Hybrid work

In 2020, when the Covid-19 started, we switched to remote work entirely. Previously, there was not much remote work, so the change happened quickly. Meetings turned into video meetings and there were hardly any customer meetings. Employees in important roles were instructed to work only remotely and were advised to avoid encounters with people. One thing I noticed is how much time and effort is needed to search for information about colleagues. Getting answers to seemingly simple questions was also chore (Larson et al. 2020).

When the Covid-19 restrictions eased, our workplace switched from purely remote work to hybrid work. The employees themselves could plan when they would have office days.

Trust

During Covid-19, it was thought that the transition to remote work would bring difficulties in our organization. However, the change went better than initially expected. The project and work tasks were now even better. It was also possible to focus better on many expert tasks when working remotely. The employees understood that a certain kind of freedom brought by remote work also increases responsibility.

Leadership Skills

Remote work did not affect everyday activities much. The challenges in supervisor work were more about how supervisors are able to support employees` learning.

It is important to understand the challenges associated with remote work, especially if remote work is started without special preparation. Employees and managers often express their concerns face to face. Lack of interaction and weakened management support are challenges in remote work. Difficulties in accessing information are also challenges of remote work (Larson et al. 2020).

How to these trends impact the required managerial and leadership skills in your work and your workingpalce?

Hybrid work

The change was challenging. As soon as Covid-19 starded, our organization changed management personel. However, video conferences and meetings were possible. When there are no personal meetings, it can be challenging for the supervisor. Intervening in potential problematic situations was more difficult. As remote work increases, supervisors must support the self-direction of the personel. Good communication plays an important role. In my own organization, especially communication could have been better. Lack of communication caused uncertainty among the staff and increased rumours. In addition, partially incomplete task descriptions also caused uncertainty.

Trust

In the past, we didn`t do a lot of remote work at out workplace, maybe precisely because it was believed that the supervisions of employees would not be successful. However, after the start of Covid-19 and the transition to remote work, supervisors noticed that remote work can also be done effectively.

Leadership skills

Management and management culture have changed with remote work. Supervisors must support employees` self-direction without constant supervisions. (Ruusunen & Rautio 2022, 23).

At our workplace, attention was paid to management and training was organized for supervisors. In the personnel satisfaction survey, employees` opinions regarding remote work were investigated.

Ethical management according to ChatGPT

What is ethical leadership?

Ethical management is approach in which managers strive to make decisions and act in a way that is morally right and responsible for both the organization and its stakeholders.  This includes the importance of openness, honesty, fairness and respect for values.

What qualities does an ethical leader need?

An ethical leader needs many qualities such as:

• Ethical awareness: The ability to recognize and understand ethical issues and challenges.
• Honesty and reliability: Commitment to the truth and building trust in the team.
• Fairness: Fairness in decision-making and treatment of team members.
• Courage: Willingness to defend ethical principles even in difficult situations.
• Empathy: The ability to but yourself in the shoes of others and understand their point of view.
• Open communication: The ability to express oneself clearly and openly.
• Commitment to development: Willingness to learn and develop as an ethical leader continuously.

I would consider myself to understand ethical issues and challenges quite well. I feel that I am in accordance with the law, I can distinguish between right and wrong. In my opinion, honesty an reliability are the most important things in management work. I would consider myself to be completely honest. However, trust in one`s own team has to be earned and it is difficult to assess that as a manager myself, but I think I can do well here.

Equitable treatment in a team can sometimes be challenging, because it can be affected by personal chemistry. Here the question arises for me, do I unintentionally treat others differently, because communication can be easier and more natural among some team members than others.

Courage to stand up for one`s principles is not always easy. It`s easier when you know things well and can justify your point of view well. Each team member reacts differently to things and it is not always easy for a leader to put himself in the position of others, I would rate this as a development target for me, as well as presentation and communication skills.

Sources:

Larson et al. 2020. A Guide to Managing your (Newly) remote workers. Published 18.3.2020. Refered 13.7.2024. https://hbr.org/2020/03/a-guide-to-managing-your-newly-remote-workers

Ruusunen, L. & Rautio, S. 2022. Etätyön johtamisen haasteet esihenkilön näkökulmasta. Opinnäytetyö. Laurea-ammattikorkeakoulu. Refered 13.7.2024. https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/745257/Ruusunen_Rautio.pdf;jsessionid=505A439CE0CDED1F58F1E066E5AAFF8D?sequence=2