Corona – What Remains

After so many weeks of lockdown, with large changes to our lives, we are now slowing relaxing restrictions.

Before we all rush back into our old lives – privately and professionally – we have an opportunity to reflect on what we want to keep from this time when everything was different. This not only concerns decisions made by every one of us, but also managers and leaders can consider what might remain from the different ways we have worked over the past months.

Many organisations have moved a large part of their work into home office, and this was and is not equally good and desirable for everyone. But it is worth asking which tasks can be done in home office, and which people might continue to work from home. As decision-makers, leaders have a chance to listen carefully and to ask their teams and staff if they wish to reduce travel times and work more from home. In past weeks they have gained experience as to what works well and what doesn’t.

And business travelling. Everyone can ask themselves whether they really enjoyed flying somewhere for just one day or whether they were doing it because it seemed the norm. Together with your business partners you can ask what can be discussed online. Or online one day and face to face the next.

Online – for many an interesting and new experience. Meetings were often quicker and more focused online. Here we can ask ourselves when this kind of efficiency is needed and when we perhaps need just to let ideas flow freely. Just being able to consider this in advance of a meeting can make meetings more effective and help achieve better results. This is quite independent of corona.

Ask your colleagues how they feel about online working, and if they ask you then answer honestly. Knowing how they are feeling and being interested in that can be a very pleasant and easy way of contributing to a good climate. Empathetic and professional at the same time.

And, on a personal level, remember gratefulness. Each of us can and should decide for ourselves what we are grateful for, but living in a country (if you do, like I do), where the health service can withstand the pressure, where we all have enough to eat, where our friends and colleagues help us out . . . decide for yourself. Practising gratefulness can be a great help towards being happy with your life and your work.