As more companies rethink their remote and hybrid work policies, the question of where people should work is once again being widely discussed. But before asking employees to spend more time in the office, leaders should consider what they actually want to achieve.
If leaders want a better understanding of what people are working on and how work is progressing, having everyone in the office will not necessarily give them that insight.
What matters is not where people work, but whether the work gets done and the organisation is achieving its goals. If we assess performance mainly by how many days someone spends in the office, we may be measuring the wrong thing.
If managers do not have a clear view of the work being done and the results being achieved, bringing people back to the office will not solve the problem. That is a management issue, not a location issue.
When people work in the office, it is easy to see physical presence as a sign that work is getting done. Seeing employees at their desks can give managers a greater sense of control. But it says little about what people are actually working on, whether goals are on track or what results they are achieving.
Effective management requires a much broader view. Managers need to know what is being worked on, how things are progressing and where teams are running into problems. Employees, in turn, need to understand what is expected of them, what their priorities are and how their work contributes to the organisation’s goals.
In our work with organisations, we often find that the information is there, but spread across different places. Goals may be kept in one system, activities tracked in another, with results brought together separately for reporting.
Managers should have access to the information they need regardless of whether they are in the same room as their teams. If understanding where things stand means constantly asking for updates and piecing together information from different sources, having everyone in the office will not solve the problem.
Clear goals and KPIs provide a solid foundation for performance management. Employees know what is expected of them, while managers can assess their work based on agreed results rather than where they work.
But setting goals is not enough. If managers only get a clear picture of progress when a deadline arrives or at the next performance appraisal, they are getting important information too late. They also need to see what is happening along the way: which activities support each goal, how far they have progressed and what might be getting in the way.
This is where the difference between monitoring people and managing results becomes clear. The easier it is for managers to access information about work and progress, the less need there is for micromanagement. When the status of activities, KPIs and results is readily available, managers do not need to schedule constant meetings or repeatedly ask employees for updates.
Transparency is equally important for employees. When people can see how their daily work connects to their own goals and the organisation’s priorities, it becomes easier to set priorities and understand how their contribution supports the bigger picture.
Within a single team, regular meetings and direct communication may be enough to keep track of what is happening. As an organisation grows, however, this becomes increasingly difficult. Senior leaders cannot build a complete picture of the organisation from dozens of separate conversations, spreadsheets and reports.
In a larger organisation, leaders need to be able to connect goals, activities and results, and see whether time, resources and budgets are being directed towards agreed priorities. Having everyone in the office does not change this: physical presence cannot replace clear planning, ownership and ongoing tracking of progress and results.
For senior leaders, this broader view also makes it possible to see how strategy is being put into practice. When strategic goals are connected to team and individual goals as well as day-to-day activities, strategy becomes part of everyday management rather than something that exists mainly on paper.
There are many reasons why organisations may want employees to spend more time in the office, and in some cases there are good reasons for doing so. But if the aim is to get a better understanding of people’s work and how it is progressing, adding more office days will not necessarily address the real issue. Seeing people at work is not a substitute for having the information needed to manage effectively.
Managers need a clear view of goals, activities and results regardless of where people work. If a manager does not have a clear understanding of what people are working towards and what results they are achieving, remote work may not be the problem. The way work is managed may be.
PlanPro is a Northern European management platform that connects strategy, execution and results in one system. It brings together strategic goals, KPIs, activities, responsibilities and resources, giving managers a clear view of how the organisation is progressing and where attention is needed.
With more than 18 years of experience, PlanPro is trusted by over 170 organisations across government, municipalities, healthcare, manufacturing, education and services.
CEO, PlanPro
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