We recently conducted a study
of remote workers focusing on
personality traits, performance
management and productivity.
The research involved an
international sample of remote
workers, primarily employed
in the UK, Republic of Ireland
and Canada, but living and
working remotely in many
different countries.
Key findings
Bringing HR processes to
remote working
Previous research has
demonstrated that remote
workers tend to be more
productive and have higher levels
of engagement. Our research also
found that an increase in hours
worked remotely was related to
higher job satisfaction.
However, this should not be
taken for granted. To be
productive and engaged remote
workers need to benefit from
traditional HR processes, support
from management and from
colleagues. When employees
work remotely it is even more
A different slant Strategic HR
important for HR to ensure there
is an effective performance
management system in place. To
be most effective remote workers
need clarity around expected
outcomes, fairness and objectivity
in how their performance is
evaluated. It is actually even
more important to clarify
performance objectives, manage
communication schedules and
ensure performance feedback is
given regularly and effectively to
this type of worker.
When performance
management is done well it
provides remote workers with
the clarity they need to work
effectively combined with the
autonomy to manage their own
schedules and targets. This in turn
leads workers to be more
productive and engaged (see
diagram on p38).
That is why it is important to
consider all of the components
needed to enable remote workers
to succeed.
Personality traits
Personality traits are one of the
Conscientiousness describes
workers’ motivation, discipline
and capacity for long-term
planning. Employees with higher
conscientiousness tend to be more
self-motivated and able to manage
their own schedules and deadlines
independently. Those with lower
conscientiousness are likely to
need more oversight and support
when working more independently
or remotely.
2 Adjustment
Higher adjustment explains
how someone reacts to stressors
and their ability to manage and
regulate their emotions. Those
with higher adjustment levels
tend to have an easier time
adapting to some of the new
demands and stressors of working
remotely. Those with lower
adjustment levels may find new
working environments stressful,
but may also find working
remotely relieves some of the
stressors present in traditional
working environments, such
as workplace conflict or the
challenges of the daily commute.
3 Curiosity
Workers with higher levels
of curiosity enjoy learning new
things, like new work
environments and processes.
best predictors of workplace
performance. And when we can
define the workplace environment
and required responsibilities we
can then identify the suitable
personality traits.
While remote workers may
have few commonalities in terms
of sector, working environment,
location or scheduling there is one
key component of the remote
working environment. Remote
workers must be self-motivated
and able to manage their own
schedule and workload.
Many people find they can
work effectively outside of an
office environment, but that does
not mean remote work is for
everyone. Some people like the
companionship and camaraderie
they get from working in close
proximity to their team. Many
people find they are more
motivated when they have people
and other external motivators
encouraging them to get the
work done.
Our research found three key
traits related to the success of
remote workers:
1 Conscientiousness
Remote workers
have significantly higher
conscientiousness than the
general population.
Preferred performance
feedback frequency
5.5
23
2
17
26
2 3
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
Quarterly
Annually
Never
hrmagazine.co.uk February 2020 HR 39
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