Working in the Next Normal
I grew up in the Eighties, it was a colorful time of acid wash jeans, fluoro leg-ins, and unfortunate hairstyles. Like most young people music was a big part of my life and I loved my Walkman cassette player. If you are visualising a skinny kid in stretch jeans, a lemon polo t-shirt, blond tips, with a pair of headphones around his neck then you are pretty close. Unfortunately, all photos from that period of my life have mysteriously vanished!!
The very best Walkman’s had a feature that let you skip to the next track by pushing fast-forward and play at the same time. When you did this, you would hear a rather unpleasant screeching sound in earphones whilst the Walkman searched for the start of the next track, and then, like magic, the next song would start playing.
This time of lockdowns and coronavirus feels very similar. It is as though someone has pushed the fast-forward and play buttons at the same time and we are screeching into the future of work. It is a bit unpleasant, but soon enough we will arrive at the next track, at the Next Normal.
This Next Normal is not new news. Before the Corona Virus (BCV) the transformation of ways of working was already underway. Distributed and virtual working were rapidly increasing in popularity. Companies were starting to embrace flexible working practices such as working from home. Business cultures were shifting towards being more inclusive, supportive, and collaborative.
The fast pace of the change, brought about by CV, has meant that most of us have not yet fully comprehend the enormity of the change. I believe that this is the biggest shift in how we work in history, even bigger than the industrial revolution. In the industrial revolution work moved from the farm to the factory, today we are moving from the physical to the virtual. Who we are, how we connected to each other, how we build communities & workplaces and even our time-space reality is changing.
Who we are, how we connected to each other, how we build communities & workplaces and even our time-space reality is changing.
Time
When work is distributed, virtual, and digital how we experience time changes. We tend to think of time as a ticking hand on a clock, but clocks is just how we measure time. Time can also be thought of as the flow of information. And it is this flow of information, in particular new information, that influences our experience of time.
For the past 5 weeks I have been exclusively working from home and something weird has started to happen – my days have started to feel long, very long. Conversations I had only a few hours ago feel like they took place days ago. Workshops I participated in a few days ago feel like they took place last week. Time is stretching. Researchers in chronemics (the experience of time) are calling it Pandemic Time and it is all to do with the density of information.
One of my favorite places to work is the newly renovated State Library in Melbourne. It is a magnificent space with a central reading area surrounded by 3 stories of bookshelves. I go there to write and research but ironically, whilst at the library, I have never opened a book. That is because I can do several days of equivalent library research in just a couple of hours online.
Now that more of us are working virtually the amount of information that we are processing has exponentially increased. My home office has 4 screens, comprised of 2 computers and an iPad. This increase in information intensity and density is changing how we experience time.
Adaptation hacks
Things we can do to adapt to the new experience of time
· Avoid being ‘always on’. Take regular take time out during the day without devices.
· Nanna nap. Feeling tired in the afternoon? Your brain needs a break, a 20min power nap is a perfect reset
· Mix things up. We all have our own unique chronobiology which basically means that we are suited to different types of work at different times of day. For example, you might find it easier to concentrate early in the morning.
Additional reading
https://www.calnewport.com/blog/2017/02/24/the-rise-of-the-monk-mode-morning/
https://www.danpink.com/resource/nappuccino-a-scientific-5-step-guide-to-the-perfect-nap/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/digital-sabbath-20_b_5288740
https://qz.com/work/1839344/why-time-feels-fast-and-slow-during-a-pandemic-quarantine/
Books
Deep Work by Cal Newport
When by Dan Pink
Podcast/Video
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/eat-sleep-work-repeat/id1190000968?i=1000401257857
https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/eat-sleep-work-repeat/id1190000968?i=1000428593648
Space
The physical office serves many purposes but perhaps the most important is to provide a space for us to come together, to connect and co-create. To arrange a meeting in the physical office simply means booking a room and inviting attendees. The room usually comes pre-configured tools to support the meeting like whiteboards, projectors, butchers paper, etc.
Making space
When working virtually the responsibility for ‘making space’ has shifted from the property team to the meeting organiser. If the organizer is not conscious or aware of this new responsibility they will most likely just book a meeting, attach a video conference link, and say ‘job done’, missing out on the incredible opportunity to create a space that is tailor-made for their meeting.
In the physical world, it would take a team of architects, engineers, and tradies to build the perfect space for your business or meeting. But in the virtual world, we can build this ourselves in a matter of minutes.
Designing and building a virtual space for a team activity is a new skill that most of us will need to develop. Give yourself and your team permission to experiment with different tools and techniques. Be prepared to fail and celebrate when you and your team display the courage to try something new.
Intention
When I run workshops, I like to arrive early to prepare the room. I start by setting up the physical space (whiteboards, butchers’ paper, etc.) and then take a moment to set a clear intention for the day by visualising what I hope to achieve, and lastly, I let go of all expectations to become fully present in the room.
Setting a clear intention is an important step in the process, it is the why or the purpose for the creation of the space.
Holding Space
Have you ever belonged to an online forum or group that started out with lots of energy and participation but over time faded away? Someone or a group of people need to accept the responsibility for holding the space, without this the group collapses.
Fredric Laloux, the author of Reinventing Organisations, says that holding space is the most critical role of a leader in the future of work and that holding space is about being authentically present, supportive, and accepting.
After observing palliative care nurses holding space for the dying Heather Plett beautiful describe holding space for someone else as being “willing to walk alongside another person in whatever journey they’re on without judging them, making them feel inadequate, trying to fix them, or trying to impact the outcome. When we hold space for other people, we open our hearts, offer unconditional support, and let go of judgment and control.”
