GETTING BACK TO WORK Being on a high performing team can counteract the stress we are all enduring.
As the fog lifts and the skies brighten, leaders will naturally turn their attention from the processes and procedures necessary to run the business to the people who must now make it all happen. Furloughed, laid-off, and COVID-recovering employees are out there waiting. They have missed work, but have they missed working? SOMETHING’S MISSING AT WORK
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The definition of normal has been shattered. As we try to put it back together, we realize a few pieces are missing. There’s a persistent worry about the fragility of the human species. Our risk mitigation approaches—and customers’ perceptions of our approaches—are now connected to keeping humanity alive. The world will no longer be about “complying with regulations,” but rather will steer toward a shared responsibility for the well-being and safety of others. Employees are not the same today as when they left. In fact, no one’s the same. Many had 2020 mapped out and were rather optimistic. However, when it all came screeching to a halt, fear and stress kicked in. Loss of income or job was made worse because there was no end in sight. Prospective employees, too, have endured an extended period of chronic stress. This has very real physical impacts on people—it leads to increased cortisol levels, accelerated cellular death, decreased brain function in the prefrontal cortex (where memory resides), lower immune system responsiveness, and more.
Guests—who also experienced chronic stress—now have different expectations of every single living, working, or playing space they occupy. While they certainly miss playing outside, their outdoor experience expectations now include their need to feel safe and cared for by those who work at the outdoor businesses they visit. They will be looking through a refocused lens to see that the employees understand and take seriously the health needs of guests. WHAT HASN’T CHANGED? But there’s one important thing that hasn’t changed: Employees need clarity and a connection to purpose. And while the pandemic has given us chaos and uncertainty, businesses are purpose-built to provide employees with clarity, and business leaders are positioned to deliver it. Doing so is not just good business—it’s a generous, empathetic act of leadership that reduces chronic stress and its impacts. Research shows that being on a high-performing team—where you experience a state of “flow”—actually counteracts the effects of chronic stress. A high-performing team is one that: a) produces work that meets or exceeds the needs of the team’s “client” (or whomever the team is working for); b) becomes increasingly capable over time; and c) creates individual growth and development for each member as a result of being on the team.
BY PAUL THALLNER CEO, High Peaks Group
though they may not be sure what to expect, they probably aren’t expecting things to be exactly the same. That’s both good and bad. It’s good because leaders now have a “clean slate” opportunity to reset group and organizational norms. However, it’s also challenging, because employees will be sensitive to anything that feels threatening, unsafe, or risky. Empathy will be critical in the months ahead to ensure workplaces are safe for people to express their worries without reprisal. Leaders will be encountering people who have truly suffered. In fact, they should assume prospective employees, returning furloughed or laid-off workers, and others have been personally touched by COVID-19. One industry insider who recently had a COVID-19 scare wondered if our aerial adventure parks are truly ready to engage with employees and guests who’ve had (or may have) COVID.
POST-COVID INTERACTIONS
This person, who will remain anonymous, said: “We need to be able to set our businesses up to toggle between COVID threat levels and our responses to those as it becomes required. We need to continue developing a work culture of respect, compassion, and risk management, and continue to educate our staff and our clients. We need to collaborate more with competitors in our industry as well as align and get involved in making our community groups safer and more respectful of each other.
As people return to the workplace, they are expecting a new normal. Even
“We have all experienced a form of trauma during this pandemic, and
