Why trust is harder when you can’t see them

If I can’t see them, how do I know they are working? This question plagues many leaders. When the work isn’t physically visible, it’s easy to assume it should have been done sooner. Many leaders seem to have an innate urge to place greater trust in people who are physically present, and they tend to be more suspicious of activities happening within remote-working teams.

The temptation to micromanage

When teams are no longer visible, there’s also a temptation to micromanage out of fear of a productivity drop-off. In fact, in a Microsoft survey of 20,000 people, ‘many managers still have issues trusting remote employees. 85% of leaders say the shift to hybrid work has made it hard to be confident that employees are being productive.’

While 87% of workers report they’re performing just fine, only 12% of employers say they have full confidence their team is productive. This disconnect has been dubbed ‘productivity paranoia.’ The idea that, even if workers are putting in the hours, bosses won’t believe it unless they see it themselves.

Data doesn’t support the paranoia

But the data doesn’t support this loss of confidence. Microsoft data shows the number of meetings per week has increased by 153% since the pandemic, and 42% of employees say they multitask during meetings. Many report feeling pressured to prove they’re working, despite being productive.

So, there’s a clear disconnect between perceptions and reality, and it’s creating stress on both sides.

Pressure creates “productivity theatre”

This pressure has led to the rise of “productivity theatre”: an especially toxic form of energy depletion where people waste precious time creating the appearance of productivity. Workers feel the need to show they’re “always on,” responding to emails instantly, even if it’s not productive or necessary.

This trust and empowerment deficit is alarming. If managers are still not convinced that employees can work productively outside the office, even after years of doing so, it suggests there’s still much work needed to help leaders navigate remote leadership.

The dangers of a low-trust approach

If you don’t trust people and have low expectations of them, guess what? They’ll probably start living up to those expectations. This low-trust approach slowly erodes company culture and people’s willingness to give their best.

People want to feel trusted to accomplish their work and use good judgement in how to do it. When employees experience autonomy at work, they take more ownership and feel empowered to deliver results.

Focusing on what really matters

Leaders need to shift away from conventional views of what “working hard” looks like and stop monitoring people from behind their desks. The focus should be on trusting people, empowering them, catching them doing things right, and coaching them on how to close any gaps.

If the work is getting done, it probably doesn’t matter where someone is sitting.

Leaders must embrace the mindset that remote teams can be just as productive—if not more so—than those in the office. It’s time to let go of productivity paranoia, trust your people, and focus on building a culture of empowerment and autonomy.