How You And Your Team Can Avoid the Wellbeing Pitfalls of the New Workplace Normal

COVID-19 is reshaping the workplace. McCrindle research recently released a report showing that Australians are very positive about a shift to remote working. They found that not only do 78% of people believe it will become the new normal, but three-quarters are excited about it and consider it important to their future employer choice. This echoes similar findings by Gallup in the USA.

 

At the same time, we know there are very real challenges that come hand in hand with this ‘new normal’ of the workplace, and they’re challenges that neither employers nor employees can afford to ignore.

Book Spotlight: ‘Transitions’ by William Bridges

What does it look like when the entire world is in transition?

That’s rhetorical, of course – it looks like life in 2020.

A couple of years ago a mentor recommended this book to me when I was going through a life transition, and I found it very helpful. The other day I suddenly realised that it was newly relevant – to pretty much everyone in the world.

Book

Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes

by William Bridges

Released 2004 (this edition)

70 days In

Seventy days. That’s how long it’s been since this strange new season began.

 

That feels like a significant marker. 70 days into a crisis unprecedented in our lifetime. It feels like a moment to remind ourselves of some things as we navigate the still-shifting sands of our new normal –

Why We’re All Working With Volunteers

and why that's a good thing

I can’t remember the first time I led a team, but I know I was leading volunteers.

It’s one of the extraordinary things about volunteering in community organisations and churches – you get all kinds of opportunities you might not otherwise get to learn skills, including leadership skills. I led volunteers, followed volunteers and worked as a volunteer, for years, before I ever led in a professional setting.

But I would argue that even when everyone is getting paid, there’s a degree to which we’re all working with volunteers, whatever our roles.

The Three Tensions of Virtual Collaboration

Getting things done in today’s world means getting things done virtually.

virtual collaboration

You may be part of a not-for-profit that needs to manage volunteers with their own day jobs. You might work in a traditional co-located office but partner with companies in other locations. Perhaps, like me, you’re part of an international team working across distance and timezones. Many of us, in different ways, now need to be able to get people to work together to achieve outcomes, but can’t just pull them into a conference room whenever we need them to hash out a problem or plan.

I have a bit of a working theory that there are often three tensions at play when we do this, and that being deliberate about our priorities and expectations as we manage those tensions can help us choose the best approach for a given situation.