Adaptation hacks
· Give yourself and your team permission to experiment with different tools and techniques.
· Be prepared to fail and celebrate when you and your team display the courage to try something new – even when it doesn’t go to plan
· Use mindfulness techniques to practice being authentically present for others
Tools to try
Additional reading
https://heatherplett.com/2015/03/hold-space/
Books
Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux
Leadership and the New Science by Margaret Wheatly
Podcast/Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcS04BI2sbk
Async Time and Space
In the virtual world of work time and space can de-couple. That is, we can share a space without being in that place at the same time. This enables asynchronistic communication which, put simply, is when we send a message without expecting an immediate response.
When we transitioned our call centre teams to work from home team members said that they felt more connected to their teammates than when they were in the call centre. It was a bit of a surprise but the reason they felt more connected was that they were connecting asynchronously via webchat. Call centre workers are very busy and previously they would only chat with each other in-between calls, and usually only with those sitting near them. When working from home with asynchronistic communication enabled them to connect with everyone all day.
Companies native to remote working have found the optimal mix for productivity and connectedness to be: 70% async (email, slack, MSTeams, WhatsApp), 25% sync (WebEx), 5% physical meetings (team conferences & retreats)
Adaptations hacks
· Create and hold spaces for collaboration and connection using async tools
· Use async tools asynchronously by providing enough information and context so the recipient can respond in their own time
Additional reading
https://doist.com/blog/asynchronous-communication/
https://blog.idonethis.com/asynchronous-communication/
Identity and Loneliness
When we don’t have meaningful relationships in our lives, we experience loneliness. Loneliness is different from being alone. You can feel loneliness when standing in a crowd or when at home on your own. Working remotely is not the cause of loneliness, but if we don’t connect meaningfully with others then it can make things worse.
In online games players create characters to represents themselves in the game. These characters or avatars are usually quite different from the gamer's physical world self. Similarly, when we work virtually, we are more easily able to filter who we are – and this is a trap we need to avoid. #nofilter
When we filter ourselves, we are offering a less authentic version of ourselves, and this makes it harder for people to connect with us in a meaningful way. A Harvard University longitudinal study into health and happiness (the largest ever conducted) found close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives. The former Surgeon General of the United States compared loneliness to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and other researchers found that chronic loneliness increased the odds of early death by 20%, about the same as obesity, although obesity does not make you as miserable as loneliness. Our relationships at work are important, not only do they help us succeed, they have a significant impact on our overall wellbeing.
Meaningful relationships cannot be established without authenticity and, most importunately, emotional honesty. Emotional honesty can be challenging as it requires us to be vulnerable and to ‘let people in’. But that is the point, we need to ‘let people in’ to build meaningful relationships.
vulnerable
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adjective
exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
"we were in a vulnerable position"
Being vulnerable by definition is scary. This is especially true at work where some relationships have the potential to impact our livelihoods and our ability to support those that we love. This can make it very tempting to filter ourselves when we are working remotely and virtually.
When we are working remotely it is easier to hide our emotional state. Researchers estimate that our communication is 7% verbal, 38% tone & pitch, and 55% body language and the majority of this non-verbal communication is the communication of our emotions.
Being authentic and emotionally honest when working virtual requires us to develop new skills and ways of communicating. Most non-verbal communication is unconscious. For example, I can tell you that I am ok but have tears in my eyes, which is more honest – the words or the tears? Therefore one of the most important skills we need to learn is how to communicate our emotions more explicitly and honestly.
Communicating our emotional state is a two-step process. First, we need to tune-in and become aware of how we are feeling, and then we need to share in a way that others can understand.
Tuning into our emotional state is something that takes practice. We rarely experience one emotion at a time, it is more likely that we are experiencing a symphony of emotions at any given moment. Tuning into that symphony can be challenging at first, especially when we are experiencing negative emotions. Mindfulness practices can be extremely helpful, making the unconscious conscious, bringing greater awareness and clarity.
To authentically share our emotional state, we need to expand our emotional vocabulary, ‘I am good’ is not an adequate description of our emotional complexity. Recently in a team check-in, I described my emotional state as like I am back-stage just before a premiere performance – a little terrified but also excited and energised. Using analogies is a great way to help colleagues understand how you are feeling.
As leaders, we also need to accept responsibility for the creation of emotionally safe spaces. Making and holding space for others to express their honesty without the fear of judgment or being made to feel inadequate is critically important. We do this first by displaying our own emotional vulnerability before inviting others to do the same.
Adaptation hacks
· Practice mindfulness techniques to tune into your emotional state
· Be vulnerable and share your emotions more explicitly with others
· Hold regular ‘how are you feeling’ team check-ins
· Use check in questions that encourage personal reflection. Eg Please share your personal weather report
Additional reading
https://www.webmd.com/balance/news/20180504/loneliness-rivals-obesity-smoking-as-health-risk
Podcasts/Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wetnY7VO3fM
Books
Lost Connections by Johann Hari
Senior Organisational Change Manager
4 年Olivia Linehan following on from our chat about our world of the new normal..
Contact Center Technology
4 年Donna Maree Wesley
Contact Center Technology
4 年Aaron Dignan I thought you might enjoy this.
Reward & Capability Lead at Data Action
4 年Michelle Hinsliff - a great article.
Senior Director, Digital Marketing - Australia, India & New Zealand at JLL
4 年Great article Tim, the piece about holding space is something I feel needs more attention in the current environment, it’s not always easy to guide a meeting virtually particularly when the videos are off.