, Assistant Deputy Minister of HR, Employment and Social Development Canada

• Christine McDowell, ADM for Atlantic Region, Employment and Social Development Canada

• Dr. Phil Clampitt, Hendrickson Professor of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and an expert in the field of virtual communication at work.

• Matthew Kobylar, Senior Associate and Design Director at global consulting, interior design and architecture firm, Gensler. Gensler specializes in understanding how the built environment can help people to live better lives through the power of design.

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Additional insights on remote work generously shared by Dr. Phil Clampitt:

Research Insights	So What?
1.     20 – 25% of workforce can efficiently & effectively work from home 3 – 5 days a week (McKinsey Study)	Rigorously evaluate what tasks and objectives must be managed face-to-face Employees/ers need to redefine boundary management (temporal, physical, psychological)
2.     Executives believe the need for office space will decrease by 30% and the nature of how the space will be used will change, as well	Prepare for an increased demand for flexible workspaces (Currently in the U.S. 3% office space is flexible; that is expected to rise to 25% in the next few years)
3.     Some tasks are more suited to at-home work than others (e.g., information updating vs. selling/influencing)	Expect differing perspectives on what can be managed at home vs. office Rigorously study the tasks that are best suited to remote work and design jobs accordingly (e.g., Phil’s White Board Test)
4.     Working remotely is a learned skill	Interview new employees about their “best practices” for working remotely (e.g. how they manage isolation and loneliness) Challenge leaders to identify issues that can be managed remotely vs. in-office
5.     Established teams work better than new teams in a remote environment	Establish guidelines for work groups at different stages Managers need to adroitly manage networks to make sure the right people/teams are connected
6.     Emergent norms will be different and more difficult to detect (e.g., faux engagement, participation)	Identify robust and lean-signal channels Match channels with task and objectives Develop tools to assess faux engagement, participation
7.     Certain people management issues are poorly suited to remote working, such as on-boarding, culture sharing, complex decision-making	Train people on the proper use of various communicative tools (e.g., email, face-to-face, phone); in particular, designate situational dynamics that should guide channel selection Educate employees about what objectives are best suited to home vs. office (e.g., influence, team-building, brainstorming, feedback, business development and culture-building)
8.     Remotely conducted meetings tend to be more frequent but shorter than traditional meetings	Re-evaluate the traditional face-to-face meeting agenda Recognize the value of tangential discussions and informal communications Establish group norms based on the stage of the group’s development (e.g., initial meetings held face-to-face)
9.     Serendipitous connections drop off significantly with remote work (however, just showing up 1 - 2 days /week increases serendipitous connections by 25%)	Praise the value of unpredictable and serendipitous connections Establish norms and expectations about the proper mix of remote/office interactions Establish a year-long rhythm of regular events to encourage random encounters
10.Work flexibility offered by remote work is considered a perk by many; 54% of office workers say they’d leave for a job with more flexibility	Highlight work flexibility AND on-site expectations with new hires Widen the geographic recruitment strategy (e.g., My recent conversation with CEO)