Back to Work after the Covid-19 Virus

I’ve been contemplating what things will be like when it’s safe to get back to work. The Covid-19 virus will eventually pass. It may be four months from now or even a year away. No one really knows.

But in time, those who were asked or forced to work from home will go back to their place of work and face a “new normal.” Things will be different. What we see and hear on the news every day is reshaping how we think about things. We will view things a bit differently, our work, our families, our physical, financial, and emotional well-being.

Many will be unsure if it’s safe to be closer than 6 feet from someone, wonder if the disease has truly subsided. Most of us will want to reconnect with our friends and will be saddened to learn about those who won’t return. There will be a period of readjustment and acceptance of the new reality that work has become. Things will be different. Things will have changed.

I’m a guy who’s been helping organizations deal with change for over 40 years. I know it will take a while for people to become fully productive. There will be much discussion and probably emotional reactions as we adjust. There will be those who start working in earnest to get their minds off the pandemic. Others will need time to grieve the loss of loved ones and find meaning in work, again. Reactions will vary.

Here are my thoughts on how to reinvigorate a workforce after the coronavirus abates.

Allow time to adjust. More than likely, profits will have dipped, and the desire to be profitable again will be uppermost in the minds of leaders. Profitability will happen, but it may not be an overnight event. Allow a bit of time for people to get back in the groove.

Help people feel safe. Let people know what’s been done to sanitize the environment. Provide personal sanitizing kits at workstations. Keep work areas exceptionally clean (let employees see cleaning staff do their jobs). Make first-aid kits more visible and include items for coughs and colds.

Combine online meetings with in-person meetings. Working from home has made people more comfortable with programs like Zoom and Skype. Utilize them occasionally so people can meet from their workstations rather than in cramped conference rooms.

Look for and acknowledge small steps in positive directions. Success builds on success, and it starts small. There will be large successes, but maybe not right off the bat. Let people know that things are getting back on track by sharing progress wherever it can be found.

Be empathetic and optimistic. People take clues about how things are from the behaviors and attitudes of their leaders. When they return, they are going to be looking to the organization’s leaders. What are they doing, what are they saying, how are they reacting? Does it seem like they understand how people feel, and are those feelings being taken into consideration? When we go back to our workplace, the behaviors and attitudes of leaders will be the determinants of how well the workforce adjusts.

There are other actions employees and team leaders can take. I will discuss them in my next article. In the interim, please let me know your ideas about the roles leaders should consider when this terrible disease has run its course.