After a swift and efficient transition to remote work, the arrival of vaccines and treatments is raising hope for an end of the crisis. It is time to look ahead to the new work environment we are going to return to and its challenges in terms of people management.
The lockdown has deeply affected the working conditions, management style, market and customers. Stuck between drastic sanitary obligations and new employees' expectations companies will return to a new "normal". Employees have changed and will be bringing new experiences and new expectations back into the workplace with them. There will be the people who have remained productive whilst at home and those who have maintained a healthy workplace. How can managers deal with new circumstances, what do they need to succeed in building a safe, productive and why not better team?
Winning the employees buy-in,
After a year of working apart, a gap has taken place between "offshorer" and "onshorer". Now it is time to start trying to mend the bonds. Not everyone is willing to come back and careful assessment of the team readiness is needed before organizing the move back. According to a 2020 Mc Kinsey Pulse Survey, 70% of workers said they would not be able to return to the office if asked by their employer, 51% of them citing fear of getting sick.
- To recreate the social link, it is necessary to attract employees back to the offices. The move will be all the smoother if presented as the step one of a well thought and designed extra safe plan. Ensure and communicate profusely on employee safety at the workspace. Safety is always the first and only priority when returning to work. Communicate profusely on all the new protocols implemented to convince employees of management absolute commitment toward their wellbeing and safety.
- Show appreciation to the team for the work performed in difficult time and circumstances. Recognize and reward good performers, provide support to the other.
- Allow transition to avoid unnecessary breakdown of the routines which have been established, do not cut abruptly from home practices.
Establish better relationships
- The pandemic has put the focus on the managers' role. It has forced them to become more accessible, flexible and agile. The deployment of these soft skills has been instrumental for the successful transition to working from home. They must remain the core of the new management style. Show empathy and understanding for individuals' situation. Benefits of offsite work are unevenly received, good for the most agile and autonomous employees it becomes a burden for those who need to be accompanied.
- The weight of personal situations is to be taken into consideration, especially for those whose family situation make remote work difficult. With the accrued flexibility, preservation of work life balance is an issue to be tackled to avoid burnout or disengagement. Emphasize the move towards an empathetic culture centered on employee wellness. Arvind Krishna IBM CEO highlights it in his Work-From-Home Pledge: "I pledge to be family first..."
- A strong internal communication network accessible to all is a good way to make sure that there is no unbalance withing the team. A solid intranet becomes a great tool to maintain or replace the social connectivity between the teams.
- A new definition of Company values, mission and culture, may offer new inspiration for the whole organisations, an opportunity to boost employees' engagement and initiate a new start.
To accept the new ways of working
We do not know what to-morrow's world of work will look like, but we know that it will be different from what it was before.
- New rules have emerged : The trust granted during the lockdown has transformed the vertical organization to an horizontal one where employees enjoy more autonomy, new individuals are empowered to make decisions.
- Physical Space: Reimagine workspaces around employees' experience. Use satisfaction surveys to design new offices matching employees and organizations needs. Remember that the dynamics in the office has changed and favor collaboration, openness and exchange.
The Covid 19 crisis has initiated an unprecedented cycle of transformation. There has been a strong drive to keep business running and sustain productivity, develop community and collaboration spirit. There is also a need to help staff to readapt, to appreciate successes as well as failures, to understand the feelings of being valued or undervalued. Social connectivity has weakened.
To rebuild the team, we need to support people to reconnect and to recognize the value of the experience of those around them. We must capitalize on the learning, reflect on the practices born with the crisis and create opportunities for discussion. Then organizations will be better prepared than they thought.
By Christine Etcheparre