New office, going back to the office

When one door closes and another opens, it can bring a lot of promise. Sure, you might be nervous about whatever is to come, but it’s time to take stock of what you’re leaving behind and then look ahead.

As part of our continued growth, we are excited at Pro-Development as we are moving offices on 1 October into a larger, brighter space, still at Forest Farm Business Park.  We are hugely excited, getting some painting done and choosing where everyone’s desk is going to be, making sure we have everything we need. We will still be flexible and hybrid working as we always have been, but it feels like we are getting back to how we once were.

Many of us are looking at this hybrid way of working now and how we can also get some people back into the office and it can be a time of some trepidation for people.  It’s important to check in with everyone in terms of what they need, how they are feeling and what will make them more comfortable and productive.

It makes us think of Maslows Heirarchy of Needs – from the bottom of the hierarchy up, those needs include physiological, safety, love/relationships, esteem, and self-actualization.  It might be useful to take each one and think about what you and your team want or need in relation to each.

Physiological needs

Often in the face of unprecedented circumstances our emotional response is varied and individual and often uncertainty and mistrust are rife, we are only human.  Be clear in your communication, communicate positively and communicate even what you might think is obvious. You cannot over communicate, make sure you know what your people need to meet their most basic needs.

Safety needs

You will know by now what you need to do in your organisational context. There will be differing levels of concerns, respect for colleagues and recognition of their distinct concerns is the baseline for the first day back in the workplace. It will be helpful to focus on building a culture of shared responsibility.

If you have been impacted financially you will have taken measures to reduce your business vulnerability, all of which increases the anxiety employees feel about employment security. It may be a long road back to recovery and workforces might mourn the changes. Leaders should apply emotional intelligence and empathy in how they interact and communicate.

Love and Belonging needs/Relationships

With teams attending the office some days and working from home others and therefore, increased virtual interactions now being a way of life for the foreseeable future, leaders will need to focus on so much more than just performance.

• It will be a good idea to increase the number of 1:1s you have in the first few days and weeks of returning to the usual place of work.
• Make sure your team feel able to talk about any difficulties they may be having and be open to any suggestions they might make.
• Be alert to any changes in behaviour which may indicate that someone is struggling.
• Make sure team meetings are held in a covid-secure way – don’t increase anxiety by asking people to be in big meetings but you might look at more team meetings to help cohesion and engagement.
• Review what support is available for your team.

Catherine Pulsifer said

“Every day is a chance to begin again. Don’t focus on the failures of yesterday, start today with positive thoughts and expectations.”

There’s a lot of support and new thinking about the hybrid or blended workspace, have a look at some of these articles:-

https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/relations/flexible-working/planning-hybrid-working#gref

https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/its-time-for-leaders-to-get-real-about-hybrid

What will getting this right mean for your organisation and your people?

If you focus on these 3 areas, it will help you to improve employee engagement through:

• reduced anxiety,
• feelings of “normality” and control
• increased trust in leaders and colleagues
• a return to optimum productivity and effectiveness
• improved job satisfaction
• a positive reputation with existing and potential employees
• a model for future organisational change

And if you need help, don’t forget we are here to support you and your team.  Many businesses have been taking the opportunity to bring the team together for some team building and as everyone starts to come back together, there’s probably never been a better time.  Just get in touch to discuss how we can help.