The Results Are In!

The results are in!

It’s not just ‘where we work’ that has shifted as a result of Covid19 and Lockdown.  There are a whole plethora of ‘mindset changes’ that have occurred and will, no doubt, form a part of our future workforce models.  Here, we chart some of the progress we have experienced:

Leaders took a leap of faith on 23rd March.

The world turned upside down and many Leaders who had previously practised presenteeism, had to trust their people like never before.  For many that was tough – but they did it.

How many Leaders have you heard remark on the experience and how much more productive their workforce is without the commute and the office distractions?  This period has had the most amazing shift on traditional Leader mindsets

Many Leaders now question their need for a corporate office.

While the big boys – Barclays, Google and Microsoft line up to state their claim to implement remote working permanently – many of our Clients are looking at this through a different lens. There’s more of an appetite for a choice of smart working options amongst our Clients – rather than reliance on one type.

And they are telling us they want to reduce costs by doing away with city based offices. However, they also want is to understand, specifically, where the talent they require, resides in the UK.  Knowing this will widen their candidate pool and enable them to attract the absolute right person, at the right time with the right skills.  It will also allow them to know where to rent strategically placed ‘hubs’ so that groups of workers can meet to collaborate on projects.

We’re working with them on this.

What employees want and need from their employer have changed too.

The next mindset shift is the realisation that the best workers don’t want to return the the old fashioned ways of working.

Our surveys are showing that 80% of employees want more choice and smarter working options than they did pre-lockdown.  Indeed only 20% want to return to the office full time and many of those are telling us this is down to difficult working conditions, noise or lack of space at home.

Others cite loneliness as the reason they prefer the office. Some of our workforce want that sense of belonging and camaraderie office-life enables.

Different work cultures are evolving.

There is definitely more empathy around and it is emanating from the very top. Their traditional view of the workforce was hierarchical –  a set of teams or departments to be directed, managed and communicated too. This mindset is eroding – and not before time.

Instead, Leaders are beginning to recognise people for the individuals they are. We all have varying needs and reasons for wanting to work and when we start our day we don’t suddenly take leave of the responsibilities we have to our families and communities.

Leaders are finding new ways of gaining feedback

Leaders are recognising they need to pivot to ensure employee well-being is catered for. The working from home experiment has taught them that there is a direct correlation between the health and well-being of individuals and the health and well-being of the organisation.

Some are conducting anonymous surveys to gain feedback.  Others have gained the confidence to cut straight to the core of work or personal issues. They have worked out that professional honesty and consideration is not just acceptable, but essential, in the new world of work. Nearly all, except for few dinosaurs, are listening!

It’s fair to say, for many of us work has felt like the only normal thing in life over the past few weeks. As we emerge into the new normal, we will be taking a whole host of new norms with us.

So, the results are in!   Mindsets have been shifted. There is now a keen focus for Leaders to listen, support and consider the individual needs of their people than we have ever seen before. Result!

Ruth, Olly and the Team are helping large numbers of Clients build a commercially focused workforce model, at pace,that meets the needs of their Clients and their People.  Contact us for a chat about how we can help you here