Are you doing the hybrid hokey cokey?

Just weeks away from the long-anticipated July 19 date on Boris’ roadmap, the question of whether we’re going back into the office or not is still causing debate up and down the land.

Some big businesses have seen the opportunity to relinquish their expensive city real estate, injecting cash into organisations that may have suffered as a result of the pandemic

Other, equally big, businesses are insisting their colleagues return to the office, still unsure whether they can really trust their staff to be productive when not in sight, even after a year or more of working from home.

Others still recognise that giving colleagues a choice where to work is empowering, good for wellbeing and work/life balance, and suggests a mutual trust.

Of course, plenty of organisations have no choice but to carry on as they were before and during the pandemic – healthcare settings, manufacturing, services – all diligently getting on with it in the face of uncertainty.

There’s no getting away from the fact that the world of work has experienced a sea-change since March 2020 – and we cannot hold back the tide, even if some of us want to. We need to acknowledge that the last 16 months has seen major adjustments in all of our lives. Priorities have changed or been reaffirmed, relationships have withered or grown stronger, organisational culture has swelled with togetherness, or fragmented under the strain. Everyone, every business, every employee has had to face into their own version of adversity, and of course, that means there’s no ‘one size fits all’ solution.

What’s certain is that workers for these organisations, whatever their size, will be feeling some degree of anxiety and uncertainty about what the future holds for them. Supporting employees has to be at the foundation of return-to-work planning (whatever shape that takes, hybrid or not) if they are to succeed and to retain and attract the talent they need to achieve their ambitions – and indeed, to maintain a culture of safety and security.

It may seem almost an impossible task.

Those of us who remember when computers and email became mainstream in the world of work will remember how daunting and othering that felt. The fears of automation, whether it was safe to move on from the old, comfortable ways of doing things, debating whether getting rid of the filing cabinets and fax was the right thing to do. Nowadays, we’d raise our eyebrows at those old systems, realising the change has been worthwhile, and whilst a huge cultural shift at the time, has become normal.

So how do we support this new seismic shift in how we work?

During the pandemic, a ground-breaking piece of research conducted with leaders and influencers across a variety of sectors by consultancy, A Matter of Choice, identified a core set of ten leadership mindsets which influence effective leadership. These were significant in allowing leaders to emerge from the chaos of Covid-19 as they successfully navigated the uncertain and choppy waters of the pandemic.

It is good leadership that will drive the success of our post-pandemic return to work, in particular leaders who exhibit these three of the essential core mindsets:

-???????Conscious Leadership - Good leaders are hyper aware of their impact on others and make their decisions mindfully. They display compassion and empathy, and know what it’s like to be in their teams’ shoes. Approachable, compassionate and present, these leaders often take a step back to consider others, and make the effort to listen to and respect their colleagues.

At a time when many team members are likely to be anxious, have different lifestyles and needs to their leaders, this mindset is crucial to return to work planning.

-???????Ethical Leadership - Doing the right thing by people is not about cutting corners to make more money or choosing commercial wins over welfare. Instead, ethical decisions, consciously doing the right thing and keeping promises all gain respect through organisational structures.

In other words, how does closing all your office space impact the mental health and wellbeing of your colleagues? Or, to turn it around, giving lip-service to new, flexible working but in reality expecting colleagues to be as visibly present as ever.

-???????Growth Mindset - Being in the now, but also knowing where you’re headed provides security in these days of extreme pace. Advocating, even amplifying change, challenging behaviours and the status quo and continually revisiting what the future could look like makes leadership visionary, exciting and determined. These leaders embrace stepping outside of their comfort zone, and when they make mistakes, learn from them.

OK, so maybe it doesn’t work having people working in (or out) of the office 100% the time. Let’s learn from that, try new things together and move on.

We cannot deny being on the cusp of cultural change in the way we work, or the fact we may need to adapt our thinking as we adjust to what amounts to a new reality. I hesitate to say we’re hovering on precipice, wondering whether to jump, but why not? Let’s dive straight in, feet first, and enjoy the water.

Kate Goodman, Communications Consultant, The Good Comms Company Ltd.

To find out more about the key leadership mindsets for success, purchase a copy of the ground-breaking research report, or to discover the bespoke leadership development programmes report authors A Matter of Choice can offer you, visit www.amatterofchoice.co.uk