This blog post is based on our webinar, The Role of Leadership in the New World of Work, which you can view in full here. It is the fourth webinar in The New Workspace webinar series. The event featured the insights of Daryll Scott, Director of Human Technology, LAB Group Ltd; Katharina Wittgens, Managing Director & Business Psychologist, Innovationbubble; and Maria Trivellato, Director, Talent Acquisition, Citrix.
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the very fabric of the working world. From the immediate shock of having to enable entire workforces to work from home, leaders have also needed to navigate the challenges of communicating with their teams remotely, maintaining company culture, and keeping workers motivated and productive, while also monitoring their well-being and stress levels.
And now, as we move into the next phase of the situation, leaders must also prepare for a return to the office, or decide whether to return at all. The magnitude of these decisions and procedures cannot be underestimated, and how leaders respond in such a time of crisis is testing the very essence of their leadership.
How did your organisation respond to the mandate to work from home?
The government mandate to work from home was entirely unprecedented, and while some businesses and sectors seemed prepared, others were “immediately devastated,” said Daryll Scott, Director of Human Technology at LAB Group. “From a leadership perspective, we suddenly had this workforce at home, relatively unsupported, highly disrupted in terms of their operational workflow. … As a business we were well set up technically and culturally, but there was a lot more to it than making sure people had what they needed operationally.”
Katharina Wittgens, Managing Director & Business Psychologist at Innovationbubble, agreed and said that while she and her colleagues had remote working already in place and were able to avoid the panic or shutdown some organisations faced, it was still an extreme scenario that no one could have foreseen. “The emotional, well-being aspect of homeworking was new and needed to be managed, as well,” she explained.
Citrix, as one might expect, was well set-up for homeworking, however, this was not to diminish from the difficulty of the situation. According to Maria Trivellato, Director of Talent Acquisition at Citrix, it is always interesting to see how well an organisation communicates, organises itself and its values, under stress. “We put the employee experience at the centre and used our core company values to make people comfortable,” she said. “We had constant communications from our CEO, security officers, and HR, and people felt safe to do what they needed to do. We offered 100 percent of salary if someone or their family was sick, or if they needed to take extra time off to homeschool kids. If they were completely unable to work from home, they still got paid 100 percent.”
In times of crisis, how leaders respond is critical to the comfort level of staff. What sort of leader do we need in a time of crisis?
Crisis or no crisis, Scott believes the role of a leader is the same as it always has been, which is to inspire change and create culture, through “iconic actions”.
Trivellato said that in the current situation, leaders need to demonstrate softer qualities more than the hard, technical skills that were important prior to the pandemic. “Things like empathy, agility and flexibility have become critical, along with having the ability to trust your people and help keep them accountable. Listening has also become another critical leadership quality.”
Leaders are expected to have a clear vision of the direction of the business, which is particularly difficult during such uncertain and unprecedented times. According to Wittgens, “The move away from vertical leadership, toward a more horizontal form of leadership, has been accelerated, and leaders no longer need to have all of the answers. The workforce holds so much potential and leaders should be open and listen to their ideas and ask employees what they think. Tapping into that knowledge will help leaders to create the direction, vision, and leadership that is needed in a time of crisis.”
What are the differences in how you manage people remotely versus when they are in the office?
The subtleties and non-verbal cues that a manager could pick up in an office environment have gone, which in ‘normal’ circumstances would give them clues as to the mood and comfort levels of their team. Understanding how workers are coping emotionally requires far more effort, remotely.
Scott said the pandemic has been a catalyst for exposing bad management, and “bloated middle management” particularly. “The managers who lead by outcome will be fine, but anyone with an industrial and old-fashioned approach to management will be finding it difficult,” he said. However, he also believes that “accidental subtleties and implicit expectations” are still evident in a remote working scenario, which can be difficult for managers to handle. He says that while some employees may feel liberated by the current situation, it is important for managers to recognise that others may feel “trapped” by the pressure to appear always-on and visible, and he warns against managers creating “a form of tyranny” in the latter scenario.
While homeworking continues, communication is key in clarifying individual roles and expectations. It is also important that managers walk the talk and adhere to the same policies as their team and role model the behaviour that is required.
Leadership is often cited as one of the main reasons why people leave a company. In the current climate, do you think businesses will see higher turnover?
The global pandemic has proved to be an opportunity for individuals to reconnect with their families and home lives, and in the process, reflect on their priorities, work-life balance, and benefits of working from home.
Scott said that while it is too early to know the long-term impact, “people behaviour has fundamentally changed … and workers are challenging and questioning every aspect of their lives.” People may be sitting still for now, but this does not mean that they won’t make a move.
According to Wittgens, economic fear is currently impacting people’s behaviour, and said, “When we are in a state of fear, the majority of people will not be explorers, and so we will see employees sticking in their jobs until that fear vanishes”. However, once we come out of recession, she believes the younger generation especially will demand better leadership and workplaces that are more socially responsible, and they will leave if they need to.
Trivellato also agrees that this has been an important period of reflection, and that leaders should be doing more to “take the temperature of their employees”. She warns the biggest error would be for leaders to try and go back to how things were before; rather, employees will be looking for leaders who handle the crisis well and plan for a more flexible future.
How do you lead a return to the office? Do we even need an office now?
While the timeframe for reopening the office may be uncertain, leaders must decide what shape an office return will take, if at all. In a recent survey of Citrix employees across EMEA, 50 percent said they would like to go back to the office at least a few days a week, to maintain social connection, while the remaining 50 percent said they would prefer to stay at home. For many businesses, a hybrid model may end up being the most desirable outcome.
“We decided we no longer wanted to be somewhere where people go to do tasks, so we are remodeling it into a place where people come to connect. It now has lounge spaces and meeting rooms, entirely for bringing people into the building to collaborate, when we can, whether with clients or team members. The pandemic has fundamentally changed what an office is, for us,” Scott said.
Wittgens said that when people are in a heightened state of anxiety, the brain is not as productive as it can be, and so businesses should not be forcing people back to the office before they are ready. However, when the time comes and things feel safe, she thinks work will become a balance between home and office work. “People are different. Some are more comfortable working from home, and others have a stronger need for human interaction. Allowing and trusting employees to choose, and not to rule out one or the other, will be the smartest approach,” she said.
Has workplace culture changed forever?
Throughout this period, we have humanised the relationships between co-workers and leaders and found entirely new ways to connect and collaborate. But has the shape of work changed forever?
Wittgens said, “The longer we are exposed to things and create new habits, the longer these measures will remain. People are getting used to their new working environment, and we have proven that productivity is possible from home. We will see sustained changes, to a degree.”
Scott also believes that many of the changes we have seen over the past few months, are positive ones. “The situation has been a catalyst for changes that many were primed for already. We are now travelling less and having less impact on the planet. We have been talking for some time about making better use of the tools we have. The pandemic has proven to us what is possible, and I think these changes will be here to stay, and employees will demand them.”
The acceleration in business transformation has been incredible — in some cases, businesses have brought forward their plans by a decade. The pandemic has proven that change is possible, and often for the better of the organisation, and for humanity. Whatever the future holds, leaders should never doubt their power and ability to change the way we work and the way we live.
