Remote Work Reshapes Sales Management: Key Lessons for Moroccan Leaders

More than 30% of Moroccan managers already work remotely, according to a study by Jobsquare.ma published in May 2026. French sales professionals, meanwhile, favor hybrid work but are seeing their team culture erode. This shared reality requires Moroccan managers to adapt urgently. Here’s a closer look at four key takeaways from the Michael Page study for Moroccan sales managers.

The Michael Page study entitled “Sales Functions: How to Combine Performance and Flexibility” dispels a persistent misconception. For a long time, it was assumed that salespeople, by nature field-oriented, resisted remote work. The figures tell a different story. In France, half of them report being more productive remotely than in the office. Eight out of ten feel they have the freedom to work remotely whenever they want. However, these results are not directly applicable to Morocco.

The French market is more mature in terms of digital infrastructure, and its managers already have several years of experience with hybrid work arrangements. But they offer a valuable perspective. Because in Morocco, teleworking is progressing rapidly, particularly in sales roles, without management practices always having had time to adapt.

According to a study by Jobsquare.ma published in May 2026, between 30% and 35% of managers in Morocco already work remotely, either fully or hybrid. Nearly half of developers and tech professionals are affected, and the number of Moroccans working for foreign companies from within the Kingdom is estimated at around 80,000. The growth of remote work has exceeded 150% since 2020. These figures naturally include a large number of sales professionals. Thus, the phenomenon is no longer an emerging trend; it is an established reality.

Yet, few Moroccan companies have formalized a teleworking policy for their sales teams. Many still operate on intuition, individual tolerance, or, conversely, a principled distrust. As a result, best practices fail to spread, inequalities widen between teams, and the issue becomes a source of tension rather than performance.

Key takeaway: stop pitting in-person against remote work

The French study shows that salespeople naturally divide their tasks according to their work location. Reporting, preparing proposals, and a large part of prospecting are done remotely. However, discovery meetings and negotiations remain overwhelmingly in-person. This complementarity is not imposed; it is chosen.

In Morocco, this approach faces two cultural obstacles. The first is managerial mistrust. Many sales managers still equate being physically present in the office with professional seriousness. A salesperson who works remotely two days a week may be perceived as less committed. The second obstacle is ingrained work habits. Many Moroccan salespeople learned their trade on the job, shadowing a senior colleague and sharing sales routes. The shift to a hybrid model can make them feel like they are losing a structuring ritual.

However, the Michael Page study suggests a reversal of this perspective. It’s not the location that determines efficiency, but rather the suitability of the task to the environment. A Moroccan manager who insists on in-person work at all costs risks losing productivity, not gaining it. He exposes his sales team to unnecessary travel, downtime, and cumulative fatigue that has no positive impact on revenue.

Conversely, those who clearly distinguish between remote work and work requiring physical presence can both lighten their teams’ workloads and focus their energy where it truly matters. Data from Jobsquare.ma confirms that remote work is structurally established. More than a third of managers use it, and growth has exceeded 150% since 2020. Advocating for a fully in-office approach risks losing top talent to more flexible organizations.

Second key finding: Team culture is the weak point of remote work

This is the clearest warning sign from the French survey. A quarter of salespeople believe that team culture has weakened with hybrid work. Managers are even more critical: 28% of them perceive this weakening. What is deteriorating is not the processes, the reporting, or individual performance. It’s the informal aspects: spontaneous exchanges, private conversations, and small rituals. For a sales manager in Morocco, this fragility is all the more concerning given that the relationship of trust between colleagues is often more personal.

The Jobsquare.ma study lists social and professional isolation as the primary drawback of remote work, followed by the difficulty of separating work and personal life, and the risk of burnout. These dangers are amplified in sales roles, where collective emulation and the sharing of field information are key drivers of performance.

The Michael Page study doesn’t suggest eliminating remote work altogether. It recommends actively compensating for these losses. This requires a managerial investment that many underestimate. The hybrid manager can no longer simply lead a weekly meeting and check the numbers. They must deliberately create spaces for informal exchange, even remotely, and above all, preserve quality in-person interactions: team days where everyone has lunch together, where they take the time to share stories.

For Moroccan managers, this means accepting that not all in-person time has to be strictly productive. A half-day without an agenda, a team meal—these aren’t gifts, but tools for team cohesion.

Third lesson: managers must become coaches, not controllers

In France, managers still struggle to assess remote performance. The study shows that 35% of them differentiate the effectiveness of their sales representatives based on their working method, and only 14% consider their teams more effective when working remotely. This ambiguity creates discomfort. In Morocco, the risk is even greater because sales management has long relied on visual control. Seeing one’s team, running into sales representatives at the office, and questioning them unexpectedly were common practices.

Remotely, these automatic processes no longer work. And the temptation is strong to replace them with monitoring tools (activity tracking software, mandatory connections at fixed times). These methods, rarely acknowledged, ultimately destroy trust. The study emphasizes the necessary shift from a supervisory role to a coaching role.

In practical terms, this means regular one-on-one meetings, at least weekly, conversations focused on listening rather than inspection, and particular attention to those who are more reserved and might become isolated. For Moroccan managers, this transition requires training or at least self-training. Coaching skills don’t appear out of thin air. The key is to understand that remote management isn’t simply a matter of adapting technical skills. It’s a shift in mindset.

Fourth key finding: material conditions are not secondary

The Michael Page study reminds us that one in four salespeople in France considers their remote work environment inadequate. Quiet, ergonomics, connectivity—everything is not perfect, even in a country with good equipment. In Morocco, this figure could be even higher. The Jobsquare.ma study highlights that remote workers are heavily concentrated in major cities: Casablanca accounts for 45%, Rabat 15%, Tangier 10%, and Marrakech 8%, with Agadir, Fez, Meknes, and Oujda showing growth.

This geographical distribution reflects inequalities in infrastructure. Not all homes have a quiet office, a stable fiber optic connection, or sufficient lighting for extended video conferences. A Moroccan manager who encourages remote work without ensuring these minimum conditions exposes their teams to fatigue, frustration, and ultimately, decreased efficiency. Before implementing a hybrid policy, it is therefore necessary to conduct an assessment. Each salesperson should be surveyed about their working conditions at home. Modest but targeted support (a voucher for a chair, a contribution towards internet service, the loan of a second monitor) is far from a mere gimmick. These are performance drivers.

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(Featured image by Windows via Unsplash)

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First published in LES ECO.ma. A third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

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