employees working onsite to maintain the corporate culture. “This belief is consistent among all industries and, to some extent, among the largest companies,” said MIT SMR analysts. Such concerns, however, appear to be unmerited, as research from MIT SMR, among others, suggests many of the early concerns surrounding the difficulties and potential disconnectedness of remote working have not materialized. Remote and hybrid situations could even be improving workplace culture and team collaboration in certain ways. And as it turns out, executive leadership could be more important that geography when it comes to maintaining “the three Cs” of culture, comradery and collaboration.” “Beliefs appear to be trailing reality considerably in many companies,” said the MIT SMR report. “Only a tiny percentage of respondents — often fewer than 10 percent — say, in response to multiple questions, that hybrid work environments have a negative effect on corporate cultures.” Nearly half of senior leadership and management surveyed by MIT SMR say that levels of camaraderie have improved since workers went remote and hybrid. Another 40 percent feel those levels have remained about the same, leaving only 9 percent saying the level of camaraderie declined. Some might argue that current remote and hybrid environments leverage relationships established before the pandemic struck, when most people were still gathered in offices. But among those remotely full time prior to the pandemic, 47 percent say that levels of camaraderie have improved during the pandemic, while 41 percent believe things have remained the same. And among the 43 percent of respondents who began their jobs after the pandemic began in early 2020, the majority say their sense of fellowship has actually gotten better during that time. “In other words: Physical colocation doesn’t appear to be totally necessary for developing esprit de corps, even among those new to their jobs,” said the MIT SMR report. “Regardless of seniority levels or length of tenure, employees are connecting and building relationships remotely, in large part via the use of telecommunications tools such as videoconferencing platforms and messaging apps.” Indeed, rather than a growing disconnect from company and culture, as some assumed work arraignments of the past two years would induce, respondents’ level of trust in their companies, in how they are “seen and heard” and included, and clarity in their specific roles have largely improved if not stayed the same. Less than one in 10 respondents say both the ability to express their opinion (7 percent) and feelings of inclusion and diversity (6 percent) have worsened, compared to 46 percent of the former and 47 percent of the latter who said they have improved. Meanwhile, six in 10 say that they have been recognized more frequently for the work they do since switching to remote and hybrid environments. The younger that survey respondents are, the more likely they are to see positive impacts on company culture from the use of hybrid working models, showed the MIT SMR findings. The ability to openly express personal opinions is an example: 59 percent of respondents in Generation Z (those born since 1995), 50 percent of millennials (born between 1980 and 1994), 41 percent of Generation X (born between 1965 and 1979) and 40 percent of baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) believe this has improved. The vast majority of respondents also believe that their companies’ leaders believe in them, show the MIT SMR findings. Two-thirds agree to a “considerable” or “great” extent that their companies’ leaders believe that individuals working at home INTELLIGENCE 12 REMOTE WORK SOLUTIONS rwsmagazine.com Most and least concerned about hybrid/remote work environments interfering with important interactions with managers/key colleagues Role Very Concerned Somewhat Concerned Not at all Concerned Board members 29% 43% 29% C-suite 37% 46% 17% Senior executives 43% 46% 10% Middle/Upper managers 34% 43% 23% Supervisor/Manager 25% 51% 24% Individual contributor (non-manager) 19% 41% 40% Source: MIT Sloan Management Review Most and least concerned about hybrid/remote work environments making it look like they’re insufficiently motivated about their careers Role Very Concerned Somewhat Concerned Not at all Concerned Board members 33% 42% 25% C-suite 38% 40% 22% Senior executives 41% 43% 16% Middle/Upper managers 37% 40% 23% Supervisor/Manager 31% 44% 26% Individual contributor (non-manager) 27% 34% 39% Source: MIT Sloan Management Review
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