Workforce Disruption and Working From Home
Certainly, for many, there has been a workforce disruption. For all the businesses and organizations attempting to navigate this pandemic environment, what has changed?
Some have faced tremendous change. They are busy beyond belief. Others have closed doors, either by government pressure or because of a lack of business.
It seems likely the biggest category is somewhere in the middle. Larger organizations are struggling to find the right path and smaller ones are examining how to get by without the horsepower of a larger operation.
This middle group likely faces the most unknown’s and deciding how they will navigate leaves their workforce wondering about their fate.
Popular wisdom suggests a good number of people who have not been displaced by the disruption are in some form, working from home.
Workforce Disruption
Working from home is not the same as being at work only now you are working in a different location. The psychology behind this change affects both the supervisor and the direct report.
Communication has changed, work hours are different, and the normal ways of doing business are of course, disrupted.
The supervisor who led by face-to-face observation is now feeling uneasy about the tasks ahead. The direct report who always waited on the supervisor to guide and steer their daily work is impacted by not knowing or understanding what to do next. Precious time is lost, productivity drops, and without precise metrics and measurements outcomes are unknown.
Working from home, for the supervisor and the direct report, requires a different approach from a conventional workplace.
Communication must be more concise than ever, accountability and responsibility shifts, and trust will be the competitive edge in the battle to the top, or the race to the bottom.
-DEG
Recently, I’ve launch two programs targeted specifically for helping individuals and teams navigate the disruption and work more effectively remotely or in work from home (WFH) environments. Check out Managing Remote Work Teams and Mastering Work From Home.
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
