Returning to the office brings unexpected challenges
A client asked me if other managers are struggling with employee focus and accountability after the pandemic – or was it just her. She said it seems that workplace norms and expectations that were easily adhered to prior to the pandemic are now forgotten.
When I asked for an example, she said that the workplace flowed smoothly before the pandemic. People got to work on time, they maintained great boundaries between socializing and work time, and spent time consistently focused on work. Now it seems much of that has disintegrated. In her view, her employees don’t seem to have the same level of focus, drive, or attention that they had prior to the pandemic.
Stay in Curiosity
I had some thoughts of my own given all that I heard from other clients and read in articles, but I always hold my response until after I’ve asked some curious questions of my own.
My first question was focused on clarifying the generalization:
Me: “Is this all staff, or specific individuals?”
Her: “Hmm. Well, now that you ask, it is a few specific staff”.
Me: “How would you rate their focus, drive, and boundaries before the pandemic?”
Her: “You know what, the people who are top of mind for me right now, they did struggle with some of these things even prior to the shut down.”
As tempting as it is, you can’t blame everything on the pandemic. But you can take steps to improve your management skills to address those concerns.
That’s fascinating.
What I am noticing with many of the companies I work with is that some people who struggled with the 9-5 work container before the pandemic are struggling even more on the return to the office. In fact many of these people actually did better working from home.
I suspect it was because they could develop their own rhythm for getting work done. They could take breaks when they needed to recharge. And your focus as a manager most likely shifted from how much time they were in their seats to how much work they were actually producing. Upon reflection, some may notice there was less micromanaging of these individuals.
Additionally, we’ve all developed a new level of camaraderie with co-workers. It is the connection that comes from having persevered through something that was quite challenging. It creates a new level of intimacy and relationship.
People who didn’t have much in common in the pre-pandemic days now have a significant, shared experience. These kinds of experiences are often the foundation for new friendships. Even at work.
“So what can I do to kind of reel people back in?” she asked.
This question always makes me pause. I want to know what the client believes “reeling them in” would look like and why it feels important.
Sometimes I learn that it is because theirs is a service business with customer-facing work hours, so being fully present during certain hours is essential.
But many times the desire for the workplace to operate just as it did before the pandemic is more about the leaders comfort level than it is the work flow requirements.
Instead of trying to “get back to normal” or what you knew before, I’d like you to think about what it can look like when you create a new normal using parts of what worked before and what was learned from work during the pandemic.
Start with listening to your employees.
You’ll get more information directly from them than relying on your own assumptions. But it doesn’t mean that everything you hear has to be put into place.
Here’s 4 steps that you can take to start.
If you and your staff are struggling a bit with the return to work:
Pause for a minute and acknowledge what actually happened.
The work-from-home period lasted nearly two years. That is a significant amount of time in which we moved through discomfort, developed new habits, created new patterns of behavior, and built new neural pathways (ways of processing information, thinking about things and making decisions).
In other words, who we are as humans was changed by the experience. To assume that staff are going to snap back to former behaviors, like a rubber band will return to its original state after being stretched, is an incorrect assumption. To not discuss this as a group is to gloss over a significant and impactful event in our lives.
Be curious.
There were many lessons learned during the pandemic about how people get work done. Because of the isolation and reliance on self-management, most of that learning was done on the part of individuals outside the view of their bosses.
Now is the time to have curious conversations with your staff, to listen about what they learned about themselves and how they best work.
Don’t be afraid of this conversation. Just because you are curious and listen doesn’t mean you can put everything into place in the work environment. Listen without judgment, defensiveness or trying to fix things. First listen, then share your own learnings about yourself as well.
Look at the space between what was and what can be.
As you hear from individuals, you may learn about some adjustments that you actually can make that will improve not only work flow and achievement, but also job satisfaction. These adjustments may ultimately make your job of managing people easier!
A big factor in the “great resignation” is that individuals have uncovered what working conditions are most satisfying and they are choosing to go work where those conditions are possible. Often there are adjustments you can make that will move the needle enough for people to feel seen, heard, valued, and choose to stay.
Re-establish what is important in terms of behaviors and expectations.
There are some behavioral norms and expectations that must be in place for the organization to achieve its goals. Be clear on what those expectations are.
There may be some people for whom the struggle to return is too great. Or who really do want a different environment. It is okay to let those people move on. When you are open and clear, people can make choices.
The big benefit of this open approach is that you can have an honest dialogue about transition plans so that the needs of both organization and the individual are met.
There is no question that the return to work is bumpy.
People adjusted to new ways of working and relating to each other. And now they are being asked to change those patterns and habits again to accommodate the return to work.
With intentionality, openness, and curiosity, you can actually learn and grow as a manager and as an employee while easing the bumps along the way.