C O V I D -19

A Leader’s Guideto Developing aWork-From-Home
StrategyFrom mid-March to mid-May 2020, the percentage of U.S. employees
working from home more than doubled, from 31% to 65%, accounting
for more than 100 million American workers.1
And these at-home workers aren’t just working from home. They are working from homeduring a pandemic — taking Zoom calls from the kitchen table, absorbing troubling
health-related news and adapting to new life routines. For families, their home isn’t justtheir new workplace. It’s also a classroom and a day care.

How employees feel about their situation is fluid, as is the business environment in which they work.
For this reason, every organization needs a clear plan for transitioning from the makeshift solutions
created in early stages of this crisis to a remote work strategy that makes sense for their unique businesscircumstances and employees’ wellbeing in the long term.
Gallup researchers have mined multiple databases, covering 550-plus jobs summarized into 35 roles
across 20 industries, to assess how remote work influences the demands for success in each job, bothhistorically and during COVID-19.
In this guide, we review key considerations that leaders should evaluate as they determine which roles andemployees will continue working from home and in what capacity.

Considerations for Developing Your Work-From-Home StrategyYour Organization

1The Role

The Team

Number of workers based on 2019 average of total employed (full time and part time, aged 18 and older),according to https://www.bls.gov/cps/cpsaat08.htm.

1

Copyright © 2020 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
COVID_WFH_POV_ExecBriefing_052020v4_kn

The IndividualConsider Your Organization
Examine your organization’s business needs, consider your culture anddetermine the potential impact on customers when making remote
work decisions.
Leadership decisions during a crisis leave a lasting impression on your organization’s
reputation with employees, customers, investors and communities. In many organizations,the CEO, CFO and CHRO are collaborating to discover the most efficient and effective wayfor employees to reenter the workplace.
In an uncertain business climate, finding ways to increase revenue and cut costs before
eliminating jobs can seem like a leadership imperative. Increasing an organization’s remote
workforce can lead to real estate and overhead savings. However, financial considerations
should not be the only factors that influence an organization’s work-from-home strategy.
Along with financial risks and opportunities, leaders need to consider the following
culture-related questions:
1

Consistency: Does our decision convey our culture?

2

Clarity: Is there a hidden or unclear agenda behind the decision?

3

Authenticity: Is our rationale credible?

Decisions about how to bring employees back to work must reflect what the organization
stands for and how leaders want the organization to be known.
In addition, the best organizations consider how remote work affects their customer
experience — for better or worse. What kinds of organizational capacities and customer
value can the organization generate by thinking afresh about space, talent, processes
and experiences?

2Copyright © 2020 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
COVID_WFH_POV_ExecBriefing_052020v4_kn

Consider the Role
Leaders should evaluate a role’s optimal fit for long-term, at-homework based on its task definition and an employee’s ability to work
independently and effectively in the role outside of a traditional workplace.
Using our extensive Gallup Panel™ survey databases, Gallup examined how working from home
affects key aspects of the employee experience, such as employee engagement, burnout,
meaningful feedback and job preparedness.
We found that an optimal remote work role meets three criteria:
1

Employees can perform their duties outside of an on-site workplace.

2

Most of the role’s tasks and processes are well-defined.

3

The role does not require highly interdependent work for success.
LESS OPTIMAL

MORE OPTIMAL

for remote workfor remote work

Duties must be performedat an on-site workplace.

Some duties may beable to be performed at
an off-site location.

Most or all duties may beable to be performed at anoff-site location.

Job tasks and processes
are not well-defined.

Job tasks and processes
have some definition.

Job tasks and processes
are well-defined.

The role requires highlyinterdependent work.

The role requires someinterdependent work.

The role does not require
much interdependent work.

3Copyright © 2020 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
COVID_WFH_POV_ExecBriefing_052020v4_kn

COVID-19: A Leader’s Guide to Developing a Work-From-Home Strategy

The obvious starting point for evaluating if a role should be done from home long term is toconsider if the job even can be completed in a work-from-home environment. Evaluating
the tasks and collaboration requirements of roles such as transportation drivers, foodservers, farmers and electricians is pointless; these roles must be performed on-site.
For roles that could be performed at least in part from home, it is important to consider
criteria two and three. Tasks and processes that are well-defined have clear timelines,expectations and measures of evaluation. Highly interdependent work means the workneeds more than simple communication and collaboration. It requires simultaneous orsynchronized input from multiple partners to complete tasks and move a project forward.
A paralegal role, for instance, tends to be made up primarily of clearly defined tasks,
timelines and expectations. In addition, this work can be completed with minimal
interdependence between team members.
In contrast, some analyst positions may not have inherently distinct tasks or deadlines,
requiring the employee to generate their own work tasks or complete projects that
require frequent input from a variety of partners. Someone working from home in a role
like this may get frustrated by limited interaction with a manager or key stakeholders
and by the challenges of trying to connect frequently with physically distant peers andteam members.
Managers of people in these types of roles need to be even more intentional about
the support, structure, coaching and development they provide to ensure that thelocation of work does not hinder their employees’ engagement and productivity.
To be clear, the three criteria are not a formula for guaranteed success or failure. Workers
who do not meet all of these criteria may still be able to work from home — in fact, anemployee may be avidly requesting it. But, based on Gallup’s analysis of remote worker
engagement and burnout, roles that do not meet all three will likely require additional
manager and organizational support to produce exceptional performance.

