Work from home (WFH) is now firmly established as the new normal and general employee preference.
Indeed, a 2023 FlexJobs survey shows that 95 percent of US employees would like to work from home "in some form".
Most want to go fully remote (65 percent), while 34 percent would prefer a hybrid work arrangement.
Yet, for many, the opportunity to switch to WFH is still relatively new, and there's a lot to get used to.
After all, feelings of isolation are commonplace despite the benefits of lower commute times and better work-life balance.
Social isolation is undoubtedly a powerful demotivator. Yet, these 21 work-from-home quotes may provide the ideal antidote to inspire managers to improve their teams' remote performance, engagement, and well-being.
1. "People are more productive working from home than people would have expected. Some people thought that everything was just going to fall apart, and it hasn’t." - Mark Zuckerberg, CEO, Meta Platforms Inc.
Remember that remote working can improve productivity and the model can still facilitate the employee-centric workplace.
2. "If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you." – Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple.
The purpose of an organization and the value of the task at hand is an excellent tool to inspire remote workforces.
3. "We like to give people the freedom to work where they want, safe in the knowledge that they have the drive and expertise to perform excellently. Yours truly has never worked out of an office, and never will." — Richard Branson, Founder of the Virgin Group.
Keep in mind that several business leaders and decision-makers regularly worked from remote locations, even before the pandemic. There is no reason the same should not apply to an average employee.
4. "Keep a team chatroom open. There is nothing more important in a group remote project than casual communication. Not just official emails and work updates, but the ability to sit back and chat." – David Rabin, VP of Global Commercial Marketing, Lenovo.
This quote from David Rabin reminds us to value water cooler conversations, small talk, and other essential elements that reinforce interpersonal relationships in the workplace.
5. "We can handle real live difficulties, it is the imaginary ones that cannot be conquered." – James Borg, author of Mind Power.
Without external voices constantly reminding us about the real-world environment, it is easy to make mountains out of molehills when working from home. Try to proactively avoid this.
6. "One of the secret benefits of using remote workers is that the work itself becomes the yardstick to judge someone’s performance." – Jason Fried, founder of Basecamp.
This work-from-home quote reaffirms that the office experience was always supposed to be about the work, which is now increasingly the case in a remote environment.
7. "I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I’ll go to it laughing." – Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick.
Resilience is one of the key lessons to learn from this WFH period, and this quote tells us about the importance of humor and not taking oneself too seriously.
8. "Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else." —Judy Garland, American actress and singer.
WFH has greatly empowered each and every remote worker. Use this opportunity to demonstrate and augment individual strengths.
9. "To start building your remote culture, establish and share some basic rules. The first and most important rule is mutual trust between the company and its workers. The rules after that? As few as possible." – Larry English, author of Office Optional.
WFH employees must be confident that the organization has their best interests at heart. Additionally, organizations should aim to increase empowerment and be wary of micromanagement.
10. "Encourage all of our employees to have a disciplined schedule for when you will work, and when you will not, and to stick to that schedule." – Dan Springer, CEO of DocuSign.
Routines and discipline do not only apply to nine-to-five hours. Encourage employees to bring the same focus to schedules and safeguard wellbeing.