It's pandemic work, not "work from home"

I lost count of how many emails, chat discussions and social media posts I have seen lately about working from home: top tips for working from home, how to lead a virtual team, remote productivity and more. While all of these messages have been well intended, let me be clear: we are not working from home during a pandemic, we are working in a pandemic. Everyone is surrounded by, and gripped by, a pandemic - and they happen to be working at the same time.

Everyone is surrounded by, and gripped by, a pandemic - and they happen to be working at the same time.

Like many organizations this week, mine sent out the message that all employees who did not need to be on site should stay at home. As a manager and leader in my organization, I have been thinking a lot about what this means. I have read many comments from peers across the country who were excited that this surge of remote work would allow companies to see the value to employees and increased productivity. Pandemic work is unlikely to play out that way.

This is an extraordinary situation that changes with each day and hour, placing people under stress and unusual conditions. Everyone is concerned about their own health, as well as the health of loved ones – perhaps loved ones who are in high risk groups. They are concerned about resources and the potential for resource shortages, including shopping trips that become vast searches. Their younger children are at home from school needing attention, care and education. Their older children may be trying to find their way home from college early. They are wondering about the stability of their jobs and the resiliency of the companies where they work. They are uneasy and worried. The phrase of the day is no longer "work-life balance" it is "pandemic security." Do people feel secure in their health, their families, their resources and their jobs.

The phrase of the day is no longer "work-life balance" it is "pandemic security."

Many folks (in all types of roles) are being pulled into work from home for the first time and it’s going to be bumpy. Many aren’t prepared to work as a virtual team or to manage people from afar. Some will fit naturally into remote work and others will be uncomfortable. Some may have home environments that are not conducive to work. Many will miss direct interactions and the rituals of a workplace.

Lets not forget all of the people who are remaining in their on-site roles - most of this applies to them as well. They work in critical services like healthcare, law enforcement, utilities, grocery and supply chains. They hold on-site roles within organizations like facilities maintenance, security and cleaning services. Never before in my life have I had companies flood me with emails about the cleaning procedures of their facilities, but now I know exactly how often they disinfect surfaces.

What does that mean for us as leaders and managers? Empathy and compassion become our most critical skills. We must seek to understand how each team member is reacting to the situation. Formerly stoic people may be worried about aging parents. Those who were previously drifting may find new focus. What people needed on Jan 1, 2020 is not what they need today and we need to listen and adapt. Listening through social distance takes more intent and effort - you need to create opportunities to listen that may have occurred incidentally before.

Empathy and compassion become our most critical skills.

One of my close colleagues has a quote printed out in the office that I think about regularly: "Clear is kind, unclear is unkind." With so many mounting distractions and worries, work life needs to be clear. Remove uncertainties, clarify roles and responsibilities, focus on top priorities. Personal lives are enveloped in a situation we cannot control, but we can do our best to keep work lives from getting out of control. Ask people about their priorities and make yours clear.

In a ideal world, working from home can be shown to increase employee happiness and productivity, but we live in a pandemic right now. Our expectations will need to shift as people adjust to remote work and try to cope with current events. We should expect some timelines to extend and the need to abandon some work. Even those who are not sick may have many more burdens (both physical and mental) than they did just weeks ago. Reevaluate expectations and reallocate work as needed.

So what are the "top tips for working in a pandemic"? I'm certainly no expert and we are fortunate to be living in a period of time when we've had the need for very few experts on this topic. However, we have had many experts in this world on how to be good to each other and that applies as much today as it did on Jan 1.

Listen to each other.

Be thoughtful - consider what you have heard.

Be kind - put thoughtfulness into action.