The Importance of Reconnecting at Level 2
We have all been in Lockdown for 7 weeks – well, Level 3 was much the same as Level 4 for
many of us. We’ve only seen friends and colleagues through a computer screen or heard
their voices over the phone. We’ve existed under conditions never experienced in our
lifetime – in the history of our nation even. Some of us have thrived, some of us have
struggled, and most of us have done a bit of both. Now we’re moving back to a more normal
situation. Businesses have reopened and many employees and business owners who were
working from home are going back to their workplaces.
Many people are looking forward to a bit more normal in their lives. However, just as the
transition into lockdown was difficult, the transition back to normal-ish will also be
challenging for employees. There will be things people have been able to do or not do that
they will find hard to let go of. For example, a manager I know, who experiences social
anxiety, has loved working from home because she is able to completely control all social
interactions. As a result of this, her anxiety is greatly reduced and her productivity is higher.
Staff with children would have seen a lot more of them during Levels 4 and 3, and those who
have relished this will need to get by on much less contact with them again.
During this messy transition period, business leaders can speed up the settling-in process
and front-foot the inevitable teething problems by putting time aside for employees to
reconnect with each other. Taking time to discuss everyone’s experiences of lockdown,
wisdoms gained and lessons learned will go a long way to restoring a collegial, collaborative
team environment. Many employees will have gained valuable insights into how they work
best, their optimal working environment and how to proactively manage their wellbeing.
Unless there is a space to share these, the risk is the insights will be lost and not able to be
applied to the ‘new normal.’ People may also be reassessing their priorities and work-life
balance. As one meme that has been circulating on the web puts it: “In the rush to return to
normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to.” Leaders
who provide a space to talk about this and who really listen to what their people are saying
will be able to craft a working environment that enables all employees to thrive – and are
less likely to be surprised by a resignation.
There are more quantitative gains to be made too; Covid-19 has accelerated the digital
revolution and the flexi-work revolution, and there are no doubt many savings and
innovations that can be made permanent, having a positive impact on the bottom line. In a
recent New Zealand Herald readers’ poll, only 12% of respondents were keen to get back to
“the office;” 49% wanted to keep working from home and 39% said a mix of both would be
ideal. If 87% of employees don’t want to be in the office all the time, there are huge potential
savings in overheads.
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The Importance of Reconnecting at Level 2
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Drop the section here or anywhere else on the page...
We have all been in Lockdown for 7 weeks – well, Level 3 was much the same as Level 4 for
many of us. We’ve only seen friends and colleagues through a computer screen or heard
their voices over the phone. We’ve existed under conditions never experienced in our
lifetime – in the history of our nation even. Some of us have thrived, some of us have
struggled, and most of us have done a bit of both. Now we’re moving back to a more normal
situation. Businesses have reopened and many employees and business owners who were
working from home are going back to their workplaces.
Many people are looking forward to a bit more normal in their lives. However, just as the
transition into lockdown was difficult, the transition back to normal-ish will also be
challenging for employees. There will be things people have been able to do or not do that
they will find hard to let go of. For example, a manager I know, who experiences social
anxiety, has loved working from home because she is able to completely control all social
interactions. As a result of this, her anxiety is greatly reduced and her productivity is higher.
Staff with children would have seen a lot more of them during Levels 4 and 3, and those who
have relished this will need to get by on much less contact with them again.
During this messy transition period, business leaders can speed up the settling-in process
and front-foot the inevitable teething problems by putting time aside for employees to
reconnect with each other. Taking time to discuss everyone’s experiences of lockdown,
wisdoms gained and lessons learned will go a long way to restoring a collegial, collaborative
team environment. Many employees will have gained valuable insights into how they work
best, their optimal working environment and how to proactively manage their wellbeing.
Unless there is a space to share these, the risk is the insights will be lost and not able to be
applied to the ‘new normal.’ People may also be reassessing their priorities and work-life
balance. As one meme that has been circulating on the web puts it: “In the rush to return to
normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to.” Leaders
who provide a space to talk about this and who really listen to what their people are saying
will be able to craft a working environment that enables all employees to thrive – and are
less likely to be surprised by a resignation.
There are more quantitative gains to be made too; Covid-19 has accelerated the digital
revolution and the flexi-work revolution, and there are no doubt many savings and
innovations that can be made permanent, having a positive impact on the bottom line. In a
recent New Zealand Herald readers’ poll, only 12% of respondents were keen to get back to
“the office;” 49% wanted to keep working from home and 39% said a mix of both would be
ideal. If 87% of employees don’t want to be in the office all the time, there are huge potential
savings in overheads.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12331095
Now that virtual meetings have been normalised and people are far more comfortable with
the technology, there are also big savings to be made in time and travel expenses as well as
carbon emissions, by moving more meetings and seminars into the virtual space. As a
Learning and Development Consultant, I’ve had to step outside my comfort zone and run
workshops with clients using remote technology. In one recent team workshop I was
facilitating, one of the team members who had a community liaison role said she’d realised
she could now touch base with her stakeholders remotely and was planning on connecting
with more of them much more frequently in the future. An upcoming workshop that I was to
travel to Wellington for has been moved to Zoom, saving me a day’s travel.
Much change has been forced upon us by this momentous global event. Virtual meetings is
the most obvious example, but if leaders really listen to their people’s experiences, and ask
the questions, “What is no longer necessary?” and “What opportunities can we see that
weren’t obvious before?” the potential to craft a ‘new normal’ that is better for businesses,
employees and customers is boundless.