Kristina Johnson is Okta’s Chief People Officer, leading the organization’s global People function.
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Since the start of this year, professional life for the more than 16 million employees now working remotely because of the coronavirus has drastically changed. Organizations and their employees were thrust into a completely new working environment, and managers were tasked with keeping everyone on track, engaged and motivated with no real blueprint to follow. They had to quickly adapt and implement new communication tools that enabled them to manage employees over Zoom and keep everyone productive at home.
Now, as all 50 states embark on the road to reopening, many organizations are creating their own reopening plans. They’re designing new office layouts, reimagining work perks and employee benefits, and, in some cases, changing entire product lines. They’re determining who can come back and at what times and preparing for a hybrid workforce of both remote and on-site employees. When we do “return to normal,” office life will feel quite foreign — introducing yet another new chapter of professional life.
The good news: Managers will be well equipped to handle this shift. The skills they learned throughout this transition to remote work, such as how to keep employees connected and communicate efficiently while everyone is working from home, are directly transferable to a hybrid workforce.
Connecting With Employees And Maintaining Trust
The blending of home and office was a quick transition for all of us as we adapted to a fully remote workforce. To keep employees motivated and maintain a sense of community while apart, managers have encouraged connection on an emotional level. I started a text chain with my direct reports to keep up to date on personal communication; we share photos of our families and discuss weekend plans. I’ve also seen managers host happy hours over Zoom so people can decompress, teaching a new cocktail recipe as everyone follows along at home. Awards are also effective, recognizing each person for the core company values they embody. These personal touch points reinforce culture.
Trust is also a key ingredient in working remotely. Managers must have faith that their direct reports are working and giving the job their best, even if they can’t see them. Checking in incessantly and enforcing strict deadlines won’t make employees more productive, but it will erode their spirit. If you have a culture built around trust, you don't need to put additional processes in place to measure productivity.
As we eventually head back to the office — no matter what that looks like for your organization — employees will be on different schedules: coming in and out at different hours, working from across the country, helping care for their families. Understanding their emotional needs and trusting them to still produce great work will be paramount to keeping the team united in this hybrid work environment.
Handling Tough Conversations And Communicating With New Employees
It’s best practice to have tough conversations about salary, performance and office changes in person, but during this time, managers have no choice but to do so remotely. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is more important than ever in these situations. Managers need to appropriately address each situation and deliver the message in a human way — which often means over video, rather than through an email or phone call.
Positive conversations can be difficult too, such as when virtually onboarding new hires. Without the hub of a physical office, managers need to work harder to make work and the culture feel inviting. It’s best to have employees complete most of the prework upfront, including filling out online forms and reading through manuals. Then, time spent together can be focused on company culture and leadership.
There will be a new set of tough conversations when we return to the office. A higher EQ and increased sensitivity will come in handy when explaining new office rules, such as temperature checks or sign-in sheets. And making sure new hires feel a part of the office when their teammates are spread out, with masks covering their expressions, will require upfront planning and new inclusion tactics. It’s a challenge, but one that managers are ready to face.
Bringing Remote Technology Back Into The Workplace
Technology has enabled many companies to continue functioning remotely. Entire workforces rely on communication tools like Slack, Google Hangouts or Skype to stay productive. Managers have learned how to evaluate employee performance and boost morale through collaboration tools. At my company, we even hosted an entire conference for thousands of people completely virtually, over Zoom. It may have been uncomfortable to implement new tools, but entire companies now rely on them, and they’re not going away when we return to the office.
Managers should use this time to look at their tech stack and make sure they have the right collaboration tools in place before we head back. Miro, for example, is a virtual whiteboard tool that our platform integrates with and helps engineers as they think through ideas, no matter where they’re located. Tools that work in and out of the office will create a better-connected team of hybrid employees.
Embracing The ‘New Normal’
There’s been much discussion of our “new normal,” how we’ve adjusted our lives while we wait for things to start resembling the pre-coronavirus world. But our return to the office won’t necessarily be a relief. It will likely be accompanied by increased stress from adapting to yet another “new normal.”
But I’m looking forward to this next step because we have the upper hand. If we take the skills we’ve learned throughout this year with us into the next chapter, we will be more prepared than we realize.
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