COVID-19, of course, changed everything for millions of people when offices closed and work set up shop at home. What happens next, and how do employees stay healthy and engaged? Let’s look back and then ahead.

Clues From The Past

Gartner reports that pre-COVID, about one-third of the U.S. workforce worked at home some of the time. When the pandemic began the number more than doubled. Employment figures for 2019 indicate that 155.76 million people were employed in the U.S. Does that mean more than 450,000 people worked in a home office or on the kitchen table? Not really. Earlier forms of remote work did exist, one of which is the coworking space.

Coworking is usually structured as a membership arrangement that lets members come to an office space and share equipment, utilities, meeting rooms, shipping and receiving services, sometimes a receptionist and more. Many members are self-employed, and most work for different employers. 

“It wasn’t that long ago you’d hear employers say, oh, I’d never let my people work remotely,” observes Peggy Stefan, co-founder of The Commons, which has coworking offices in Excelsior and Hopkins, Minnesota. “But you know what? People go to coworking spaces specifically to work. They’re the hardest working people I’ve ever been around.”

She adds, “What we figured out how to do was work remotely before it was a necessity. The Commons is designed for flexibility, and some companies even before COVID sent teams here to brainstorm or collaborate, which makes total sense. We see more of it ahead. Because why sign a 10-year lease on more office space than you need if you can rent one of our offices for remote employees to enjoy a couple of days a month?”

Ideas For The Future of Work

In February 2021, Forbes published findings from a Steelcase study that 87 percent of business leaders expect to offer more flexibility and 72 percent expect to offer a hybrid model of working, meaning that some workdays will be in the office and some at home. 

Microsoft defines the challenges this way:

Looking ahead, we know that hybrid work requires a new operating model and strategy that encompasses flexible work policy, inclusive space design and innovative technology solutions. The modern workplace requires companies to meet new employee expectations, connect a more distributed workforce, and provide tools to create, innovate and work together to solve business problems.

In the same way that the earliest coworking offices learned by doing, listening and adapting, work models of the near and distant future will also grow and meet the needs of employees and customers through an iterative design process — plan, test, evaluate, refine. Harvard Business School faculty members offer a variety of perspectives in COVID Killed the Traditional Workplace. What Should Companies Do Now?, from leading with empathy to being fair with employees who decide to work remotely.

The New Buzzword: Employee Engagement

Ultimately, whatever model for in-person and remote work carries an organization forward, positive momentum depends on engaged employees, regardless of where they’re actually working. In business circles, “employee engagement” in 2021 could replace the 2020 buzzword, “unprecedented.” It’s that important.

Unifying employees around a company’s mission is critical. It connects employees and illuminates a common path for moving forward together. The future of work in exact details will vary from organization to organization. But a dominant takeaway from the COVID-19 pandemic is identifying, communicating and rallying around a shared sense of purpose that transcends space and time as borders blur between home and work.

For additional reading and resources:

• Reimagining the Postpandemic Workforce
• How the Coronavirus Outbreak Has – and Hasn’t – Changed the Way Americans Work 
• 2021 Work Trend Index: Annual Report “The Next Great Disruption is Hybrid Work – Are We Ready?”

Park Nicollet Foundation

Elizabeth Warner, executive director of the Park Nicollet Foundation, sums up her approach by saying, “It’s not about you. It’s about what you do for others.” This idea of servant leadership builds trust and shared values around a common vision for working together as a team. She stresses the need for over-communicating and being consistent, calm and honest.

Froehling Anderson

David Benusa, CPA, MBT and the CEO of the accounting firm Froehling Anderson, also reached out to employees as soon as they started working remotely. They surveyed technology needs and conducted training sessions for effectively engaging clients. Zoom happy hours and trivia sessions kept employees in contact with each other. The partners met regularly to discuss best practices, and Froehling Anderson surveyed clients in June to assess communications and efficiencies. Looking ahead, Benusa identifies a key challenge for remote workers. “How do we recruit and train long-term? There are a lot of details that we need to work through in terms of professional development, maintaining our culture and meeting client expectations.” Partners will discuss firm policies at an upcoming leadership retreat. 

