CORONA- Work, life & beyond

The recent developments (COVID19) have forced organizations, society, local community, governments and citizens to make some serious changes to their work and personal life.

Personal hygiene and space, coughing etiquette, working from home, communicating effectively over phone/ video calls / emails and many other such measures are suddenly getting more importance than before.

It is obvious that many of us may not be in familiar territory. The changes that we are being asked to make will challenge us in ways that we did not anticipate. This is not just about wearing a mask or working from home or reduced eating out!  Its about a whole new way of living and working.

 “Work-life balance”, “flexibility of work and related commute” , “Future of work” etc. were the most discussed topic at events and conferences; but who (not even WHO ??!) anticipated that the “Future of work” included this most recent challenge! – a virus apart from the robots !

As I speak with several of my clients, friends and colleagues some interesting themes are beginning to emerge. Sharing some of these for your reading and feedback.

Remote working – Sometimes loosely referred to as “Work from home”, this will take on a whole new meaning. What started as a flexibility option will surely move to becoming a strategic choice. It has great benefits – less time spent on commute, less crowding of public transport, less traffic etc. But with this flexibility also comes some related challenges.

Not everyone’s homes are designed to support “working” from there; think Internet bandwidth, “domestic” sounds, lighting, working-seating etc. Families are not yet prepared to deal with this. Self, kids, spouses, siblings, parents and pets will need some practice and understanding before this starts to work seamlessly. Employers will have to chip in here – with encouragement, support, communication, patience and TRUST

Trust – This ‘word’ and what it stands for will be tested a lot in these times. Between Government and businesses/citizens, between patient and doctor, between colleagues, between neighbors, between providers and clients and between manager & individuals. Such individuals, Institutions and governments that can communicate with compassion, clarity and commitment will tide over any crisis (including corona).

Meetings – I read somewhere - any meeting without food is worth only an email or a phone call ??. And I loved it! I am a complete foodie myself. Guess what, my belief in this has only gone up several notches.

During the last week, I have been on calls – both audio and video with clients and for internal meetings. Well as a consultant this is not new to me. But none were less effective than what they needed to be. Even those who are experiencing this for the first time; don’t panic – you will be just fine. What we do need to bear in mind – there are certain kind of jobs which will not be able to adapt to this form of working and also IT and other infra will be a critical factor in your experience.

Engagement – For long employee engagement was a hot topic, before it moved to “employee experience” as being the more over-arching concept. Yet another topic that was a favorite at seminars!

In these trying times, when several of us maybe going through a range of emotions due to fear, nervousness, personal health issues, loneliness etc , engagement will probably take on a whole new meaning. Such managers who can skillfully communicate with each individual and keep-up the morale of their teams will be much in demand. Managers will need to connect to the ‘human’ they have been managing and not the ‘resource’. The ‘quality of work’ on offer will be at the center how engaged you can keep the person. Employers will have less tokenism to offer. Another aspect of this ‘new’ engagement with more remote working will be families of our employees. Is there a new opportunity?

Well being – Employee well being has continued to evolve through the years. From being very limited in its approach to providing health/medical insurance to being more holistic. In the aftermath of the COVID19, we will probably see how intertwined things are – well being at all levels – physical, financial, emotional & spiritual. Lines between what is work related and what is personal will continue to blur. Governments support , hospitals , offices , public infra and even homes of the future will take into account possibility of similar outbreaks and how to respond to such situations

Humour – We are faced with a crisis of unprecedented proportions and dimensions for many economies, governments, societies, families and homes. But I firmly believe that we will emerge out of this, wiser and probably with more stories to tell. Stories of how our fears and anxieties may have led us to do silly things and also sometimes more somber ones.

Whatever be the case, lets not let the humor slip out of our lives even in this situation. Let’s find reason to laugh ‘with’ our friends, families and colleagues. Surely our surroundings or Netflix or Amazon will provide!

Finally, I leave you with 5 questions –

1. How are you feeling about this change?

2. How are you dealing with this? What changes have you made to your work and personal lifestyle?

3. How is your family dealing with this?

4. Are you happy doing what you are doing, even though it’s been forced upon you?

5. Once our surroundings were safer and the virus threat had gone away, would you want to continue working/living in this new way?

I would love to hear your stories.

Of change, of Trust , of funny meetings or anything else that you may want to share. Stay Safe . Stay healthy.