Business with Soul

A one minute read with impact, this short blog is for any leader who’s concerned about bringing people back to the workplace, rebuilding culture and showing care.

Isolation. It’s gone on and on and those who weren’t previously accustomed to working at home, and even some who were, are increasingly feeling the strain. So many people are saying ”I was OK the first time and now I’ve had enough.” People are suffering from anxiety, anger and, in some cases, despair. According to this article from HBR, what they may be feeling is grief. Grief for what might have been and for lost opportunities. Many of these emotions have been amplified by distance. People are concerned about the return to work and being expected to return to ‘normal’. Employers must understand and empathise with the emotional states of their employees, helping them through this grief and ensuring the workplace is somewhere people want to return to; where they can feel safe and cared for.

On the one hand you have PwC advocating flexibility and hybrid working; and on the other, there’s Goldman Sachs CEO castigating home working as “an aberration”. Whatever your standpoint, the important thing is to make the return to work as seamless and painless as possible.

Five things employers can do:

1. Culture: Make sure this is clearly defined, fit for purpose post-pandemic and embedded. For the how, here’s a link to our free toolkit
2. Paint a picture of the future: Remind people of your purpose and how you’re all going to work together to help rebuild the economy. This is a great time to get people involved in planning, especially redefining the contribution they’re going to be able to make.
3. Reflect: Encourage your teams to review how things were working before the crisis, what’s changed since and what they should stop, start and continue doing as they go forward.
4. Communicate: Be open and inclusive, ensuring there are regular updates and get togethers. Recalibrate and reiterate your expectations – now is the time for absolute clarity. Be aware that people have had a lot of time to reflect and may have recalibrated their own aspirations. Back to business check ins are a great idea. And tools such as Donut and Talent Toolbox can be a big help.
5. Support: However challenging the past year’s been for you, the chances are that many of your people have had a far worse deal. Talk to them to see if there’s anything you can do to make things easier. Make sure everyone knows you’re in a position to provide support, emotional or otherwise. Consider using a wellbeing assessment tool such as Wellbee rather than inundating people with tick-box solutions. Sometimes it’s just about knowing someone cares and is there for them…