Remote work exposes but does not eliminate bad management

No doubt that the ability of many more people to work remotely is not a panacea. It does not fix the problems created by poor management. Rather, it helps to reveal them.

Many (most?) managers have historically managed their workers by process: did they arrive at the office on time or even early? Did they seem to work hard during the day? Did they leave on time or even late?

When their workers suddenly started to work remotely, these managers often turned to adding more process-driven tools such as surveillance software. Were there breaks during the day when their workers were not typing on their keyboards? For how long and often were those breaks? Using the cameras on workers’ computers, could the managers see the worker sitting in front of their computers?

These are the managers who are now amongst the loudest in complaining that there aren’t any available workers. They’ll advertise their job openings using requirements language like they did years ago, get few to no applications, get ghosted by interviewees, and get rejected by those offered jobs. Interestingly, managers who are good at managing by outcomes and who take a more candidate-centric approach are having far, far less difficulty recruiting and retaining talent. Good managers have adapted. Poor managers, thankfully, are becoming extinct.