Preparing for the New Normal in the Workplace

In this trying time, staying at home is the new going out. For months, our home spaces have become our mini office, our classroom, our restaurant, or even our church. Suffice it to say, is this our new normal? More so, our next normal? 

This pandemic is an episode we didn’t expect to happen, at the very least, especially in this intelligent machine age. COVID-19 has created uncertainty, magnified our fears, and exposed our vulnerabilities. Our convenience and comfort have been shaken-up, disturbed, and disrupted; thus, resulted in a new set of habits and changes in our behaviors. 

When the ECQ is lifted, we will experience this new normal in various spheres, events, and spaces of our lives. In the workplace, for instance, we will see more of these changes in rules and policies, in interaction and engagement, in decisions and actions. 

What are the immediate concerns and potential challenges that organizations should be cognizant of? How should leaders plan for them prior to resumption of work?

These are some of the considerations top management must take into account, strategize on, and generate potential ideas in designing new rules and guidelines at work.

1. Design and implement measures and guidelines on physical distancing.  Normal activities such as in-person meetings; shared spaces such as pantries and meeting rooms; and crowded workstations are more likely to be considered in designing guidelines for the implementation of physical distancing. In designing workplace rules, better incorporate general guidelines set forth by the government and other agencies, such as the DOH and the DOLE. 

• Design and implement measures and guidelines on personal hygiene, health, and sanitation. Personal hygiene and sanitation, such as washing hands, use of hand sanitizers, use of masks and gloves and/or wearing of PPEs should be considered. Likewise, monitoring body temperature and reporting personal health situations should be considered. In addition, handling of health cases and issues, provision for clinics, and other related concerns should form part of the guidelines.  
• Design guidelines for the adoption of “distributed workplace”. Consideration should also be given to those employees who have medical conditions that are at risk and are highly vulnerable. Shifting work schedules, flexible work hours, and other possible flexible work arrangements away from the traditional office set-up must also be explored.

• Consider policies and other requirements for remote work. While telecommuting is a viable course of action, however, organizations should be clear about their policies on the “deliverables” or expected output of employees, as well as, the monitoring and collaborative tools, etc. Part of the implementation of remote work that must be considered is the home office space, the internet, cloud computing for the storage, management, and accessibility of data, security measures given the confidentiality of data and information, among other things.  
• Consider restructuring the organization that responds to the need of the new normal.  The success of the implementation of these changes demanded by the new normal highly depends on the response of the leaders in the situation. The new organizational structure should be practical, agile, and flexible in terms of decisions and actions. More so, the leadership should be responsive and adaptive to change. While rules and guidelines are there to ensure conformity and order, leadership on the other hand, should be geared towards navigating change and the uncertain future.

The new normal in the workplace requires changes in the way we work, interact, collaborate, and communicate, which results in change of habits and behaviors. While this may seem uncomfortable at times, but just like camouflage, we should be able to adjust and adapt to the changing environment. Accept it or not, the workplace you have been accustomed to work for years will no longer be the same. No more hugs and kisses; shake hands and brush elbows, as the workplace is now characterized by “low-touch” and “minimized” closed-contact relationship.

In the context of the organization, a crisis situation is a test of leadership. It puts leaders in an unfamiliar situation and presented with “wicked” problems, where solutions are neither planned, nor readily available. It is also at this period that we expect, if not demand so much from our leaders, on what they can do for us and on how they will mitigate the situation. Our attention is on our leaders. We wait for their statements, we wait for their actions, then, we assess their actions based on the impact they had on us. Thus, a crisis has a greater tendency to expose our leaders’ vulnerability or astuteness based on their actions or inactions.

In this crucial period, leaders should be keen in calculating the situations and possibly turn this crisis into opportunities. How should leaders deal with the situation knowing that it may present difficulties for people at work and for the organization, as a whole? What skills set should they exhibit to approach the complex problems that this crisis poses? 

