A study from NEOMA Business School revealed that daily monitoring can lead to remote workers feeling less trusted by their managers.
Birgit Schines, Distinguished Professor of People and Organizations at NEOMA, co-authored a study analyzing survey data on 450 employees of UK-based companies.
According to the researchers, when working from home, employees can feel that they have less autonomy and are under constant monitoring if they are monitored frequently. They say that these feelings can be exacerbated if managers’ behavior is unpredictable.
“Daily monitoring leaves remote workers wondering why their managers are making such repetitive demands, which can make them question their abilities and put themselves down. Ultimately, some employees feel physically and intellectually exhausted.”
The researchers recommend that managers establish clear guidelines for checking employee progress. Once communicated, they add, these guidelines must be adhered to.
The impact of remote management is so significant that the authors recommended that business leaders should also address this issue. This role involves providing managers with guidance on their behavior and setting appropriate standards of managerial behaviour.