MC55 The challenge of remote disengagement
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Description
For this episode we used a different format. Pilar and Tim spotted a question in a community they're members of, and with the permission of the poster, we've chosen to discuss it over coffee. This was the question: "Remote workers are faking enthusiasm. As a manager, I struggle to assess the motivation and engagement of my remote workers. Employees are very good are presenting a positive image during check-ins.This makes it very hard to identify issues and provide targeted interventions to improve productivity and job satisfaction. This makes me hesitant to allow working from home. I know that enthusiasm does not equal productivity. But I see lack of enthusiasm or faking enthusiasm as an early warning sign of quiet quitting. Do you have any advice?" 2:45 min Workers can fake enthusiasm in any environment, but it is easier to manage how you present yourself when your interaction is mostly online. 7:15 It sounds like this manager feels something might be going off track and that the disengagement is an early sign of it. 8:00 Does the manager need their team to feel engaged because it helps the manager feel good about their own performance? Or is it just about the team member's attitude and performance? 9:00 When we don't know what is happening our imagination fills in the gaps. Tim finds the reasons his brain makes up are much worse than the actual explanation. So he has to be careful about jumping to conclusions. 11:30 Having longer one-on-ones might make it harder for the person to fake their enthusiasm. And spending more time together can deepen the relationship. 14:20 Is there another space besides a one-on-one where the person can explain how they are feeling? 16:00 Lara Hogan has an excellent question for her first one-on-one meeting with someone: "How will I know when you're grumpy?". 17:45 When team context changes, like going remote or returning to working from an office, you almost have to treat it like a new team. 19:30 There is an underlying question about the workplace and culture where people are faking or suspected of faking: what is stopping people from behaving authentically?   What about you, dear listener? Have you managed people who were faking it? What did you do? We'd love to hear about your experiences or if you have a question you'd like us to chat about! Get in touch through our Contact Form https://managementcafepodcast.com/contact/  or tell us on Twitter - we are @managementcaf   
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