Greetings!
Everyone is talking about hybrid working these days!
Flexibility is a good thing. But we also have to think about the workplace (and culture) as a whole. What was it like before? What do we want it to look like now? We can't recreate the past, but what questions should we ask to design the future?
Prioritizing Staff Cohesion by Forming a New Workplace Culture.
- How do people communicate when there's a misunderstanding? If people used to physically go to HR or a manager, and then transitioned to Zoom, what's the new default?
- How can you support employees who are overwhelmed or isolated? Do people have team leaders, mentors or buddies? Does your business offer coaching?
- If you're back in the office, should Happy Hours and other socials (like b-day parties) be encouraged to re-build trust and connectedness? Will those be explicitly or implicitly mandatory? Why or why not?
- What else can be done to support a positive morale? (Hint: consider asking your staff).
Exploring Equity and Fair Enforcement of New Policies
- Have the building blocks for "good work performance" changed? Do you need to re-calibrate performance indicators? Set new ones?
- What does feedback look like now? Are personal matters taken into account?
- How are the policies around working from home, flex hours, etc. memorialized?
- How will these new policies be enforced? By whom? On what timeline?
- Are the "pre-pandemic" reasons for disciplinary discussions still relevant? If they have changed, how are the changes memorialized and communicated?
- Does the enforcement approach have the same impact for all workers?
- Will employees with kids be treated the same as those who are single?
- Will all positions be treated the same? If not, do the differences fall on blue/white/pink collar lines?
- If you have multiple locations, are the expectations the same for each?
Now, more than ever, it is essential to communicate expectations and provide staff the tools to succeed. If you need help with planning, facilitated dialogues, communication/leadership workshops, mediation training for leaders, executive coaching or Identity and Inclusion training, keep us in mind. We have the capacity to provide workshops for your entire staff!