Business & Estate Advisers

At Business & Estate Advisers, President Sarah Kaelberer notes that though some things changed, the company’s core values did not. “The ‘why’ and the ‘what’ never changed,” she states, “just the ‘how.’” By that she means there was a shift to virtual meetings and recorded presentations, but B&E’s focus on staying on top of investment, insurance and tax matters meant clients never had to experience a “new normal.” Her leadership maintained a sense of stability and reliability even during the worst months of the pandemic.

Hellmuth & Johnson

The law firm Hellmuth & Johnson also worked hard to get back to “normal.” “On June 1, we issued a comprehensive preparedness plan for our firm,” partner David Hellmuth recalls. “Since then, we have had the full participation of our company in working every day from our office.” Adaptability and a commitment to employee safety supported familiar workflows for Hellmuth & Johnson. In addition, Hellmuth & Johnson expanded its capabilities for remote access allowing employees to work remotely if they felt more comfortable doing so.

In all four instances, leadership met the demands of the moment with creativity, collaboration and decisive action. Few people predicted a global pandemic on January 1, 2020, but in the months that followed leading to the present, business leaders learned a lot at a rapid pace. It’s impossible to predict how the pandemic will wind down, but leaders at every level of an organization are now even better prepared to move forward and not just survive but thrive.

“School superintendents may have the hardest government jobs in America.”
– Ronald Heifetz, M.D. in Phi Delta Kappan, March 2006
– Dan Domenech, AASA, October 2020

What we wouldn’t give to go back to a simpler time. Who would have imagined the superintendency could get harder than even a year ago?

Reinventing and reimagining every procedure and operation in your district is exhausting. Yet, as a leader, your energy sets the tone for everyone else. And you are called to find “best practices” for our “new normal.” Except this is not normal, and there are no best practices for this century’s pandemic. But hey, You’ve got this!

You Are Not Alone

Yeah, it’s lonely at the top, but every CEO in America is struggling with similar leadership challenges right now. How do we keep safe our employees and those we serve? How do we communicate hope and optimism? What is our vision for a post-pandemic recovery?

Researchers tell us we are experiencing a quarantine state of mind—and isolation is not healthy for humans. It warps our sense of time and future. As leaders, we have to find ways to maintain human connections, promote employee well-being and envision a collective future.

Set short-term goals – literally short-term may mean a few days. Focus on dimensions of leadership that are most important to you. Delegate the rest. Visioning. Social Connection. Networking. Personal well-being. Service to others.

Find a personal confidant. Leaders need someone to talk to, to challenge your thinking and assumptions;  to help you think out loud.

Relationships and fun matter.

We typically start a school year and run on adrenaline through fall break, homecoming, and the end of the first term. Traditions and celebrations provide the energy we need to make it through the fall.

Even though large events are taboo, fun isn’t canceled. Games, challenge activities, spirit weeks, reading challenges, and recognition activities are still possible—with a little creativity. Tap the people who positively influence change within your organization. Ask them what’s working and not working. How can we create joy?

Focus on recognizing colleagues, cultivating relationships and finding opportunities for fun. Learning is a social enterprise. Relationships are more important than ever in boosting employee morale.

Communicate frequently. Lead with empathy.

Harvard researcher Amy Edmondson reminds us that during a crisis (or sustained crisis as the case may be), we have to speak from the heart and articulate our values. You likely articulated three principles or values for your back to school plan. Are you repeating them often? Are you sharing stories of staff and students who are living those values? COVID communications are typically operational and transactional. Are you hitting an emotional note? Are we sharing stories about kids and learning?

Focus your communication on the hearts and minds of your team and your kids. In education, we hire highly-effective people who connect with kids. Focus on lifting them up. Share stories of those who are overcoming the challenges and bringing can-do energy to challenges. Stories connect humanity and build relationships. Share them often.

Be intentional about refilling your tank.

The Washington Post recently started a daily newsletter titled, “What Day Is It?” It’s a nod to the way the pandemic has blurred all sense of time.

Let’s face it. Shifting from Zoom meeting to Zoom meeting with no break is not healthy. When meetings were in-person, at least we got up to change rooms or drive to a different school. If we look at stress as an ongoing phenomenon, then we have to build stress abatement strategies into our routines. Leadership is an energy game. What refuels your tank? Schedule refueling into your week.

Make conscious decisions about routines. Set boundaries. Model healthy behaviors for your teams: exercise, eat healthily, sleep, breath, reflect and practice gratitude. Give yourself grace. Taking care of yourself is the first step in taking care of others.