Adjusting to the new reality

Two years into the pandemic and a majority of the workforce is still working from home; Curiously, domestic tourism is on the rise at the same time. The pandemic has tested and expanded the limits of our resilience. And we have certainly pushed the boundaries of our team’s resilience. All efforts in coping with the unprecedented circumstance were primarily experimental as nobody had written a playbook for a situation.

The initial phase of the lockdown was the debunking of the conservative belief that productivity would decline if people were allowed to work from home. Research conducted globally in 2020 proved that productivity was maintained even when people were working from home. By the start of 2021, I began to have clients, both HR professionals and business owners, noticing that productivity had plateaued, burnouts were occurring, and in some cases, attrition increased. Global studies and research were torn between those claiming that productivity was maintained during the prolonged lockdown while other studies showed a steep decline. But all were in agreement that creativity took a nosedive.

Now that cases are down and the economy opens up, those who have had people report back to work to their physical offices indicate a dramatic jump in productivity and creativity. Many are relieved that they no longer have to experience Zoom fatigue; unmuting is no longer a reflex movement. The pantry is open; aircon is a welcome relief as we brace for hot and hotter days; coffee is bottomless, and there is the joy of companionship of peers and colleagues.

I have begun doing in-person engagements for keynote speaking and leadership training and now preparing for some out-of-town and out-of-country engagements. Like many people, I had to go through a period of adjustments:

Wearing trousers and not just shorts and flipflop is a requirement, not a lifestyle choice.

Fashion has changed, and I needed to have a change of wardrobe.

I had to invest in additional equipment as in-person engagements today operate in a hybrid manner as live streaming takes place simultaneously.

Hard-working people who report back to their physical offices have to make adjustments too:

People need to relearn how to make eye contact.

Small talk has to be relearned, and there is no need to politely nod and smile at people the way they did on their screens when working from home.

Meetings in person are different from virtual meets. You have to get used to avoiding saying, “please unmute.”

You can no longer disguise yourself, turn off the camera, watch Netflix or do “add-to-cart” while the meeting is going on. You have to be your authentic self.

Eye-rolling and headbanging the table in exasperation will be noticed.

Getting used to the daily commute that everybody hates will have to be an inconvenience people will carry every working day.

Maintaining health protocol and resisting being over-confident, and not wearing face masks will also be a challenge.

The return to office or moving into a hybrid arrangement is a good indication that the pandemic is less threatening today, but the proximity of people will still take time to get used to again. Working from home when the whole world was locked down, productivity was okay as a stop-gap solution to keep the business going. But when the economy opens, there will be a need to have higher productivity and creativity to deal with competition and succeed in the new reality.

Just a few suggestions. Do not mandate people to go back to work when many of them are still in fear and anxiety. Many may consider going back after the Holy Week and when the election fever is over. Like a student going back to school, they may want to have a “travel revenge” splurge before going back. While companies may want to provide incentives for those who do. Food, fun, fellowship and development for their future (learning sessions and career-enhancing activities) would be good incentives to attract people to go back to work without being forced to. And finally, do not forget to take care of your HR head and staff. Again they will be tasked to institute change and make things happen. They need rest, recovery, and appreciation. Do not stretch them too much. We all need to adjust, but things are getting better, and I look forward to growing and succeeding more in the post-COVID economy.

(Francis Kong runs his Level Up Leadership 2.0 Master Class Online on April 20, 21, and 22. For inquiries and reservations, contact April at +63928-559-1798 or and for more information, visit www.levelupleadership.ph)