Sustaining the Resilient Workplace A New Approach to Change Engagement
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A NEW APPROACH PROGRESSIVEAE.COM/LEARNING TO CHANGE ENGAGEMENT
GREAT SPACES CREATE BELONGING & BUILD RESILIENCE. SUSTAINING THE RESILIENT WORKPLACE
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INTRODUCTION While tactical planning is critical for a safe and healthy return to the workplace, we know physical safety and protection from infection is only one aspect to a thriving, successful organization. HR protocols; HVAC modifications; disinfecting regiments and touchless experiences; safe densities and physical separation - these are table stakes for a safe re-entry focused on mitigating disease transmission. The greatest need for a healthy return to the workplace is care and attention for human wellbeing, most importantly helping employees retain their sense of meaning in their work and belonging in the organization.
A new Gallup global meta-analysis of 62,965 business units and teams, published in the peerreviewed organizational science journal Human Performance, reports that favorable job attitudes have a stronger relationship to organizational outcomes in bad economic times than they do in normal or good times. We know that employee engagement is a key predictor of organizational success and ability to withstand adversity. In times of complexity, humans need clarity of purpose to ground us and help us feel safe. Change engagement programs should focus on how to build individual employee and organizational resiliency, and the work environment’s role in supporting these efforts.
SUSTAINING THE RESILIENT WORKPLACE
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THE CHALLENGE Everything about our current way of life has changed: In our homes, community, and work. As we return to the environments that are often central to our sense of professional stability, we understand that they will not look the same. In an extended time working from home, where many individuals mastered tasks previously thought to be dependent on the office, and technology connects remote teams, it’s easy to question if the value the office once provided is still relevant. Is real estate now an unnecessary expense? Practically speaking, our office environments are a mechanism to facilitate work: furniture, technology, supplies. But we know they are so much more. They are our connection to colleagues who often become family; they allow visibility to leadership; and they are ultimately the physical representation of our organization’s culture and community. This placemaking leads to a sense of belonging, inspiring and empowering employees and bringing them comfort. Simply stated, the workplace provides value to the employee that can’t be found elsewhere.
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A NEW APPROACH TO CHANGE ENGAGEMENT
SUSTAINING THE RESILIENT WORKPLACE
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INDIVIDUAL RESILIENCE
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A NEW APPROACH TO CHANGE ENGAGEMENT
CULTURE OF RESILIENCY Creating a culture of resiliency requires investing in the resilience of individuals and the organization as a whole. The collective of these efforts leads to a highly resilient culture that can withstand changes in the business climate and is greater than any individual’s contribution.
IT’S IMPORTANT For resilient organizations, these connections to people, processes, and strategy are important for maintaining engagement and recruiting and training top talent. The ability to return to the physical, collective environment is an opportunity to strengthen those bonds and reinforce who the organization is and where it’s headed.
But rushing back to normal isn’t the answer. Even highly engaged and resilient employees need to see that their employer is mindful of the impacts of this pandemic on our productivity, engagement, and wellbeing. This is the opportunity to reflect on what we’ve learned, and create our new way of experiencing work and work place. So how might resilient organizations help people still feel at home as they return to something that’s different? And how will the work environment provide a sense of place, belonging, and respite?
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THE SOLUTION Numerous studies have confirmed that employee engagement is a key contributor to organizational success, and strong connections to the organization’s mission and culture build engaged employees. As we venture back into the office, the role of the change engagement program is to maintain employee connections to the core of who the organization is, and their unique role in its success. COMMUNICATION Throughout the last few months, careful and intentional communication has been foundational to maintaining business and keeping employees productive. This includes sharing plans, listening, and adjusting as more is understood. It will be tempting to relax and ease back into our routines but maintaining and even increasing that feedback loop will help ease anxiety. THE TEAM A diverse core team will ensure the program’s focus is balanced between policies and procedures, space, and organizational culture. This team should include representation from leadership, HR, and design. As in any change, a strong network of change champions with clearly defined roles are critical to maintaining concise ongoing communication to staff and back to the core team.
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A NEW APPROACH TO CHANGE ENGAGEMENT
SUPPORTING RESILIENT EMPLOYEES Rather than stripping back programs and support groups out of fiscal austerity or concerns for physical distancing, think about how we might provide the same opportunities in a new format. Adapting the programs that have built our strong and resilient culture to fit in our new context will help to maintain a sense of normalcy. Information about these adapted offerings should be included in change communication.
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CHANGE ENGAGEMENT A new program to support staff at varying levels of transition back into the work environment should be focused less on management of the situation and more on navigating and reducing complexity.
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A NEW APPROACH TO CHANGE ENGAGEMENT
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SUSTAINING THE RESILIENT WORKPLACE
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WORK ENVIRONMENT The physical environment itself is critical for supporting a healthy return to the workplace. If the work environment is sterile and clinical, it sends a message to staff that it is not really safe to be here. Signage and visual cues will help to reinforce our new ways of engaging with our environment and each other and should be simple and personable.
Space is animated by people and their activities. This is relevant now more than ever as our freedom of movement has been restricted. We thrive on mobility and define progress through upward movement and change. While it would be tempting to limit activity-based work in a postcovid office, diversity of spaces will be of value for many employees after working from home in limited affordances. • Look for opportunities to accommodate varied workstyles through repurposing space that may be left vacant by employees with flex schedules or who are now primarily working from home. • Allows employees to engage in the work environment and with their colleagues to the degree they are comfortable while being respectful of others’ preferences and safety. • Rethink technology integration to focus on new ways of working as well as neutralizing presence disparity to create an equitable experience for all staff. • Consider the activities that benefit most from physical presence and ensure that spaces are adapted to accommodate safe physical distancing.
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A NEW APPROACH TO CHANGE ENGAGEMENT
SUSTAINING THE RESILIENT WORKPLACE
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ACTIVITY BASED WORK Finding new ways to support choice and diversity in the work place will allow employees to utilize a diversity of spaces to support their varying work needs, while being confident that their physical safety has been considered.
FOCUSING • •
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Provide a range of open and enclosed settings. Integrate technology and headsets to accommodate connections to remote team members. Consider movement at the desk, which may necessetate greater than 6’ of separation.
NETWORKING • • •
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Provide communal spaces for small groups to interact at safe distances. Use furniture such as cafe tables to signal spacing. Encourage mask use and limit touch points.
A NEW APPROACH TO CHANGE ENGAGEMENT
LEARNING
COLLABORATING
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Provide access to technology and white boards for small groups to share information necessary for training and mentoring. Encourage mask use and limit touch points. Providing individual tools such as markers can help.
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Adjust furniture to reduce density of enclosed spaces. Accommodate standing meetings where employees can collaborate for shorter durations and maintain safe physical distances. Always include virtual options for remote team members.
RESPITE
HOME OFFICE
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Accommodate the need to ‘get away’ and change perspective. Connect to exterior views or outdoor spaces where possible.
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Support remote employees with proper ergonomic solutions through adjustable chairs, monitor arms, or adjustable desks. Provide appropriate technology for remote connections with teams and clients/customers.
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IN CONCLUSION We’ve experienced and continue to navigate disruptions varying between minor inconveniences and significant trauma over the last few months. We will similarly have diverse needs as we re-engage our physical work environments. Connecting employees with purpose in their work, helping them to see their contributions to the organization, and using place making to provide a sense of stability will be critical for reconnecting with our work in a productive way.
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A NEW APPROACH TO CHANGE ENGAGEMENT