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Returning to Work After Lockdown: Lessons from Wuhan
Much has been writen about workplace during the lockdown. But what happens when the social distancing and other restrictions are eventually lifted?
The survey conducted with 350+ employees returning to their workplace in Wuhan said that engagement and performance were highest when employees had mentally prepared for their return to work and their managers had demonstrated a commitment to promoting workplace health and safety. Concern about their own health and safety upon returning to work is likely to be a major source of stress for employees, and that stress can significantly diminish engagement.
To foster engagement post-lockdown, it’s important to make sure you’re not just physically ready, but also mentally prepared to return to work. While managers can’t directly eliminate these real risks, research suggests that managers can mitigate people’s concern by going out of their way to proactively promote — and enforce — workplace health and safety.
Performance Evaluation During Pandemic
In this crisis, managers are facing a trifecta of conditions that make the task even harder because they’re likely to give rise to increased bias.
Firstly, in any crisis, managers are more likely to make snap judgements, which are often influenced by stereotypes and are therefore flawed. Second, ambiguity in how assessments are made can lead to more bias. Lastly, the often implicit preference for workers who are typically able to leave home concerns at home and focus solely on work while on the job, can lead to bias, even in situations where workplace structures are being reexamined.
Such times should equip managers to create a new “normal” that values employee well-being and holds themselves and others to a standard of fairness and equity. With these strategies, companies can deliver on their intentions to advance organizational aims during tumultuous times.
Where Did the Commute Time Go?
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced a large fraction of the global workforce to work from home, which has led to an almost complete elimination of the daily commute to work. At Stanford’s study, it was found that the most visible effect of the shift to WFH is a large decline in time spent commuting (41 minutes/day). But different types of workers used that time very differently: Independent employees (i.e., those without managerial responsibilities) reallocated much of it to personal activities, whereas managers just worked longer hours and spent more time in meetings. For managers, the increase in work hours more than offset the loss in commuting time: Their work day increased on average by 56 minutes, and the time they spent replying to emails increased by 13 minutes. These changes were even larger for managers employed by large firms, who spent 22 minutes more per day in meetings, and 16 more minutes responding to emails.
To conclude, in our new WFH reality, no matter what shape it ultimately takes, organizations will need to actively help workers maintain a healthy separation between their work and their personal lives.
