At a time when big tech giants like Amazon are mandating return-to-office, Mike Landau, CEO of New York-based Park My Fleet, is cool with the remote work framework. The company's positive experience during the COVID lockdown period has pushed them to continue with this policy. Initially, the CEO did feel the need for an in-office approach for better coordination and team work, however, after witnessing the productivity during the lockdown, his perception changed. Moreover, the remote work policy enables the company to hire talents from across the world.
''As the company grew, I became increasingly enamoured with remote work. From a recruitment perspective, the world is my oyster. I like that employees don't have to think about their commute or can still do the school pickup, which helps their work-life balance,'' he told Business Insider.
Landau also enlisted four key benefits of remote work policy: Access to global talent, overcoming geographical limitations, Improved work-life balance, enhancing employee satisfaction, High employee retention rates, reducing turnover costs and Increased flexibility, boosting productivity and morale.
With a workforce spanning the US, Israel, and Costa Rica, Landau implements a work-from-anywhere policy that offers employees flexibility. He believes that people are disciplined enough to work from home and get the job done.
"We have a work-from-anywhere policy, too; as long as employees comply with local employment laws, then I'm happy for them to do that. I've worked from hotels on the beach and in Europe while vacationing,'' he told the outlet.
Though he does feel that some jobs require in-person presence, he also suggested ways to balance remote work with in-person connections through strategic initiatives like quarterly team-building events, bi-annual company-wide retreats, regional meetups, and social activities like volunteer days or game nights.
To encourage face-to-face interaction in virtual settings, Park My Fleet has implemented a camera-on policy for video meetings. The company also promotes regular virtual coffee breaks and spontaneous video check-ins. According to Landau, these practices help strengthen relationships and build trust among team members.
''I find it a lot easier to collaborate remotely, especially with things like sharing a screen online, rather than having people huddled around one screen and looking at something or trying to connect to a projector in a conference room,'' he added.
The CEO, while admitting the challenges faced by new joinees to get used to the system, believes that it can be bridged with the help of video calls.
Amid the growing call for going back to work-from office mode, Landau feels that changing remote work option after hiring people can severely damage company morale and erode trust.
''As an employee who joined a company as a remote worker, it would feel like a bait-and-switch move if the CEO then decided to change the remote work policy. I would find that very disconcerting. I think it would not be good for company morale, and I have no intention of mandating a return to the office. While there are pros and cons to both, the pros outweigh the cons for us as an organization,'' he remarked.