Opening the third year with COVID: test for resilience, experimentation, and authenticity

Elliot Vaughn: We have now reached the milestone of two years of living and working through the pandemic. It has been an extraordinary time, with many employees working away from their normal workplace for long periods of time. What are the key lessons organisations have learnt? ?

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Christin Owings: It can be easy to be a bit pessimistic about how the world of work has developed over the last two years. The Economist recently asked: “Is hybrid work the worst of both worlds?”

I would rather have “a glass half-full” than “a glass half empty” perspective. ?

Nick South: Companies and organisations have developed an outstanding level of resilience. Offices, factories, and hospitals maintained their operations in times of unrivalled uncertainty. We saw a myriad of new kinds of “jobs” developed, almost overnight as teams viewed work through the lens of “how to get things done.” Companies deployed digital tools to an extent unlike ever before. ?

More attention is now being paid to organizational purpose, culture, and the role of leaders. As many employees were required to stay at home, good relationships with colleagues at the workplace were not enough to keep employees feeling connected and engaged. Leaders had to face questions about their organisation’s purpose, about the deeper sense of what organisations are doing for the community and the broader society and how they want to achieve it. ?

Christin Owings: We have for a while been talking about authenticity in leaders and the last two years have given many leaders the opportunity to connect with their teams on a deeper level.? Sitting at in their home, surrounded by all the unexpected noises and behaviors of their children and pets, many have learnt how to be more human and bring a more “authentic self” to work.?

Furthermore, we see that mental health has become a much more openly discussed topic. Burnout and anxiety are not new issues but until COVID very few dared to talk openly and honestly about these challenges.?

Finally, there was a big wakeup call about the burden caregivers were and are carrying, particularly women. As schools went in lockdown, children stayed at home for weeks and as society we have been confronted by how unequal household duties are distributed. As we re-emerge out of the pandemic, being aware of the challenges this poses especially when considering hybrid working models will be especially important to not lose years of progress on gender diversity. ?

Elliot Vaughn: Many things today appear as if we are heading back to normal – people are travelling more, meeting in person, planning social gatherings, public transport and airports are getting busier. Are there any elements of the COVID era that are here to stay???

Nick South: Many workers have never stopped coming into the workplace – for example into the factories, shops, hospitals or care homes where they work. Others are coming back into the workplace much more. But one thing is clear: we will not be returning to the days when all employees are back in the workplace five days a week. Employees have made clear that they are looking for a greater level of flexibility in how they work, and companies are working hard to establish working models that keep their organisations productive and effective while responding to this aspiration.? This is a revolution in working practices that no one could have imagined happening at this pace just over two years ago. More flexible, hybrid working, in one form or another, is here to stay. ?

Christin Owings: The one-size-fits-all model of working is gone. Employees with families want flexibility not only in where, but also when they work. Some people work well in the morning, others in the evening. Employees are eager to structure their work around their lifestyle. Young graduates want to come to the office, as they are building their professional and social connections and are eager to learn from those around them. Managers need to negotiate the new model that fits everyone: what will be the team norms? When will be the days that the team comes together in the workplace? How will the team make things work effectively on the days when people are in various locations???

Nick South: Meanwhile, the great resignation is a tough new reality for many organisations. Employers everywhere are wrestling with the challenge of attracting and retaining the talent they need. They have to think in creative new ways about the value proposition for their people – what makes them a great organisation to join and stay – thinking about purpose and culture, personal growth and career opportunities, reward, and recognition, all at the same time.?

Our recent research shows that 63% of UK knowledge workers are open to considering other positions in the next year and 21% are even likely to look for a new role today. This trend, which extends across the labour force, is taking a major toll on any sector that is suffering from staff shortages. In the last quarter of 2021, there were 206,000 vacancies in Health and Social Work in the UK. Manufacturing and retail had approximately 95,000 unfilled positions each and there were another 56,000 vacant roles in Transportation. These are big challenges.??

Elliot Vaughn: COVID has been the time of super-charged digitisation. All industries and organisations are now desperate to attract digital talent. What can organisations do to address this challenge? ?

Nick South: Digitisation was well underway for many organisations pre-pandemic, but COVID has significantly accelerated this as a priority. It is now critical for the majority of businesses. This has driven the demand for highly skilled digital talent, which has become a very scarce asset. For business it has become a constant struggle: "How to win the battle for digital skills?" ?

Christin Owings: Here are a couple of thoughts. For digitally skilled employees flexibility is a must. They prioritize flexibility above benefits or learning opportunities. Second, be prepared to 'put your money where your mouth is', by offering loyalty incentives: for example, paying back student loans or offering a sign-on bonus. Third, make it easier for people to step into new roles by providing development opportunities as well as new career paths. One of the multinational players has created a marketplace to bring transparency around new opening roles and development opportunities. And last, fighting for digital talent in a limited pool of existing people will not solve the problem.

Companies need to take a step further and develop their employees with skills they need. They need to improve their capability to upskill and reskill people on a much larger scale to help society deal with the talent shortages we see across sectors.??

Elliot Vaughn: COVID has also been a test for leadership. What have we learnt as leaders? ?

Christin Owings: Leaders have been pushed well outside of their comfort zones through the pandemic and have had to re-calibrate their priorities and traditional ways of leading.??

Nick South: They were faced with new challenges in three phases.?

Phase 1. In the early days of lock-down empathy was absolutely key. Leaders were tested to see if they could pick up a phone and call their people to check how they were doing. It was not easy for many leaders. It meant everyone getting closer to each other’s personal lives and getting more familiar with the challenges their colleagues faced – challenges that had often been hidden from view before, for example specific care-giving responsibilities. ?

Phase 2: As lockdowns were eased and vaccines were developed, experimentation became more important. Teams had to re-invent how they worked. No-one knew what this new model should look like; no-one had “the answer.” Leaders had to provide a sense of direction but in a spirit of experimentation, learning and adaptation. They had to encourage teams to look for practical solutions, build on what worked and appreciate failure as an important way to learn and progress. ?

Phase 3: As we have moved into the new reality of post-Covid working, a new style of more generative leadership has become critical. In this new environment leaders need to be more focused on articulating a vision that serves all stakeholders and takes sustainability and the role in society into account. The leader’s role shifts towards focusing on inspiring and enriching human experience through purpose, coaching and care and to create super-charged teams that execute and innovate.?

We are curious to hear what learnings your organisation has collected during the pandemic. If you would like to share, please write a comment.

About authors: Elliot Vaughn is a Senior Partner in Boston Consulting Group specializing in healthcare and social impact. Elliot serves as People Chair for London, Amsterdam and Brussels, member of leadership team of Pride@BCG. Christin Owings is a Partner in BCG, core member of People & Organisation Practice leading Change Management topic for Western Europe. Christin co-leads Women@BCG program in London, Amsterdam, and Brussels. Nick South is a Partner and Managing Director in BCG, leading the People and Organisation team in London, Amsterdam and Brussels.