4Copyright © 2020 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
COVID_WFH_POV_ExecBriefing_052020v4_kn

Consider the Team
Fifty-five percent of managers say they will allow their employees towork remotely more often than they did before COVID-19.
Many employees are feeling more team-oriented right now. Employees have performed
heroically to adapt to a new, challenging work environment. People are inviting teammembers into their homes via video chats. They are sharing more about their personal
lives and bonding through new virtual experiences. Those are positive outcomes, andhopefully they last. But not every team will thrive long term in a virtual work environment.
When managed poorly, remote work can dramatically erode productivity.
To evaluate which teams are best suited for consistent remote work, consider
the following:1

I nterdependency of team members: Do team members frequently work on detailed,complex projects that require intense partnership? As mentioned in the previoussection, interdependent work requires more than simple communication. To complete
the work, multiple team members must provide direct input in a coordinated way.

2

 ynamics of team member contributions: Which roles may cause bottlenecks thatDcould affect downstream work?

3

 eam engagement: Is the manager equipped to manage well through remote
Twork challenges?

4 rust: Has the team achieved past accomplishments in the face of challenges andT
proven the team members’ ability to depend on each other when it counts?

The location of the team is less important than the person who is leading it. A key tosuccess is the amount of meaningful feedback that team members are getting from eachother, their managers and their leaders. In general, fully remote workers should be receiving
meaningful feedback a few times per week. Gallup has found that, when managed well,
remote teams can experience significantly higher engagement than fully on-site teams.
5Copyright © 2020 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
COVID_WFH_POV_ExecBriefing_052020v4_kn

Consider the IndividualMore than half of at-home workers say they would prefer to continue
working remotely as much as possible once restrictions on businesses
and school closures are lifted.
Millions of U.S. workers are reporting high levels of emotional distress during the pandemic.
Among U.S. full-time and part-time workers, daily worry increased from 37% before the crisis
to 47% in late April to mid-May 2020. Reported stress also increased, from 48% to 58% in thesame time period.
Did you experience the following feelings during a lot of the day yesterday?
%Yes

Before the crisis

Late April to mid-May 2020

37%
WORRY

47%

48%
STRES S

58%

Although it may not be realistic for leaders at the top of an organization to consider the uniqueneeds of each employee, not empowering managers to create flexibility within new processes
is a recipe for failure. Leaders must allow and encourage managers to individualize plans thatreasonably honor the needs of their employees.

6Copyright © 2020 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
COVID_WFH_POV_ExecBriefing_052020v4_kn

COVID-19: A Leader’s Guide to Developing a Work-From-Home Strategy

Managers who want to create successful work-from-home plans for their teammembers need to evaluate the following criteria for each person on their team:1

 eadiness and comfort: Is this person comfortable with the protocols andR
precautions that the organization is implementing? What are the individual’s healthand safety concerns — for themselves and their family members?

2

 ife circumstances: What personal demands is this person experiencing regardingL
childcare, elder care or responsibilities for tending to sick family members? What typeof transportation is required for the person to return to the work site, and is that typeavailable? Does the person have a well-defined space at home that is suitable for
productive, engaging long-term remote work?

3

 erformance: How has this individual performed before and after shifting to at-homePwork? Tracking and supporting low performers may be more difficult from a distance.

4

 trengths: Even if a role aligns well with remote work, it is important to consider thatSpeople have different talents and, therefore, different ways of achieving the sameoutcome. Some people work remotely with a high degree of success despite minimalinterventions. Others may be in the same role, but they perform better with theinteractions and structure of on-site work.

The Employee Experience Continues
to Change During COVID-19
Gallup’s extensive data on work-from-home trends and opinions pre-COVID-19
can and should help inform the way forward, but it would be irresponsible forleaders to ignore the ever-changing effects of the current pandemic whenbuilding a work-from-home strategy for the next normal.
Gallup is continuing to monitor the experiences, emotions and wellbeing ofworkers across the U.S., and leaders also must stay informed on the latest
effects of this pandemic and adjust their strategies as needed to ensure theiremployees are engaged and their approach to remote working is sustainable.

7Copyright © 2020 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.

COVID-19: A Leader’s Guide to Developing a Work-From-Home Strategy

How Gallup Can Help
Gallup is continually tracking the engagement, burnout and wellbeing of U.S. workers
during COVID-19. We can help you analyze your organization’s workforce as well, providing
ongoing monitoring and expert insights and advice that reflect how your people areexperiencing the new American workplace.
Gallup can help your organization:• craft a work-from-home strategy informed by Gallup’s extensive database andanalysis to build a resilient culture• train managers to coach, develop and lead remote workers effectively• design a remote work onboarding process to prepare for and address the needs ofremote teams• provide strengths-based development for individual contributors and teams to enableoptimal remote work
• refine your talent acquisition strategy to build your remote workforce for the future
Contact Gallup today to explore next steps for developing your organization’swork-from-home and other workplace strategies amid COVID-19.

8Copyright © 2020 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved.
COVID_WFH_POV_ExecBriefing_052020v4_kn

C O P Y R I G H T S TA N D A R D SThis document contains proprietary research, copyrighted and trademarked materials of Gallup,
Inc. Accordingly, international and domestic laws and penalties guaranteeing patent, copyright,
trademark and trade secret protection safeguard the ideas, concepts and recommendations related
within this document.
The materials contained in this document and/or the document itself may be downloaded and/orcopied provided that all copies retain the copyright, trademark and any other proprietary notices
contained on the materials and/or document. No changes may be made to this document without
the express written permission of Gallup, Inc.

Any reference whatsoever to this document, in whole or in part, on any webpage must provide a linkback to the original document in its entirety. Except as expressly provided herein, the transmissionof this material shall not be construed to grant a license of any type under any patents, copyright ortrademarks owned or controlled by Gallup, Inc.
Gallup® and Gallup Panel™ are trademarks of Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks andcopyrights are property of their respective owners.