Thank You & Farewell, 2020!

As we close the doors on one of the most challenging years in the last century… I’ve been thinking about what positive changes have come into our lives courtesy of 2020. Despite its challenges, 2020 also provided some incredible gifts… here’s just a few that have impacted us in 2020:

Gift #1: The Death of Micromanagement

In March, corporate America had to dispatch every single employee to work from home wherever it was humanly possible to do so and still complete their work. The outcome? Productivity remained the same or increased with a corresponding increase in employee engagement (see "Study Finds Productivity Not Deterred by Shift to Remote Work", Maurer, SHRM). On another note, companies began to tap into significant commercial real estate savings by making permanent changes to their remote and flex work policies. Flex and remote work are not only better for employees; they are great for the bottom line - everyone wins!

The underlying assumption that employees will waste time and be less productive without direct, in-person supervision is forever dead in 2020.

As with most gifts, this one also comes along with a warning label.

Gift: Remote & Flex Work is here to stay.

Warning Label: With increased working hours and Productivity, burnout risk is at an all-time high - employers must watch this closely and deploy policies to ensure employees can truly “unplug, unwind & recharge” regularly.

Gift #2: The Death Employee Invisibility

Thanks to the universal use of collaboration technologies like Zoom, Teams, and WebEx, meetings have been transformed forever. Using Teams as an example (where I spend most of my time), we can all turn on video - every meeting participant, every team member is quite literally “in your face.” This technology has a democratizing effect on meetings - I’m viewing the expressions on every face and oddly paying more attention to them than I might have in person. No one can “disappear into the crowd” anymore. 

I know some of you may be thinking, sure - that’s great “when and if” everyone turns video on, and yes - it works best with video. That said, most of these platforms will highlight/spark any meeting participant that emits any sound at all, and the tech is sensitive enough to pick up a sigh, a breath, or an “um.” Making it a habit to pay close attention to these “digital sparks” even when a speaker doesn’t speak up and using it as an indication that someone wants to speak has transformed my team meetings.

While it requires us to pay attention to new cues, “employee invisibility” is significantly disrupted using these technologies.

Gift: Employee Visibility

Warning Label: Beware of “Zoom Fatigue”... while encouraging the use of video is excellent, employers need to balance this with the need at times for folks to take additional breaks, especially on long meetings.

Gift #3: Death of Work/Life Balance 

The mirage of Work/Life Balance has haunted me my entire career -this concept that somehow there exists an ideal balance between the time dedicated to “work” and the time devoted to “life” (a.k.a., self-care, spiritual, family, community and social life). Admittedly, this may be a western issue, as my travels pre-pandemic to other parts of the world seemed to indicate this way of life isn’t universal. Nevertheless, it has always been elusive. When I’m “at work,” I’m putting in 120% while managing the guilt of time away from life, and when I’m “at life,” I’m enjoying the quality time while managing the guilt related to any passing thoughts related to work.

In March, I found myself suddenly shifted into a Work from Home model. While adapting to that model, something interesting started to happen -the imaginary distance between my work and my life began to melt away. My daughter, my wife, and my 10-year-old boxer have made unexpected cameos in my work day. I’d get insightful questions from my family about my work, and my water cooler breaks became moments to inject/infuse family-time directly into my day. My mind shifted from grappling with “work/life balance” to embracing “work/life integration.”

These changes were not unique to me - I found all of my colleagues going through these changes. These candid moments created opportunities for me to “bring my whole self” to work and celebrate the “whole selves” of my colleagues and team members.

Gift: Work/Life Integration. 

Warning Label: Double down on Diversity & Inclusion initiatives to manage the unconscious biases that may surface as we learn more about our differences due to tighter Work/Life integration.

Gift #4: The Death of Apathy to Social Injustice  

Pictured: The George Floyd protests in Chicago in June, 2020 Courtesy: Chicago Tribune

In 2020, 8 minutes and 46 seconds transformed the conversation about diversity, equity & inclusion in the most dramatic way I have ever seen in my entire life. As we all bore witness to the senseless killing of George Floyd, righteous indignation rose from every corner of America. People of every background, nationality, and ethnicity stood up and demanded a substantive, systemic, and structural change with one voice.

