While the COVID-19 pandemic upended everyday life in America and across the world seemingly overnight, the transition back to something resembling “normal” has been and will continue to be a slow and gradual process. In many ways, the challenges of the pandemic are far from over, even as overwhelming numbers of Americans continue to get vaccinated and hospitalizations and deaths from the disease dwindle.
Now starts the difficult process of transitioning to a post-pandemic life and workplace, one that is certain to be vastly different from the pre-pandemic workplace. This means that companies and HR departments can’t rest easy now that the virus appears to be loosening its grip on America. Instead, as many organizations bring employees back to physical, in-person settings, they need to ensure a smooth transition to a safe, engaging, and effective workplace.
This is not as simple as it might initially seem. Many staff members may have been traumatized by the illness and death of loved ones or simply by the general upheaval created by the pandemic. Strong opinions for and against vaccination can create conflict in the workplace. Different preferences and expectations around remote and in-office work can cause tension among teams and between employees and managers. And, of course, there is the overall work to be done to rebuild past workplace relationships that were greatly disrupted by the pandemic.
For this feature, we reached out to industry experts for tips and advice on how to avoid a toxic post-COVID workplace.
Ask, Don’t Tell (and Listen)
Todd Ramlin is the manager of e-commerce company Cable Compare, and he’s in the process of getting his team ready to come back into the office. “Given the opposing and sometimes extreme views that have been expressed in the media about the virus, vaccines, and everything that goes with them, I’ve been justifiably concerned about transitioning back into the office,” he says. “The last thing I want is worry and fear to create an environment where my people can’t give their best effort.”
Instead of trying to second-guess what his team members are thinking, he decided to send out a survey to assess their thoughts and feelings about returning to in-person working. Fortunately, he discovered that “no one in our group was too far out of line in their thinking or beliefs than their coworkers,” he says. “We’ve been able to settle on some best practices to address any concerns and everyone in the group is happy with the consensus we’ve reached and are actually excited to see each other in person again. Before rolling out any major change that could polarize my people and potentially poison the environment, I try to solicit their feedback and make modifications to avoid any unnecessary interference with their ability to meet our goals.”
Reimagining the Workplace
As we noted earlier, one thing just about everyone can agree on is that the post-pandemic world will not look like the pre-pandemic world. It’s just not possible to turn back time. But acknowledging that fact and creating policies compatible with that reality are two different things. It’s often hard for people and organizations to accept even inevitable change.
“We all are going to need to resist the urge to want to go back to the way things were pre-pandemic,” says Teresa Hopke, CEO of Talking Talent, a global coaching firm. But that can be a good thing, she suggests.
“The pandemic has created the perfect opportunity to push the pause button, evaluate the way people are working, and create new models of work that improve productivity while reducing fatigue, burnout and mental health that was prevalent even before the pandemic,” Hopke says. This new environment, she adds, “requires investment, innovation, open minds, and a true willingness to change.” Hopke suggests empowering employees to help find their own answers through open communication forums and digital surveys. “Gather honest feedback and data to see how the new workplace can be healthier and more balanced while addressing issues head on as they arise,” she suggests.
Hopke recommends organizations throw away policies and instead create work conditions and models that treat people like adults and allow them to communicate openly and safely. “Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to anything,” she says. “Allow for personalized approaches that meet the needs of employees and organizations.”
Updating Traditional Policies to Address New Issues
The COVID-19 pandemic opened up a surprising new fault line in an existing cultural rift within the United States. Seemingly apolitical public health topics like wearing masks and receiving vaccines have become heated topics that have led to physical altercations in stores and heated debates within families. Perhaps less animated but more directly applicable to the workplace are differing preferences around the need for employees to work from the office. As workers return to physical settings, companies should not be blind to the possibility of disputes, harassment, and toxicity over those who disagree on these omnipresent subjects.
“It may be prudent for businesses to offer updated workplace ethics and harassment courses that provide guidance on setting boundaries and reminding employees of acceptable workplace behavior given the unique contours of the blended, work-on-site and work-at-home dynamic,” says Mark Onisk, Chief Content Officer at Skillsoft. “While the definition of harassment or discrimination hasn’t changed, working from home has changed how people approach their work and how they interact with colleagues on messaging platforms and video meeting applications.”
Flexibility and Transparency
Two themes many of the experts who provided input for this feature repeatedly brought up are flexibility and transparency. Quite simply, workforces have had vastly different experiences with the pandemic. Some workers and their families have been unscathed, while others have lost close friends and loved ones or have otherwise been dramatically impacted. Everyone’s situation is different, and no one can claim past experience transitioning a workforce back into the office after over a year working remotely due to a pandemic. “Flexibility” should be a mantra embraced by every company and manager working to bring people back to the office.
Perhaps the one thing that all workers—regardless of the pandemic’s personal impact on them—have in common is uncertainty. Employees are uncertain about the security of their jobs, about the health and safety of returning to the office, and about what the office will look like if and when they return. While companies and managers can’t predict the future, they can help address that uncertainty by being as transparent as possible with their employees at all times. Even the fact that there is nothing new to report is key information to provide to staff struggling with an uncertain near-term future.
The United States is just beginning to reemerge from a devastating pandemic that has upended everyday life, including work life, for well over a year. But for many companies and HR professionals, the challenges of a post-COVID world have only just begun. For companies that plan to return workers to the office, now begins the difficult job of preparing employees for that transition, and one of the last things any company wants to find when the office has reopened is a toxic workplace.