The Way We Were Is Not the Way We Are Now

I still remember the trepidation I felt at the end of my maternity leave. I was excited about the idea of returning to work, but nervous about going back. I’d changed. I was used to a new routine. And I didn’t want to go back to the same old same. I saw similar emotions with my children as they headed back to school this fall after being remote for so long. I hear it in my virtual coffee chats with colleagues, both in the U.S. and abroad. I hear it in the halls and riding the elevators as we navigate our new hybrid work model in many regions.

It doesn’t matter if you are back in the office already, preparing to come back or still working from home, there is a pervasive feeling of being…unsettled. We have gone through a lot over the past 18 months, and more change is ahead. This means we have to keep refreshing how we’re working as we go.

We can all relate to the relentless of the pandemic workday, but what I’m hearing now is that it is not simply the long hours taking a toll on our well-being. It is the density of the day. Bouncing from one Zoom to the next. Barely a minute to catch your breath. To reflect, digest, or prepare for what’s next. And for those of us who have returned to the office, the back-to-back calls and meetings that have become a feature of pandemic life make it a real challenge to take advantage of the benefits of actually being back in person with our colleagues.

While this is part of the anticipated challenges in our return-to-office transition, we are making some adjustments to our plans as we continue to assess our people’s needs around the world.

• The first is Take Time To Breathe Hour (or TTB Hour). We’re designating 12-1pm in local times globally as an hour free of calls and meetings. We want our people to use the hour to reflect on ideas, collaborate with others, get up and move around. Let’s get some spontaneity back!
• The second is cutting hour-long meetings back to 45 minutes so we can use the time in between to transition, check emails or knock something off our to-do lists.

It’s our hope that these changes will help us continue to prioritize our well-being, which translates to our clients, customers and the communities we serve. And for those of us back in the office, this gives us the chance to take advantage of the benefits of being together again.

The pandemic has opened our minds to new ways of working. We know there is enormous value in being together and we also know that the flexibility we have experienced is important and conducive to our go-forward success. Finding our rhythm in this new world of working will take time. But I am confident we will get there. We will be stronger, more agile and better suited to serve our clients, customers and colleagues as a result.?