Can BRM work in a remote world?

Faced with slumping sales, product shortages, and heightened health concerns, organizations scrambled to get their workforces productive again amid all of these new obstacles. But rather than seeming cobbled together, working from home quickly proved to be beneficial in numerous, unexpected ways.

Ali Rayl, the VP of customer experience for Slack, said, “A lot of our employees said, ‘I’m getting more sleep,’ ‘I’m exercising more,’ ‘I’m making myself healthier food,’ ‘I know my neighbors more.’”

Without commute times, employees had more time in their days. They became more productive, as they operated on more sleep and in the comfort of their home offices. Plus, their environments were customizable at home: if someone preferred working in the quiet with the drapes drawn for optimal focus, they could do that. If someone needed music playing in order to think, they could make that happen, too. Likewise, people with disabilities could care for themselves better in their own homes—without the struggle of handicapped parking and the oftentimes inferior accessibility of on-site office buildings.

For BRMs, many of whom aspire to a healthy work/life balance, the positives definitely outweighed the negatives. Marleen LaMont, a BRMP from BRM Institute, said, “While it might not be for everyone, many BRMs working remotely have discovered a healthier work/life balance and the flexibility to truly satisfy their purpose.”

That, in a nutshell, is why some BRMs are gravitating toward making remote work a permanent change, in spite of original concerns about remote-work-derived isolation. They learned, as the year progressed, that with collaboration software, interactive Zoom meetings, and instant-messaging platforms, they could stay connected as effectively as ever, if not even more so. 

Many noted that their communication with teammates was more focused on the goals and tasks at hand, and less focused on time-wasting behaviors such as gossip at the water cooler. They discovered that clear goal setting helped with remote productivity, which was followed up with an increase in hitting those goals. As a result, productivity boomed, along with work/life balance. 

It must be noted that working from home can feel isolating to some and should be managed by making an extra effort to interact on social levels. As with anything in life, moderation and common sense should go hand-in-hand to achieve the best possible outcome.

Regardless of preference, working from home has proven to be just as impactful as being in the office, as long as staff members are equipped with the necessary platforms to stay connected with their colleagues.  This should come as no surprise, given society’s current tendency to text instead of call. 

That line of thinking begs another question: Will working from home weaken relationship-building skills for future generations?

That’s a can of worms we’ll open another day.