I recently read an HBR blog entitled, "Why Remote Workers Are More (Yes, More) Engaged," and it really hit home for me. For one, we here at Ascendant spend a fair amount of time working remotely when not on client site or traveling. And second, something that will resonate with others who have read Dan Pink's book, Drive, is that autonomy is one of the key factors in motivating employees.

When reviewing the results of a 360-degree feedback survey, the HBR post found that the employees who were most engaged, committed, and rated their leader the highest were those who worked remotely. One caveat however - the post does mention that the differences were not huge, but enough to warrant some speculations. The post had multiple observations, but the two that I would like to focus on are:

Absence makes people try harder to connect. For me, this resonates both personally and professionally. When I was living abroad, I utilized any and all methods of communication to connect with my friends and family. Professionally, we make it a point to connect on a regular basis by phone, Skype, email, and even through web conferencing. Without exception, we all make the extra effort to stay connected. And, especially when connecting with leadership, they have the ability to devote their undivided attention to each person without the distractions that sometimes come with working in an office setting.

Leaders of far-flung teams maximize the time their teams spend together. Making the extra effort to coordinate schedules and get the entire team together often translates to leadership wanting to make the best use of that time. It creates a vibrant atmosphere that combines catching up and working together on shared initiatives. Oftentimes, there is a greater level of focus and attention that is hard to replicate in an office setting with people you see every day.

Taking these two observations, along with Dan Pink's notion that we all have some desire to direct our own lives, it begins to make more sense to me. Whether big or small, we all, on some level, have a yearning for autonomy. When provided this autonomy, along with the two factors above that stem from working remotely, it makes a strong case for the value of this structure. However, whether you work remotely or in an office, it ultimately comes down to utilizing your time together and communicating effectively.