What is your future workplace?
I was talking recently to a client about what a different place we’re in mentally following Covid-19. In March last year, we were in crisis mode; we were on a wild adrenaline rush, cortisol racing through our bodies, almost on a high, as we learnt to cope with the situation we’d suddenly found ourselves in. And there was a great sense of camaraderie as we worked together to find our feet in this new world of work.
By the third Lockdown, there was more exhaustion than adrenaline. People were so tired. Tired of staying home. Tired of Lockdown Rules. Tired of missing friends and family. Tired of being alone. Tired of working remotely.
That initial excitement of no commute, no travel, longer breakfasts, time to exercise - had been replaced by lethargy and a sense of feeling overwhelmed with it all. It has certainly been a very long and drawn out 18 months.
I’ve been thinking about the future workplace and the challenges we’re facing to continue to bring passion and energy, let alone maintain a sense of community, to a workplace. Talking to friends who are working from home, they’re missing companionship, and the shared creativity it brings. Zoom, Teams and Meets are great, but you can’t share a page of A3 and scribble ideas together, heads bent over dirty coffee cups, feeding off the energy in a real-life room. Workplace friendships are far harder to develop remotely too. New team members aren’t getting to meet their boss or their peers, unable to benefit from the learning that comes through osmosis, from being present with someone who has more or different experiences to you.
Of course, it goes without saying, there are (and always will be) perks to working from home. We’re lucky in my home that we have amazing coffee. I get to have lunch everyday with my whole family. I can walk the dog, or do the washing around my working day. And if I have brain malfunction (often), I can go for a run. But these perks aren’t new; we’ve always known that some remote working can really benefit productivity.
I miss people and I have huge concerns about the impact of full time remote working on business creativity and growth. As an internal communicator, I worry about whether we’re really getting to the heart of what people are feeling and thinking because we’re not physically present with them, at least some of the time.
So what will become of our workplace? How will we begin to connect again?
I’m slightly conflicted. What surely matters is that work gets completed. That productivity and employee happiness are put first (and are hopefully sky high). That leaders trust their teams to get shit done. It doesn’t matter where you are - on a beach, in an office, wearing your PJs - as long as you give of your best, surely?
I think we have a rocky road ahead. So much has changed, for companies, but also people personally. So many have lost loved ones, been touched in some way, both positively and negatively, by Covid-19. People are carrying their own emotional trauma of the last year (and more). The traditional workplace, as we know it, has changed forever.
Developing stronger workplaces, encouraging greatness
It’s my opinion that the last 18 months have given us a big opportunity (and one I hope we never have again). An opportunity to develop stronger workplaces - places with trust, kindness, care and a sense of togetherness and belonging in abundance. But don’t assume that what you want in a workplace is what your peers want. It’s important to find out exactly what works for you in this new world of work. Collectively agreeing what works for individuals and companies, regardless of location, and providing a framework to encourage engagement and productivity. And if that’s a combination of the home and office environment - that’s fine.
Go out and find the best way to encourage greatness and that sense of camaraderie in your business. It might be just the shake up your business needs right now.
