Now is the time for key conversations

2020 was a year of revolution in work.  People who had for decades worked in offices found themselves working from home.  Also, those that had embraced virtual working pre covid were now being joined by their colleagues.  The first half of 2020 was a massive corporate migration to Zoom and Microsoft Teams. That transition was not easy for everyone and working life in the new virtual land took a while for many to get used to.

As the dust settled on remote working it became apparent that things had changed, whether you were the CEO or the intern you got the same size thumbnail on zoom, you were both more often casually dressed, and you were connecting in from home.  Organisations felt less hierarchical as the virtual world did not recognise the traditional symbols of hierarchy like corner offices and executive parking spaces.

There was also a deeper shift, remote and flexible workers, who in the past had often felt left out of conversations or information were no longer disadvantaged.  Workers based in remote offices away from the HQ no longer felt out of the loop.  The information and relationship advantages of working physically and temporally near the senior management no longer held the benefit it once did.  Virtual working helped level the playing field.

So what will the next 12 months hold?  Almost all large companies are saying the future is a hybrid model.  People no longer need to be in the office Monday to Friday.  Some people will love the freedom of working from home every week, others can’t wait to restore the separation of work and home.  

What will emerge as organisations and teams find their new rhythm of working?  Who will be advantaged and disadvantaged as things change again?  What dynamics will emerge or re-emerge over the next 6 months?  The truth is nobody knows.  However, now more than ever is the time to engage with your team to hold those key conversations. In times of change team coaching create the conditions to establish healthy and effective ways of working that support your employees, teams, organisation, and customers.