The Top 5 Things Employers Learned in 2020

Let me be remarkably un-innovative and say, like everyone else has said or will say, that 2020 will be a year that not many people will forget. As we head into 2021, with high levels of uncertainty globally around pandemic management and mismanagement, it is worth reflecting on what employers should take away from this most extraordinary of years.

1. The World is not that Big

Employers (and organisations) around the world tend to think they have a certain level of uniqueness. It is not always that this uniqueness is seen by them as a positive. Indeed, for much of the time it is seen in the context of a particular set of peculiar norms applying in that country (or state or province) alone.

Nearly one year into the pandemic, we have come to appreciate that there have been some very common features to working globally and how the pandemic has changed that work. As a participant in a significant number of international conferences and panel discussions this year (held virtually, of course) I was amazed at the commonality of language and challenge faced by employers. Whether it was working-from-home, dealing with Government financial support schemes, risks to business continuity or any number of other things, we realised that wherever we are might not be that special or unique. The fact that people from Sao Paulo to Mumbai to Lagos all understood the notion of “lockdown” in some ways has summed up the year.

2. We have less Control than we Think

Coming in to 2020, many employers could have been forgiven for thinking that they could control much of their own environments and destiny. Indeed, within their own “kingdoms” (those of you reading this who have participated in one of my people management workshops will recall my popular “kingdom analogy”) an employer had every right to take control and set the rules.

We have realised in 2020 that it does not matter how clear we are or might be about our business strategy or direction, or anything else for that matter.

The power of our Governments to influence what we do and how we do it remains very high.

Nowhere was this seen more than in jurisdictions where employers were prohibited from having their people work from their usual place of work, while expecting that the employers would have to pay those people the same level of compensation and remuneration.

3. People Challenges just keep rolling on

I am not aware of a single client (Australian or international) who has said to me that they have had less people issues or challenges to deal with in 2020 than they have had in previous years. As an employment lawyer and strategists I have had the busiest year of my professional career. You may say: why would that not be the case … it is not as though people are not still working?

However, would it not stand to reason that if people have less contact and exposure to their co-workers (and perhaps to their leaders or managers) and less to worry about when it comes to travel time or the “hassle” of having to get up each day and go to work, that some pressure(s) for those people would be taken away? Would there not be less bullying or harassment or cause for grievance? This has most certainly been far from the case.

I do not think that the majority of employees go out of their way to be difficult for their employers. I do think that the matters that employees present to their employers as needing attention are triggered by more and differing catalysts as time goes on.

4. We can Work from Anywhere … well, sort of

There is certainly a “brand” of organisation that exists out there that seems to have a 24/7 EVP marketing machine. These organisations (prolific in a particular sector and, yes, you know which sector) are always extolling the virtues of the manner in which they have embraced flexible working and created new and exciting relationship-building opportunities for their people. These organisations were the first to come out and embrace in spiritual quantities how they have seen the light of alternative working.

Perhaps the best thing I can say about this is to use the words of King George in Lin-Manuel Miranda's wonderful musical Hamilton:

“Awesome. Wow.

Do you have a clue what happens now?”

There are tales at the extremes when it comes to the impact of the agility that was necessitated by this year. Naturally, for some people it presented an opportunity for them to thrive. Their health, diet, connection with family members were all things that they realised have been hit as they have dutifully exercised on the treadmill that is a professional life.

But for others (and I would say most), this simply cannot continue in a sustainable manner.

Hybrids and fusions may be great for motor vehicle engines and cuisine, but less so for work and non-work life.

Employers can and should look at saving on their rent costs if they can and if there is a chance for win-win outcomes when it comes to this employers would be foolish not to explore. So long as this is eyes wide open, the pain points will be minimal.

5. Our Identity as an Employer is Fragile

The question has had to be asked: if I do not go to my place of work, if I do not spend time with people I “work with”, if I do not have any touchpoints with the trappings of being employed by my employer … what does my employer even mean to me?

Perhaps even more significantly, for those employees who think that working from home has enlightened them that they can do anything from anywhere, why will those individuals feel a need to be constrained by an employment relationship.

Employers have resorted to extreme measures to force relevance on their employees. We have “zoomified” people’s work lives to a point where the humble phone call is seen as hopelessly inadequate.

How employers will recover from this onslaught to their identity will be perhaps the biggest challenge for the first part of 2021.

I will be hosting a webinar to kick off the People + Culture Strategies calendar of events on 17 February 2021 titled "The Learnings from COVID-19 and the People Management Quadrants". Be sure to follow the People + Culture Strategies page on LinkedIn so you stay informed of this and other workshops/seminars.