Anticipating a Joyful Mess of Return to Work

Waiting for my second vaccine dose felt a bit like the weeks leading up to Christmas morning. I’m eager to feel the energy of a room full of people and safely embrace my loved ones. But much like the emotional crash after a holiday celebration high, I can’t shake the feeling that we’ll soon be surrounded by metaphorical wrapping paper scraps to clean up. Preparing for more social interaction is both exhilarating and anxiety producing.

Some are eager to get back to the office, grasping for a familiar semblance of normalcy. Others are dreading the complexity that may come with a new hybrid (or remote first) culture. It’s safe to say none of us is yet expert in this, and we’re still reeling from over a year of continuous assessment and recalibration of risk. As grateful as I am to see things start to safely open up, I believe the path forward will be a bit of a cluster—we’ll call it a joyful mess.

Leaders are in the throes of rolling out their Return to Work strategies and playbooks. But let’s not romanticize our morning commutes, overscheduled days, or even time together in the office. Sadly, after a temporary social fix, a big part of our workforce will inevitably retreat to their private offices and mindlessly fill the time, half checked out, half consumed with busywork the boss deemed a priority of the moment. We’re kidding ourselves if we don’t address the anticipated avalanche of resignations many predict is coming in 2021. With newfound freedom and mobility, the workforce has now developed a taste for autonomy and agency. We may need to brace ourselves for the great talent reshuffling.

What can we do about it? How do we hold on to the best parts of this massive work experiment while rediscovering the magic of in-person human connection? How do we signal to our talent that they matter, have a voice, and are valued as we figure out this Return to Work?

1. Offer choice. It sounds simple, but rather than mandating all people work in the same way, the act of offering what works best for you/your team is a way to preserve a sense of agency and control. It’s true, there are some roles and functions that will require more time in co-located spaces, but the extension of trust to your team to choose what’s best for them is paramount. Later, if you’re not getting results, revisit the structure.

2. Continue to prioritize the why. “More why, less how” has been a mantra for my clients and me throughout the past year. But there’s good reason to continue this effort. By starting with the why, we (aim to) win the hearts and minds of our teams. We align to a common purpose and vision. That anchoring is of great benefit: it saves time, reduces confusion about priorities and connects team members to a shared goal.

3. Keep listening – and relentlessly course-correcting. I talk a lot about the value of fully listening and being present with our colleagues. It can be done in lots of different ways (surveys, listening circles, 1:1 coaching conversations), but acting on the feedback received is equally – if not more – important. Relentless course-correction is one of the key features of an agile organization. Change is no longer one big initiative with a period of stasis; change is now constant.

4. Don’t go backward. Being forward-looking and inviting colleagues to help shape that future vision can be motivating. As much as we’d like to believe the global pandemic was all just a bad dream, we’re all changed because of it. Let’s use this moment of collective transformation to be better than our former selves. In person time together can be meaningful, but it requires intention. This can be a time of reinvention of business strategy. Let’s do the hard work on our mindsets and behaviors to build an even stronger culture tomorrow.

Quality time in person with our colleagues and teams is irreplaceable – we’ve certainly learned that. But there is so much exciting momentum ahead for our collective workplace experience that involves more diverse hybrid teams, inclusive talent development strategies and a reimagined way to work together.

I hope we have the presence of mind to capture the good stuff we’ve learned and integrate it into our new world of work. We now have a renewed appreciation of collaborative time together, as well as creative moments alone. When the time comes, I’ll be ready to tear open that gift and share it.