Advantages & disadvantages of remote work

These Monday's questions are:

1. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you like to be?

Given that the weather has been really great in Sweden lately, Matias would love to spend some time in the Stockholm Archipelago. Svea is longing for some Mediterranean flair and would not mind being somewhere in Italy or Spain right now.

2. Did the pandemic change the business world for good?

Some things that Mattias notices in his everyday business life are e.g.:

- companies are more eager to find new ways to do marketing & sales
- digitization has ramped up
- the remote workplace

Mattias elaborates some more on the topic of the remote workplace and explains that this is definitely one of the biggest discussions lately for many companies. They are debating whether to continue to let their employees work from home or if they should call them back to the offices once the pandemic is over. Also, hybrid solutions are a possible option for some businesses. He personally was surprised by how well his team was doing when working from home. For Mattias, it was also a good way to learn how to let go of control.

Obviously, the remote workplace also comes with multiple disadvantages. Mattias mentions that e.g. the onboarding process of new employees is a lot harder, especially because they don't experience the team spirit in the same way.

When everyone is only working from home, you must find other ways to secure that emotional commitment. Mattias explains that it is for sure possible to solve, but you will never be able to build the same relationship with people as when you are actually meeting and interacting with them.
He is planning to continue with a hybrid version of the remote workplace for now but did call back his team leaders to the office in August because many new people will join the team.

3. Are there some disadvantages of being an empathic leader?

Firstly, Mattias emphasizes that there is a thin line between being empathic and being codependent. He has caught himself listening too much to other people's opinions, which left him trying to please everyone's wishes and slightly getting off his one course. He adds that this behavior is very unproductive especially when you want to grow your company. The bigger your company becomes, the more people you will have to please if you don't follow your course and stand by your decisions.

4. Do you think people can change?

Mattias believes in people before they believe in themselves. For him, that also means that he has trust that people can change. He also refers to iGoMoon's purpose statement that includes having an open heart. If you choose to have an open heart then you are willing to learn, grow and ultimately change.

💡 EPISODE TAKE AWAY
It is important to find balance in a hybrid workplace.

How did the pandemic affect your work environment?