Workplace culture post-pandemic: New playing field, same playbook

By Lauren Dixon
BridgeTower Media Newswires
 
At first thought, it might seem we like we need to reimagine every aspect of our workplaces as we plan and prepare to phase back into business as the pandemic restrictions are loosened. But really, though there will be many physical and procedural changes, your core values and company culture should remain the same, guiding your decisions and perhaps leading to exciting new paradigms.

Just know that your team members, their expectations for work and behaviors in the workplace will be forever changed by the experience. And this presents opportunities, albeit on a faster timeline than you might have wished, to evolve your policies, expanding what makes yours a great place to work.

And if you enjoyed a strong company culture before the pandemic, and have been leading from your core values throughout, you will be in better shape on the other side. Continue the following best practices to ensure it.

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Stick to the truth

I think we can all agree that hiding or sugarcoating bad news can damage your workplace culture. And with all the hard-to-swallow information we’ve had to share with our teams related to COVID-19, this experience is proving to be a great, if uninvited and forced, opportunity to sharpen our abilities to both tell the truth, candidly, and inspire hope and commitment to working together to get through it.

If you’d like to see a textbook example of transparent, empathic leadership, take a look at the video Marriott CEO Aren Sorenson distributed to his employees and posted on Twitter and LinkedIn. It’s striking in its raw, unapologetic emotion and honesty. Even as we see his pain as he shares the stark reality, we feel somehow reassured.

I imagine that for Marriott’s employees, his honest communication likely instills confidence and reduces anxiety. Because while he is compassionate and emotional, he is also calm, clear and transparent. No panic. Just reassuring stability in turbulent times.

Keep that in mind when you talk about the future, balancing realism with optimism. Let your people know that while you will do everything you can to reduce the spread of coronavirus, even with all the precautions, the risk will not be zero. Describe everything you will do to position your company to bounce back. But recognize that the chance of slowdown and layoffs will not be zero.

As this experience reinforces your communication skills, continue to lean into them going forward with consistent, honest messages that level-set and set people up to make the best decisions.

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Normalize emotions in the workplace

In recent years, there’s been much positive discussion about effective leaders openly showing vulnerability, asking for help and admitting they don’t have all the answers. We’ve seen an evolution from the days when leaders were expected to be stoic, tough and unflappable. And workplaces were supposed to be devoid of emotional expression. And now, we’re seeing leaders cry on the job. And it’s OK!

A recent New York Times article mentions newscasters like Anderson Cooper, politicians like N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies like Sorenson shedding tears on the air about the suffering they’ve witnessed from COVID-19. We’ve seen images in the news of health care providers weeping, parents breaking down trying to work from home and homeschool kids. I consider this a silver lining of the pandemic.

Because people want their leaders to be relatable, approachable, human. And they want their companies to be safe places where they can express their feelings openly and not have to compartmentalize with separate work personas. Historically, crying has been seen as unprofessional and displays of emotion as inappropriate. But if our leaders and frontline workers can be confident and assured, competent and strong, even while weeping a bit, that can only benefit all of us, furthering psychological and emotional safety in the workplace.

Because here’s the thing: When your teams come back to the office, you can’t ensure it will be 100% virus-free. That’s impossible. But you can allow them to share their emotions and fears, and you can address them, which will strengthen their confidence and trust that you will do everything you can to take care of them.

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Lead with empathy

Another bright spot to come out of this crisis: We’re seeing people take empathic leadership to a whole new level, with deep, intentional efforts to understand the needs of their team members, and then using those insights to guide decisions and communications.

You can continue this positive trend by randomly calling team members to check in and ask about what’s going on at home. Really listening, putting yourself in their shoes and trying to understand their challenges, such as balancing working from home with taking care of children or elderly parents. Struggling to pay the bills because of a spouse’s lost income. Or living alone and feeling anxious and isolated. You may not be able to offer a solution on the spot, but you can listen. And invite their ideas for your return-to-work plans.

You will gain meaningful perspective into the unique situations of your team members, along with their input, which should guide your decisions about working hours, office space and telecommuting post-pandemic.
Many of us have been moving toward more flexible schedules, digital operations and work-from-home opportunities anyway. And now we can take a more people-first, empathic approach to accelerating the pace of these new ways of working to accommodate the needs of individual team members, setting them up for success by giving them the support, tools, time and space to do their best work.

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Evolve your benefits

If you’ve enhanced your benefits in response to the crisis, it makes sense to continue to offer expanded programs on the other side. Another silver lining to come from the pandemic is the increased awareness and consideration of our team members as whole people and our responsibility to take care of their physical, emotional and mental health.

You may have already offered access to meditation, mindfulness and yoga, and now is the time to pay attention to and support emotional well-being and self-care, because the pandemic has likely caused a spike in a range of issues, notably depression, loneliness and anxiety.

Of course, since April 1, many employers have been required to provide up to two weeks of fully paid sick leave for employees who are quarantined or have COVID-19 symptoms and two weeks of paid sick leave at two-thirds pay if they need to care for someone in quarantine. While the mandate is officially in effect until December 31, 2020, if you started offering additional paid or unpaid leave, you may want to consider extending these benefits indefinitely.

According to Fortune, some companies are taking family benefits even further, including Facebook offering four weeks of paid leave, flexible hours and additional time off while schools are closed, and Google offering up to 14 weeks of paid time off to help care for loved ones during the crisis. More than 1,000 employees signed a thank you letter to Google’s leaders, so clearly there is a need.

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Care for all your communities

Your employees, customers and community expect you to continue to step up and do good, to serve and be part of the solution. To solve problems, not sell products. This commitment to caring should continue moving forward, forever. It’s in everyone’s best interest: Your business, your team members, your community.

The people who feel you did not take care of them during the pandemic will be quick to look elsewhere for work, products and services. And the team members, customers, partners and community members who believe your brand was there for them throughout the crisis will be your most loyal advocates long into the future.

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Lauren Dixon is CEO of Dixon Schwabl Inc., a marketing communications firm, which has been honored as a Best Place to Work.