Here are some ways leaders can navigate through the situation and eventually become familiar with the nature of the crisis. While these may not necessarily solve organizational problems, however, putting them into action may accord the organization with legs to stand on, while traversing the unstable and unpredictable crisis situation:

1. Be clear in articulating company priorities when designing strategic response. This requires leaders to identify and define external factors that immensely affect the internal operations of the company. This involves gathering of data and making them readily available, analysis of the extent and impact of the crisis to the industry, as well as other factors such as political, economic, legal, environmental, etc. that are useful in comprehending the crisis situation. Based on these factors, leaders can identify key priority areas within the organization, and in turn, can be an impetus in designing strategic response.
2. Create an interim coalition of “apt” people within the organization who can confidently decide and tactically act on the strategic response. While these people may not necessarily hold critical positions in the company, however, they may be willing to work with and be involved in the process. Their involvement can lead to better collaboration that may engender ideas and potential solutions to the benefit of the company.  It is important, though, that when boarding these people in their appropriate teams, prime consideration on their technical and leadership competence should be contemplated as these are necessary in the role they are bound to fulfill.  
3. Empower each team to make decisions and respond to the situation. Top management should allow these people to make decisions within the ambit of their authority and function. This set-up does not only empower them, it also allows them to be conscious and cautious in making and implementing their decisions. While the crisis situation is characterized by uncertainty, however, top management should trust their people and allow the situation be part of their exposure and learning process. Delegation is a leadership competence that top management should possess, while empowerment is a psychological reward that people experience in the process.
4. Address people in the organization and discuss the “brutal” facts. Leaders should be “brutally” honest about the situation that the organization faces in this time of crisis. In doing so, leaders should present the situation in the way they see it – without sugar-coating or hiding something. People should understand the magnitude of the problem and how it will affect them and the organization. However, they are also concerned about how judicious leaders are in calculating and approaching the problem, based on their decisions and the actions. 
5. Design feedback loop and lean process for consultation and assessment. A feedback loop should be established as part of the process to facilitate the flow of data and information necessary for informed decision.  While the default direction of feedback is top-down or bottom-up, in an unfamiliar situation, however, feedback is more valuable than the direction where it is coming from. Thus, be open to receive feedback from multi-directional. Remember, in a crisis situation, leaders navigate through the situation in real-time events, as they happen. The more that feedback is received on time, the more that decisions become grounded and unwavering. 

Equally important in the process is how leaders maintain and reinforce the bond that connects them with their people. And that influence relationship becomes solid and robust when people are provided with accommodation and support system, especially in this new normal era, as manifestations of care and concern for their well-being, not only on the transactions that unfold within the confines of their spaces. In times like this, people go through different levels of emotional disturbances. Thus, it is important to consider the following:

1. Create an atmosphere of psychological safety in the midst of uncertainty.  Feeling of psychological safety can be influenced by factors such as, assurance of work after the crisis, feeling of belongingness in the group and social validation, as well as feeling of importance and contribution – that they simply matter.  Leaders should evoke a caring and sympathetic attitude for their people, that no one is left behind.
2. Communicate the situation in the way they understand it. Leadership communication is always imperative in a crisis situation. What leaders say and how they act based on what they say matters. Words and deeds should complement each other. As leaders, explain the detail. Be specific. Explain the “what”, the “why” and the “how”. Don’t assume. Give them time and allow them to ask questions, let them be heard, and be validated.
3. Open all possible communication channels to reach them out. As leaders, assure them that you are open to all and that they can reach you anytime should they have questions and clarifications. Take advantage of all channels of communication to reach out to them, especially when the company adopts the remote work practice. Send them emails, text messages, create a viber group, set an online meeting to check on their work progress, their condition, or anything that will make them feel valued.
4. Design an accommodation and support system for psychological safety. As leaders, you can think of creating accommodation and support system for your people. Psychological support, for instance, can be in a form of a hotline that they can call anytime to solicit advice from a colleague. Set-up an online in-service training where they share their own expertise with their colleagues. It can also be about making arrangements with delivery companies to take care of their groceries being delivered at their doorsteps. Simple things that make their life a little lighter that will ease their emotional burden means so much to your people.
5. Inform them on a regular basis. Make sure that everybody is informed about the status of the problem and the progress of what their leaders are doing to keep the organization in its normal functioning. Status or progress report being shared with everyone is not only constructive, but also a cohesive and a unifying action.

A crisis situation like the COVID-19 pandemic is a challenging period for the organization, for its leaders and for its people, so to speak. But it is also a precondition for change – in the nature of the business, in the structure of the organization, in new normal, in culture, in relationship, in leadership. But on top of it all, it is the decision and the action of the leaders in a crisis situation that will determine the direction and the sustainability of the organization.

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