What was most striking about this moment wasn’t the shocking lack of humanity - we have unfortunately borne witness to these injustices before. What made this moment stand out was how Corporate America responded with anti-racist statements of support and began to take action with changes in hiring policies, workplace practices, and corporate philanthropy to ensure Corporate America becomes more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. 

Gift: Corporate America leans into Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. 

Warning Label: Continuous accountability is critical from the front-line to corporate boards and shareholders to ensure we continue forward progress and realize DEI outcomes that are visible, measurable, and impactful.

Gift #5: The Death of FOMO (a.k.a. Fear of Missing Out)

Pictured: Award-winning DJ D-Nice spinning the hits from his home for Club Quarantine; Courtesy: Instagram

FOMO died in 2020… While the growth of social media pre-2020 allowed us to share special moments with our friends and family, these were mostly after the fact - photos and videos of events that had already taken place. There were still so many moments we missed the opportunity to participate, celebrate and share with our loved ones in real-time, like baby showers, parties, weddings, funerals, concerts, and of course, happy hour! 

Due to social-distancing, we all had to improvise to share these moments in real-time this year. Whether through FaceTime, Hangouts, Zoom, Teams, WebEx, Facebook, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, etc., we have all found ways to virtually deliver these experiences. 

Virtual Happy Hours: We’ve all celebrated virtual happy hours, and to my surprise, they’ve been a ton of fun! More intimate and personal in some ways than a regular in-person happy hour with the ability to easily share pics, videos, and music, the virtual happy hour is a great experience that is likely here to stay. As a plus, no one struggles to catch the bartender’s attention, and no one needs to Uber home once it’s over. 

Telemedicine: My mom and dad have impressed me with their ability to go digital. They both use emoji more frequently than I do, and at times, better than I do. Video calls have become the norm. They are using telemedicine to keep up with their doctor appointments - much to my relief, as coordinating transportation, juggling appointments, and hours sitting in the waiting room are items I’m happy to say goodbye to on their behalf.

Digital Classrooms: My 2nd grader’s gone digital as well - virtual school and virtual playdates with her friends primarily (I’m holding off on the cellphone as long as possible). While there’s a lot not to like here (i.e., isolation, lack of social interaction, increased screen time, etc.), I have to admit there have been some surprises from her going digital. From virtual playdates that last hours with minimal cleanup, creating her own digital art studio, or tighter integration with her digital classroom, going digital has definitely come with a few upsides.

Being Social Goes Digital: In 2020, we learned we could party together virtually (shout out to D-Nice, host of Club Quarantine), where everyday people could rub elbows with celebs (without a VIP rope line). We got to visit with our favorite artists in their homes while they played their best hits (thanks to the Verzuz series) and celebrate birthdays with friends and family, all without having to jump into a plane, train, or automobile. 

Never Miss a Moment: Of all of these special occasions, the most memorable and special one was my ability to attend my grandmother’s virtual memorial. She was laid to rest shortly after her 100th birthday. Although the services were in Montreal, Canada, I was able to virtually attend, share my memories, and celebrate her life with friends and family from all over the world, thanks to Zoom and YouTube. In some cases, some of our family members would not be able to attend without these technologies. It was incredible to virtually celebrate a life that spanned the time between the Spanish Influenza pandemic in the 1920s to the COVID 19 pandemic of 2020, spans three countries (Haiti, US, and Canada), and who’s legacy includes grandchildren and great-grandchildren who are leaders in education, healthcare, sports, and technology.

Pictured: A 2018 surprise visit with Grandma, my dad, my cousin and my siblings Patricia Eugene Pugh, Thomas Eugene, Jr, in honor of her 98th birthday. Rest in Power, Grandma Catherine.

Gift: Accelerating digital in everyday life means we never have to miss out on another memorable moment.

Warning Label: As we move into a post-pandemic world, we must keep these digital channels open to enable inclusive, hybrid experiences that marry the virtual world’s best capabilities with in person experiences to maximize engagement and value. 

There are a lot of things that were terrible about this year. There are parts of this past year I would rather forget. That said, I would be remiss if I didn’t admit that 2020 brought us some beautiful gifts as well.

Thank you & Farewell, 2020! Welcome, 2021 - Here’s hoping for more gifts and fewer challenges as we move forward!