Career Zone -- Setting up a successful “new normal”

We’ve been through a lot together, navigating the uncharted territory of the past pandemic months. At long last, our attention is turning to how we can best handle transitioning back to working in an office.

I was inspired by a recent column by Amy Gallo (Harvard Business Review, July 6, 2021), contributing editor to the Harvard Business Review, titled “Help Your Employees Who Are Anxious About Returning to the Office.” She focuses on strategies to help managers carry out directions from upper management while balancing the needs and concerns of their employees – some of whom cannot wait to return to the office, others who are unsure, and a few who can’t or won’t. 

The following list is based on Gallo’s summary of advice that she collected from several experts who study management and compassion at work.

• Test the waters. It is most helpful to make decisions based on facts, so create some type of process to assess your employees’ feelings, questions and concerns. It could be an anonymous survey, a group meeting or individual interviews. You may not know or appreciate the full impact of what your employees have been through.
• Address concerns. It is important to sincerely demonstrate that you hear, understand and validate the concerns of anxious employees, which may include issues around health and safety precautions or new processes and responsibilities. This can be done either individually or as a group. 
• Explain, explain, explain. Respond to employee concerns by clearly explaining what processes have been put in place and the specific expectations for work at home and work in the office. Describe what information these processes are based on, and what factored into making these decisions.
• Allow for ambivalence. Acknowledge that many of us are unsure or fearful about returning to an office setting. Don’t appear dismissive of this by being too upbeat or not allowing people to express their emotions.
• Be flexible. If possible, offer some flexibility for how employees return to the office through hybrid work schedules or other programs that accommodate their needs.
• This is now. Acknowledge that the “old normal” is a thing of the past. Recent studies show that up to 58% of employees surveyed say they would consider resigning from their current position if they can’t continue to work from home at least part-time.
• Do not make promises you can’t keep. You can’t guarantee that the office environment is 100% safe, so don’t say it. Don’t promise an accommodation exception that senior management has not approved.  Once you lose trust with an employee, it is sometimes impossible to reacquire.
• Take care of yourself. Most managers have caring for their team members’ wellbeing since the pandemic started and are likely exhausted. You may be burned out or suffering from “compassion fatigue.” Take mental health breaks when you need them.

Gallo points out that the pandemic has made it more acceptable to have conversation and compassion around mental health at work. Let’s continue that.

Stuart Karasik spent most of his career in the human resources/personnel arena. He has a Ph.D. in education, a master’s in biology, and was the training program manager for the City of San Diego. More career resources and job opportunities are available at AWWA’s Career Center and at Work for Water.