Dear Managers, Start Managing

Dear Managers,

It's not that I don't want to be in the office, or that I won't be in the office if you need me there - I just don't want to waste my time.

The WFH vs onsite/hybrid debate rages on, and I'm just not at all interested in the idea that people have to be in the office. I do enjoy a bit of hybrid working, but I'm almost at the close of one of the best working periods of my entire life, and not for a single day of the past three years has the office been a mandatory order from the company's leadership - because they simply didn't have to.

Great Experiences Breed Great Outcomes

The leadership at Inciper operated what can only be described as a results-first approach. They created an atmosphere of excellence, which I loved the second I walked in the door, but that was backed at the foundations by a real commitment to managing work effectively. That meant that every sprint, every day, people understood their required output for that day and were expected to aim to achieve that end. It wasn't a horrible working environment where being in the bottom 10% meant dismissal like the Amazon of old - long-running work was met with support - but more importantly, it was properly managed.

The idea that people had to be onsite for that management to apply was nonsense.

The experience was superb, everything was about delivery. As a result, rather than being "in the office" to make managers feel like they had some control, we both got a little jolt of joy at seeing all my tasks get over the line. I got a jolt from others as their tasks got over the line. The experience of that success was ace, and it bred further success.

Incredible management, is the answer to the productivity gap. Not just outstanding line management, but outstanding people management, project management, leadership at all levels; the opportunities to make sure work is done effectively and efficiently are endless.

Isolation Is Not An Alternative

This is not an argument for total isolation either. One of the things that I think set us apart at Inciper was the fact that we did have the periodic onsite days with the rest of the team. They were not mandatory, but were generally well-attended and gave us a chance to get together and talk about things that weren't only work - like any team does, I'm sure. For those that didn't attend these days, I often felt that they were missing out - but it did not have to be mandated to ensure good attendance. In many cases, those who did not attend were still outstanding members of the team. In fact, some of the lowest attenders were some of the highest performers in terms of pure output.

None the less, I absolutely love an office day. It's an infrequent treat where I get facetime with a lot of the guys I typically only see online but, crucially, it is infrequent - with an open offer for as many days as I'd like. And that sort of approach is the lifeblood of a great work life balance - something often touted as critical by employers, but all too often now completely ignored by policies like "we ask for three days onsite per week".

Life Matters More Than Work, But We Can Have Both

Why do we need mandatory office days? What are we going to achieve? What are the benefits that can't alternatively be achieved? What valid, measurable reason can exist for me not being at home to greet my kids home from school? To be able to make dinner before 7pm? To reduce the costs of childcare? A lot is made of work life balance, a lot is made of great working conditions - I fail to see how that possibly entwines itself with enforced office days.

Consider the wholesale benefits of home working:

• Massive transit reduction
  • reducing carbon footprint
  • reducing 'lost' time
  • reducing travel costs
  • reducing childcare costs
• Reduced office costs
• Improved working efficiency

I'm afraid, for something so vague as "office culture", it's just not worth taking all those other elements from employees. I do not endorse the opposite - a team who never meet - but I do not believe a mandated number of days has any real meaning. I absolutely love a great office culture, but in my experience, it's ultimately nothing to do with the office and everything to do with having employees who share positive experiences - whether they be one a quarter with a lot of working successes in between, or once a week because they all choose to come into the office.

Stop trying to mandate success, manage the work and create the conditions, success will follow.