Clear is Kind, and so is Staying Flexible: Advice to Employers for Managing Workplace Expectations

Sep 22

Nearly every conversation I have with other business leaders these days starts with one (actually two, that’s another blog coming soon) question – “How are you handling the return to the office?” Around every dinner party table I host or attend (they are a thing again, thanks vaccines) – “Is your company making you return to the office?” I mean, it’s come up at the bus stop several times in just two short weeks. All the moms and dads want to know what other companies are doing and what the speculation is on potential long-term policies that might be here to stay. Clearly, we’re all thinking a lot about it, but very few of us are nailing it.

If I could write down all my thoughts in one succinct line, I would quote an old friend and say, “Let the ball bounce.” Do not make long-term decisions with such limited data. COVID has been nothing short of chaotic and terrifying, from “flattening the curve” to what the Washington Post has recently dubbed “Pandemic Flux Syndrome” - and every step in between.

Personally speaking, we weathered virtual school with twins through the end of Kindergarten to nearly all of first grade (and virtual DRUM LESSONS). We buried my uncle after a tragic accident, and then my beloved nana, and most recently my father-in-law after a prolonged and grueling battle with COVID. The business fell off a cliff, we made a pivot, we cried, we got the PPP loan, we lost a few good people – we rebuilt. We had friends and extended family get diagnosed with COVID, who (thankfully) recovered but left us terrified. We are now navigating a world where our kids are unvaccinated and heading into another school year full of tough decisions – insert daily conversations about the health and safety of our children and all the kids in our lives who we love. And you would think that all of these things would make family and loved ones closer than ever, but still the great divide that has become our country has somehow deepened in the wake of a global health crisis – and we are now left to navigate differing opinions on masking, quarantining and vaccinations – and the subsequent feelings that emerge as a result. And then there is the general state of the world, from the murder of George Floyd last summer, to the subsequent social justice uprising and witnessing how COVID has exacerbated huge human issues such as disparity in access to quality healthcare, mental health, and food insecurity (to name a few). The list literally goes on forever…how can we not all be changed and how could all of this (in addition to all the other private struggles each person and family has) impact the way in which we work and our relationship to work?

HERE’S MY BEST ADVICE TO EMPLOYERS AND LEADERSHIP:

Firstly, there is privilege in decisions and options and we should all recognize them as such.

That does not mean they aren’t hard, but I’ve come to understand acknowledging the privilege is important for a multitude of reasons. If you are able to do your job and/or run your company safely, securely and successfully while staying virtual and not having to navigate a workforce that needs to be in person to conduct business – you really need to acknowledge that. For yourself, but mostly for the employees. And if you expect them to show up, but you have not outlined the why clearly and effectively – you are treading in dangerous territory. If, in fact, your employees have worked hard and productivity has remained strong during their time working remotely – you owe them an explanation. That explanation cannot be because you are paying rent for a vacant office. This is where you can plug “sunk cost fallacy” into your search bar and familiarize yourself on why this is a fool’s errand.

All the lip service over the past few years has just caught up to you and it’s time to put your “policies” into practice. Yes, your employees want to bring their “whole selves” to work and feel safe.

We’re all different and we all need different support to be our most productive selves.

This means, different versions of work and it’s not a one size fits all. Picture a team of developers who might not need the same amount of face-to-face time with their teams and/or managers vs. a team of creatives who feed off of energy and brainstorming, as a brief example.

Clear is kind.

Brene has been saying it for a long while – and I keep it handy as a gentle reminder to myself. I was out to dinner with a friend just the other night who said, “My company is telling us we don’t have to come back to the office if we don’t want to or if we don’t feel comfortable…in writing, but in conversation and all the non-verbal cues are suggesting that there is an expectation that we’ll start coming back to the office.” This is happening a lot and it is unkind. See above. How safe does that make your people feel? Not very. Set the expectation and stick to it.

Collect data and stories – smart people are digging into this research.

Adam Grant (who is very smart) will tell you remote employees are 13.5% more productive, particularly working moms. Why does productivity and work satisfaction scare you?

BUT he’ll also remind you “to prevent disparities and promote collaboration, where possible, have teams coordinate days onsite vs. remote”. (An interesting article for reference: hbr.org/2021/05/dont-let-employees-pick-their-wfh-days)

What does this all mean? Virtual? Hybrid? Give up the office lease? Downsize? Re-open?

Again, unless you need to make an immediate decision from a timing perspective – i.e. lease renewal – my best advice is to wait. The cost of an empty office is painful, I know this firsthand, but high turnover and losing the trust of your team is way more expensive.

All companies and teams have different needs, challenges and complexities. And an interesting way to figure out what your teams need and desire is to ask them…

We had two long-time employees relocate states away during the pandemic – one to be closer to family and the other to follow a fiancée’s opportunity. At first, it scared me to wonder how this would work but in each case these are loyal, hardworking employees with an incredible wealth of knowledge in all areas of their respective roles, but also us as a company. Why would I be so shortsighted as to lose these talented people because I was scared of this? It’s not been without a few bumps, but I think we’ve developed a great cadence and it’s been overwhelmingly successful. As a bonus, it has shown us that we can hire talent in other markets – which we’ve done. And this has also proven to be quite successful.

And briefly to employees – remember that being flexible and trusting goes both ways. The entire world didn’t just go virtual forever and it’s important for your personal and professional development to get time with your teams and leadership. Great things happen in rooms when we can all be together. I met a newly minted college grad recently who said, “I’ll only look at virtual, I don’t want to go into an office…” What a missed opportunity…early career individuals should be craving some face time with their teams and leadership more than anyone.

In summary, the idea of all employees, teams, and companies being equal is a fallacy, therefore there is no silver bullet. Stay flexible and as with many things in life, a little less talking and a little more listening will go a long way. Your employees are telling you what they need/want. That does not mean they get to dictate it, but if everyone is clear, has structure and trust – we can all win. I think for most of us, hybrid is the appropriate path forward. It’s the silver lining of this dreadful pandemic – we all gained more time at home with our family, but still need time in the office with our teams. If you are pushing a 5 day a week in the office agenda, get ready for a lot of turnover.