Stop Blaming Remote Work for Your Productivity Woes

These days, the public discourse on work productivity revolves almost entirely around the in-office vs remote work debate. I’m not a fan of this because it tends to reduce productivity to a one-dimensional metric.

Obviously, where you work matters, but this factor’s importance has been overstated in recent years. This, in turn, allows companies to blame productivity shortcomings on their current work mode and ignore more systemic issues. Does your team have the necessary tools at their disposal? Are they in tune with the company’s priorities? Do they have clear KPIs, and how is productivity evaluated?

Moreover, isolating productivity from other key team metrics such as employee satisfaction, engagement and motivation is, in my opinion, nonsensical — what’s the point of a slightly more productive team if they’re massively more likely to quit?

Spotify and eBay have committed to a work-from-anywhere policy, and they’re doing great. Amazon and Apple, after introducing RTO mandates, are also doing great.

At the end of the day, productivity is not so much about the whereas it is about the how. It doesn’t matter if you work from a cubicle, couch or cafe — if the (remote) office culture is broken, productivity will suffer.

So, instead of dwelling on whether your team should be remote, the way to really increase productivity is to focus on more fundamental factors. Here are five hallmarks of a productive office culture.

Related: Want to Be More Productive? Stop Trying to Finish Every Task, and Do This Instead

1. Clear communication

In thriving workplaces, you’ll find regular team meetings with clear, actionable outcomes, open channels for feedback and transparent decision-making processes. Employees have easy access to necessary information and feel comfortable asking questions. They’re up to date about their tasks, timelines and expectations. You’ll also see the leaders lead by example — overcommunicating priorities and progress to keep the entire organization on the same page while remaining accessible to their employees.

This alignment and information-sharing allow teams — remote or not — to stay focused and avoid wasted time, misunderstandings and systemic unproductivity.

2. Collaborative environment

High-performing offices cultivate cooperation across teams and departments to break down barriers, encourage diverse perspectives and enable employees to tackle complex challenges more effectively. Collaboration doesn’t always happen naturally or productively. To benefit from it in a way that contributes to the company’s bottom line, collaboration must be fostered and nurtured through shared goals, dedicated practices and intentional leadership.

Year after year, collaboration was named as one of the top issues plaguing remote workers and is generally perceived as a strong advantage of an in-person environment. While there’s certainly some merit to this point, this is another factor where, in my experience, company practices, policies and approaches are king.

Remote work doesn’t preclude resource-sharing across departments, team-building activities, knowledge sharing and general camaraderie, nor does in-person work guarantee it.

3. A goal-oriented approach

For both communication and collaboration to be effective, they must be underpinned by a goal-oriented approach. Otherwise, it’s just chit-chat and get-togethers. When individual employees and entire teams understand how their contributions directly impact overarching objectives, it fosters a sense of ownership and accountability. It also gives all-important direction to the work that defines both the tasks and their purpose.

Without clear goals, any activity is productive, giving a misleading picture of progress when, in reality, it’s mostly optics. A goal-oriented approach ensures that time and effort are channeled toward the most important priorities, driving tangible results for the business.

Related: Why You Should Stop Obsessing Over Your Goals to Achieve Them

4. Work-life balance

I’m a massive advocate of a healthy work-life balance and breaks throughout the workday because employees can only give their 100% when they have 100% to give. This means flexible scheduling, generous time off policies, benefits geared toward supporting health and strongly discouraging any after-hours work and communication, with the leadership setting an example.

Here, it’s important to note that one of the commonly cited advantages of remote work is a better work-life balance. While, yes, not having to commute is a major upside, the reality is that remote workers often work longer hours, check their emails after work and generally have a harder time maintaining boundaries between their professional and personal lives. Regardless of the mode of work, it falls on the leadership to encourage a healthy work-life balance and resist the urge to take advantage of people’s eagerness and dedication in exchange for short-term benefits.

5. Growth mindset

Last but not least, a productive office culture is typically characterized by a growth mindset, both in relation to the company’s goals and the betterment of its employees. We have already covered the former, but the latter is just as important, as employee education and development directly contribute to the company’s productivity and adaptability.

Ongoing training opportunities, mentorship programs and recognition of both effort and achievement cultivate a mindset of continuous improvement. Moreover, the investment in the team often fosters loyalty, especially when personal and company growth align, offering opportunities for career advancement. This is an extremely powerful motivator that can drive entire companies, especially up-and-coming ones.