Connections at work

With many companies calling employees back into the office, there is a general outcry from the masses.

When we couldn't come into the office due to the pandemic, we figured it out. It took time, it took energy, and it took a mental toll on us- but we did it. We figured out Zoom (if we were lucky, and Teams is we weren't) and we figured out how to collaborate, and communicate and coordinate remote. We put up with the ways that the companies tested and tried monitoring not just our work computers, but our work space- our homes. And yes, we adapted. Working in our living space 20 or 30 or even 60 minutes from the office was not feasible so we moved (a cost that most companies did not assist with) so that we could work in our living space.

And now, you want to go back to how it used to be?

Much like many of our personal lives through the pandemic, there is no 'going back to how it used to be,' not really. The world has changed, we have changed, our work has changed.

Working from home has opened up opportunities for many, parents and caregivers are able to find a more balanced life, those with anxiety have found space to contribute more fully to their teams, we have reduced the 'commute toll' on ourselves and on the world (carbon emissions, etc), we can find opportunities across the country and across the world without uprooting our lives, our families, and our communities.

I believe that the ability to work remote has created so much good in the world.

And I believe we have yet to really figure it out.

Hear me out (if you have gotten this far, give me another few minutes): We cannot deny all the benefit that remote work has brought us- and therefore there won't ever be a 'back to the way it used to be.' AND there is so much evidence that work done with others: is more effective, creates better solutions for our customers, makes happier employees, lengthens employee's tenure, among many other factors.

The framing there is important. Work done with others. Not 'work done near others' or 'work done in proximity of others' but 'work done WITH others.'

Unfortunately these are rarely cited when I hear companies bringing employees back into the office. What I hear most often is a lack of trust from management (or maybe a lack of purpose?), where management can only be confident their teams are bringing value to the company by looking over their shoulders.

So if we are bringing folks back into the office (or have brought them in already) and are not focused on gaining the tangible benefits of these opportunities, we are trying to put the "band-aid of micromanagement" over the "severed limb of lack of trust." A severed limb might look better with a band-aid on it, but it is not going to stabilize the body.

If your organization is requiring a return to office and not providing support for team growth, team formation, or team improvement- I want to hear about what you are doing to facilitate this. After all, this whole 'team stuff' is what I am passionate about.