Not even the boss of Starbucks must be doing a 1,000-mile commute if they will do the job from house

New Starbucks boss Brian Niccol brought about many to spit out their espresso with the information he’ll commute round 1,000 miles from his house in California to the corporate’s HQ in Seattle. It’s true that he’ll have the posh of the corporate jet for his journeys to the workplace, which the espresso large says will imply he’s assembly its coverage of displaying up for work in particular person a minimum of three days every week.

However are the arguments about personal jets and company existence lacking the purpose? We should always actually be asking whether or not any employee must be within the workplace three days every week if they will carry out the position equally properly from their house. Niccol will work flexibly, with a mix of being within the workplace and dealing from house. In fact, many disagree strongly with this. Funding analyst Dan Coatsworth advised the BBC that in his opinion a frontrunner “must be on the coronary heart of a enterprise, not sitting on the seaside”.

Different enterprise leaders speaking about house or distant working have used phrases like “an aberration”, “lazy gits” and “morally improper”“, whereas Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan stated distant working doesn’t work for individuals who wish to hustle.

That is “flexibility stigma” – the notion that staff working from house are by some means are much less motivated or dedicated, and are much less productive.

Sadly, this bias in opposition to versatile staff is frequent. In a latest consultant survey of staff throughout Europe and the UK, about one in three respondents felt that versatile working was seen negatively by managers or colleagues or that it broken profession outcomes.

Though we noticed these views decline through the peak of the COVID pandemic when homeworking was enforced, they’re coming again as extra managers ask staff to return to the workplace, usually citing issues with productiveness or dedication as the primary causes.

However the place do these concepts come from? There’s rising proof to recommend that distant staff aren’t solely extra dedicated and constant to their job, they’re usually extra productive than their in-office counterparts.

In my e book, The Flexibility Paradox, I present how versatile staff are likely to work tougher and longer than different staff. In truth, going again to the brand new Starbucks boss, he already has a monitor file of pulling one other franchise, (Chipotle), out of disaster – and is more likely to do the identical for Starbucks, the place gross sales have been down for a 12 months or extra.

Somewhat than proof, these beliefs round distant staff come from one thing known as facetime bias – when managers usually understand those that they will see working as being dedicated and aligning with the notion of the best employee.

In lots of societies, together with the UK and US, folks imagine that the best productive employee is somebody who prioritises work, has no different duties, and is working lengthy hours (ideally within the workplace and all the time related).

Distant working, particularly when it’s assumed that it’s carried out for work-life steadiness, goes in opposition to this concept. As such, we presume the particular person is a slacker. Because of this staff find yourself going into the workplace – not as a result of it’s extra productive or as a result of they wish to, however as a result of they’re compelled to or as a result of they wish to appear like they’re productive (even when they aren’t).

This stigma can depart distant staff affected by unfavourable profession outcomes. It’s the purpose why versatile working can lead to staff feeling the have to overwork or present “digital presenteeism” (spending an excessive amount of time being seen on-line). It’s why versatile working generally ends in worse work-life steadiness outcomes – with work encroaching on personal lives moderately than the opposite means round.

A brand new means ahead

However right here’s the excellent news. These views aren’t inevitable. My two papers revealed within the Journal of Household Analysis and in Social Indicators Analysis (with Hyojin Search engine marketing, postdoctoral researcher at Tilburg College within the Netherlands) present how altering the way in which we take into consideration work and gender roles, and offering higher safety for staff, can sort out the biased views in opposition to versatile staff and make sure that it ends in optimistic outcomes for his or her wellbeing.

These research present how in international locations with beneficiant household insurance policies, the place work-life steadiness turns into the norm and isn’t seen as antithetical to productiveness, and the place it’s anticipated that each women and men have caring duties, folks usually don’t suppose versatile staff are slackers.

In different phrases, we have to sort out the outdated picture of the “ultimate employee”, which relies on factory-based modes of manufacturing the place males have been the breadwinners who may give attention to placing in lengthy hours at work, supported by ladies as full-time caregivers. We have to assist the event of a new customary productive employee, the place staff of all genders have duties exterior work. And we must always change our work tradition in order that ample relaxation is seen as key to being productive, and offering care doesn’t imply you’re much less of a employee, however moderately could make you a greater one.

In truth, in contrast to Niccol, the boss of Santander UK Mike Regnier was upfront about taking on the job was as a result of he may work at home a couple of days every week. Regnier stated it doesn’t imply he’s much less productive and, from what I can see, he appears to be proper.

Niccol, if he can present he is a good supervisor even when working extra days in California, couldn’t solely struggle off these sceptics but in addition make sure that others take pleasure in the identical advantages as he does.

Who cares when you’re sitting at a seaside, and never in wet Seattle away from household, so long as you get the job carried out? As a bonus, with extra house working and fewer three-hour commuting flights, he would possibly assist Starbucks meet its emission targets.