COVID-19 enrolled all of us into a world of work that we might never plan to explore. A world of work where we need to work from home, interact through digital means and at the same time take on multiple hats at home. The loss of normalcy resulted in many of us battling with the changes to restore order in our daily activities. Despite all these, many of these changes might be here for good even after the COVID-19 situation.
The New World of Work
- Recruitment will never be the same again. Video interviews might be a new norm moving forward as we can see many companies adopting it with ease these days.
- Second thoughts on office space. Do companies really need that big an office which forms a large fixed cost when staggered Work-From-Home arrangements can be done?
- Managing expectations when you cannot physically monitor or motivate your employees. Coming up with new strategies to keep your employees motivated and performing.
- New skill sets and requirements for jobs moving forward. From what we observe, being disciplined, adaptable and compassionate seems to be very much relevant today for employees to possess.
Of course, there are many other changes due to COVID-19 and it differs from company to company. However, what we can do is to adapt and inject positivity into every scenario that comes to us. Be it as a manager or an employee, we all have a part to play.
For Employees
1. Forget about FOMO, embrace the JOMO
Being locked down and unable to go back to the office as per normal may brew some Fear-Of-Missing-Out FOMO emotions within us. However, instead of dwelling on those, why not think about the Joy-Of-Missing-Out on, for example
- Hours spent on commuting
- Eating out almost every day
- Limited time spent with family members
- Waking up early to prepare and dress up for work
It just a small shift of perspective and mindset and it can help you to embrace and appreciate the things around you much better.
2. Having Self-Compassion
Now when we are at home most of the time, the lines between work and home are now blurred. Have you struck a balance between work, family, health or even your hobbies? It might not be possible to prioritize all those in a day, however, time should be allocated throughout the week to address those needs. Have some self-compassion for yourself and do not beat yourself up just because you got distracted or are unable to adjust as fast as your peers.
It is the first time for many of us to work from home and it is still an experimenting phase for many of us to find the right balance and strategy.
For Employers
1. Engaging Your Employees
Take note of how introverts and extroverts will be impacted by Work-From-Home arrangements. Both require a different strategy to keep them engaged. This is especially the case if team meetings are done using video call and it will be even tougher to engage and involve the introverts. Instead of brainstorming during the video call, do something called brain-writing instead. This allows everyone to share their ideas with you through writing instead of speaking during the video call and therefore not leaving out the introverts whose voice might be overlooked.
2. Managing Expectations
Being unable to monitor your employees physically, what can you do to ensure your employees are on track but not exerting too much control during this period? It is not easy, but it can also be an opportunity for you to learn how to trust your employees. This can also be a test for your employees to which whether they will be disciplined enough to stay focus by themselves.
After all, by taking a step back gives them space to think creatively and reciprocate the trust as well. You can use the time to focus on other things that you once could not find time doing such as reskilling or upskilling yourself.
After this entire situation is over, it will be good for us to keep in mind what is good and what did not go so well. After all, there will be lessons for all of us to learn during this period and it will be a good experience for all of us to prepare for the new world of work.
Stay home, stay safe.
Kingfisher Recruitment Group is a global provider of total recruitment solutions. We help clients design people strategies, attract and develop talents worldwide across the Healthcare & Life Sciences, Professional Services, Technology, Retail & Consumer, Manufacturing, Automotive, Property & Construction, and Engineering industries.
