They say it takes on average 66 days to break old habits or start new habits. On my count, many of us have been in quarantine for over 70 days, with many of those days spent working from home. As many businesses and organizations prepare to bring people back into the workplace, the question that should be on every leader’s mind is:
How has this quarantine changed the behavior, mindset, and work of my employees?
Undoubtedly, you yourself have been changed in some ways by the all-encompassing nature of quarantine, so it stands to reason that your employees will be different, too. But just HOW different is the biggest question that remains to be answered. While we may not fully understand the impact yet, we can first adopt the mindset that we cannot simply go back to exactly the way things were before. While this quarantine has shown that we humans are highly adaptable, we also are creatures of habit.
So what should leaders be looking out for when everyone comes back together?
I’ve identified three employee needs your people may have coming out of quarantine that you as a leader can impact. While every office and employee are different, these particular employee needs may show up more frequently than not. Here are the three needs your employees may have:
1. A need for community
We were meant to be social, interactive beings. Research has shown that being isolated from people is as dangerous for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. So, when employees are allowed to come back to the workplace, you may find that the water cooler trips are more frequent, coworkers linger around desks longer, and the lunchroom is more boisterous than normal.
This is a good thing! While it may feel lazy and unproductive, this is an important need for the emotional well-being of your people. In fact, it may be helpful to build in time for community building and fun during the workday to help your employees reconnect with one another. As time moves by, this particular employee need may subside in more obvious way, but the need for community, especially at work, will always be around. Invest in meeting the need now so that you will be prepared for the future as well.
2. A need for work/life balance
Working from home has had a profound impact on work. Employees are working more hours than ever while also balancing more responsibilities while at home. According to a recent survey, 45% of remote workers reported feeling burnout, citing an increased workload, juggling work and personal lives, and a lack of communication and support from their employer. By being stuck at home, the line between work and personal life is blurred. Many workers don’t have the luxury of having a separate home office, so work often happens in living rooms, kitchen tables, and bedrooms. It can feel impossible to escape the grind of work.
When employees return to the office, they will welcome the physical break that a dedicated workplace provides. However, I believe they will also push harder for a stronger work/life balance.
Workplace flexibility was already a need for today’s employee, but after remote environments have proven to work in terms of productivity, there will be no need to force employees into long hours in the office.
Further, employees have grown accustomed to balancing work and personal life during the quarantine, learning how to conduct business meetings while helping little Johnny log into his online classroom, then having a conference call while taking the dog for a walk. The dividing wall between work and personal life has been forever destroyed, so leaders will need to take this into account when operating their workplaces.
3. A need for more leadership from leaders
Leadership in the workplace is more important than ever. As Gallup has identified, in the midst of a global crisis, people look to leaders for guidance, stability, and the pathway forward. After spending day-in and day-out at home, working through burnout, long hours, and isolation, your employees need a leader. I’m not talking about transactional leadership, where leaders exchange rewards (i.e. salary) in return for employees’ work. I’m talking about transformational leadership, leadership that taps into the intrinsic motivation of each employee.
Vision, mission, goals, leadership transparency, feedback, and frequent communication all connect internally to the intrinsic needs of people. As workers begin to come back into the office, you will need to lead from a transformational mindset more than ever. Schedule time to meet with your people, infuse every task with the “why” behind it, and constantly communicate from an authentic, honest standpoint. Your people will be looking for the way forward from you, so don’t shy away the moment.
The working world will forever be changed by this moment in time. New habits have been formed, mindsets have been altered, and work has taken on unique shapes. The employees you knew over two months ago may not seem like the same employees that come back into the office and that’s okay. As a leader, you can make the necessary adjustments to meet these new employee needs and forge a new path forward. By making the mental and practical adjustments now, you will be able to help your employees experience greater productivity and health moving forward.