It will have escaped no one's notice that the health crisis has severely restricted people's mobility, and moved employees away from company premises. For the past year, certain operations that used to be carried out systematically in person have been managed remotely (to find out more, listen to our podcast The future of work: how is telecommuting shaking up organizations?).
- How did this move away from sites help?
- How can teams still cooperate, i.e. operate together, no longer as a sum of individuals but as a united collective?
- How can the collective perform (economically, socially, humanely) in this new paradigm?
A paradigm shift that takes place in several acts.
ACT 1: Questioning and revealing yourself
In addition to the disastrous economic, emotional and health impacts, isolation has also allowed us to question and reveal ourselves, far from the company.
First of all, to question the meaning of your work and your aspirations, to step back and consider your usefulness and the impact of your actions on the company and, more generally, on society.
When, for years, managers have been under pressure to work 70-80 hours a week, and then all of a sudden, these same managers are put on long-term part-time contracts, you might well question their usefulness. When high earners are idling away their time, while nurses, refuse collectors and cleaning staff on minimum wage are keeping the company running, you might well question the meaning of your work.
Far from the eternal quarrel between "good" and "bad" jobs, isolation has enabled us to reconnect with the intentions behind our jobs, and redefine our contribution to the world.
Then question your own practices: bore-out or burn-out, which more and more employees are experiencing, are superb indicators of personal blockages and corporate dysfunction.
It's time not only to understand the source, but also to respond to these malfunctions.
- Do our operations serve a shared purpose?
- Do our processes run smoothly, and do they serve a corporate objective?
- Do employees and managers maintain constructive relations?
In the end, this period of isolation enabled general management to question their own company and its impact on society (the reduction in mobility had a positive impact on the climate, for example), HR to review the employee experience, managers to adapt teamwork methods and employees to redefine the meaning of their work.
This time of isolation is a wonderful opportunity to step back and take stock of what each individual and each organization wants and can contribute to society!
ACT 2: Breaking free from corporate dictatorship
For many, the company had become more a source of pressure than inspiration:
- time pressure (arriving on time and leaving on time)
- the pressure of presenteeism
- social pressure on what is "done" and what is "not done
- the pressure of "always more
- pressure to respect dress codes
- the pressure of results, largely correlated with working hours
- pressure to comply with procedures
- managerial pressure
In the end, isolating employees meant they had to regain control over their work, rediscover meaning, structure their workspace, adapt their working hours, organize their schedules and work methods, take the initiative and refocus on the essentials. In a way, through this isolation, the teams have reclaimed their freedom.
For their part, managers have had to let go of control over their teams, taking a step back from the importance of deliverables and operations to focus more on human relations. They had to switch to empowering management. In an emergency, they had to focus on priorities and essentials, sometimes with a perceived heavy workload, and less on performance at all costs.
Does this mean that operations have come to a standstill? No, not in industries that have embraced digital technology.
Does this mean the teams are less efficient? No. If recent studies are anything to go by, telecommuting can boost productivity by more than 20%. (source Institut Sapiens 20021)
However, these successes must be qualified. The results achieved and the economies maintained are largely due to the resilience of workers who have "taken it in their stride". It's time to calm down and get back to the etymology of business: "to take into one's own hands".
ACT 3: Reinventing ourselves and inventing the future of work
Isolation has brought to the fore human riches and managerial innovations that it would be a mistake to forget. The new phygital business models clearly have a future, the success of which depends on a number of parameters:
- The ability of companies to live and embody their raison d'être, their purpose, to propose a sensible course to all their teams: what are we working for? How do we contribute to a better future for society? What do we offer, and to whom?
- Acceptance of the feminine side of leadership, i.e. first and foremost to encourage men to take action in the home to share the burden, but also to accept "feminine" managerial values (which are held by both women and men) such as empathy, gentleness, sensitivity, and the priority of the collective in the company;
- The spread of co-responsibility, where the company is no longer responsible for what it does, but is responsible for what it offers its employees. It will offer workplaces, schedules, tools, best practices, support, a framework for development, training or even a contribution to society. At the same time, employees take responsibility for the quality of their work and human relations, their perception of the company and their commitment to it;
- The desire to make work more flexible, to offer choices: the question is no longer whether or not to work 100% from home, but whether to work remotely or face-to-face. Some activities require face-to-face meetings, some jobs require on-site presence, others do not. The company will propose possible options within a coherent framework, and will have to allocate mobility budgets for activities other than those initially financed. Welcome to the economy of choice!
- The implementation of simple, functional digital tools, with a view to facilitating and simplifying the work of teams (and no longer just tools for managing performance). Technological advances will soon enable qualitative digitalized human relations (sound, camera, light, eye contact, etc.) or facilitate dynamic, fun online workshops;
- Lightening and refocusing the manager's role: the manager is no longer the sole bearer of corporate strategy on the one hand, and of operational execution and team motivation on the other. It's time to unburden the manager's mule, simplifying the 1,000 reports to be completed, the 500 procedures to be followed, and the 250 "good manager" tips to be followed. Managers need to be able to focus their energy on managing operational teams (rather than managing operations through the team). The manager becomes a "container", a facilitator of relationships and knowledge.
- The development of new skills for employees, such as autonomy (in time management, stress management), initiative-taking, leadership, etc. leadership experience of connected relationships.
With the health crisis, a a new world opens up...
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