It’s happening. Workers are headed back into the office now that vaccinations are widely available and social distancing restrictions are loosening. For some, it means working in the office two or three days a week and working remotely the other days. For others, it’s a pivot back to the office full-time — along with putting on actual pants.
The pandemic has created a big shift in what employees expect from their leaders. Are you ready to meet their needs as you once again interact face-to-face?
Here are three things you must do if you are a leader:
First, lead with empathy and understand how your employees feel. A recent Harvard Business Review article put it best. “As companies have expanded the support they offer to their employees in areas like mental health and child care during the pandemic, the relationships between employees and their managers have started to shift to be more emotional and supportive. Workers now expect their managers to be part of their support system to help them improve their life experience, rather than just their employee experience.” That means as leaders we need to get comfortable having conversations on a personal level as well around work issues and deliverables.
Second, it’s a good idea to manage expectations for yourself and your team. A lot of routines and processes we used to rely on as part of our office culture are gone or need to be adjusted. People will have questions and you may not have answers. Be clear about what you know and don’t as a leader. Also, stay flexible and understand that each person on your team may have different challenges that need to be navigated during the transition and beyond. Be willing to negotiate workers’ schedules and their availability. If you don’t meet people where they are at, they will leave your organization.
Finally, define what success looks like with each team member and hold them accountable. I get frustrated when I hear someone ask, “How can I hold my team members accountable when I can’t see what they are doing every day?” I think to myself, “How did you hold people accountable before they started working from home?” If you can’t do it now, it means you probably weren’t doing it well before either.
It’s important to work with each employee and identify their key responsibilities, jointly agree upon what successful outcomes look like, and how you will measure success. Once those measurements are agreed upon, you can create shared dashboards or use project management software to provide visibility into projects and hold them accountable to these agreed upon standards.
If you lead with empathy and show concern for your employees, manage expectations, and define what success looks like, you will be able to address 99% of the issues that arise during this transition time back to the office. Good luck! I’ll be rooting for you.
Sources:
- “What Does it Mean to Be a Manager Today?” Harvard Business Review
- “How to Prepare Yourself for a Return to the Office” Harvard Business Review
- “14 Leaders Share Their Tips for Holding Remote Teams Accountable” Forbes