Remote Work

Training for supervisors of remote workers is increasingly available, but lacks an evidence-base assessing the efficacy of these trainings, and fails to address the well-being of supervisors or employees. In this research project, the team will develop a training to address remote supervisor well-being and productivity and evaluate how this training will also affect employee well-being. Preliminary data from longitudinal employee well-being surveys conducted by the Center, indicates that remote supervisors are particularly affected by increased workload, more permeable work-family boundaries, and lack confidence in their remote management skills which leads to a burden for both workers and employers.

The team will adapt content previously developed for executive and professional education to address these additional areas of need in an intervention for supervisors of remote workers (Aim 1). The training will be implemented and evaluated in three large organizations using a multilevel randomized controlled trial (Aim 2). Contextual and organizational factors will be examined using both data collected during the trial and key informant interviews with an additional sample of Midwestern employers varying by industry and organizational size (Aim 3). Study outputs will include results of the trial showing effects of the intervention on the well-being of remote workers in the study population, and data from a broader group of employers that will guide future work to revise (if needed), translate, and disseminate the training intervention across job levels, categories, and occupations to positively impact the well-being of supervisors and remote workers.