It’s Not Work From Home, It’s Something Else Entirely
I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I recently found myself reading one of those ridiculous clickbait articles you stumble upon while reading more substantive content on the Internet. The premise of the piece was how a family in China purchased what they thought was a Tibetan Mastiff puppy from a breeder which turned out to be not a dog at all, but a bear. That’s right, a bear.
I kept thinking to myself, “How on earth could someone mistake a bear for a dog?” (if you’re as intrigued and baffled as I was, look it up). But then it occurred to me - that seems like a very human error to make. Sometimes the circumstances are extremely unclear, sometimes we desperately seek familiarity, sometimes we blatantly miss obvious signs or face denial, and sometimes we simply project and see what we want to see. However, we can’t always apply what we think or believe we know to be true to something that is new, strange, or unfamiliar.
In a similar vein, COVID-19 has completely upended society in that new, strange, and unfamiliar way. As a follow-up from a recent webinar we hosted, Employee Engagement During Difficult Times, I wanted to hone in on perhaps the most crucial concept for employers to keep in mind during this time. Though it may seem like work from home, employees working remotely during quarantine do not enjoy “work from home” in its purest sense and we can’t stress enough how important it is for managers and organizations to continuously remember this fact.
Many factors come into play here, but here’s how work from home fundamentally differs from work from home during quarantine:
The world is in a state of flux
Remain empathetic to your employees. Older employees may be concerned about their retirement savings as the market fluctuates, younger employees (such as recent grads) may fear that the recency of their role may put them at higher risk of being laid off. All employees are placed in a position of uncertainty with the lack of an end date. Normal WFH conditions would not be so variable.
Ready or not, here it comes
Typically, prior to WFH a conversation is had with any relevant parties (the manager, HR, IT, etc.) to work through schedules, expectations, technical setup, and the like. Unfortunately, these conversations likely did not take place for every employee prior to quarantine. If you haven’t already, be sure to lay the groundwork on some of these items through individual video meetings with your employees to normalize WFH for them.
Pets and kids and spouses, oh my!
There are a host of external, uncontrollable factors for those working at home. Think: pets, kids, parents, spouses, roommates, poor Internet connection, the list goes on and on. These surroundings are not conducive to work and normal WFH conditions may have differed in structure (ex. childcare, dog walker) and location (ex. coworking spaces, coffee shops).
One size does not fit all
WFH translates over to some functions better than others so think of the various challenges different groups in your organization may be dealing with as they transition. Recall too that in these circumstances we are all asked to WFH at the same time without alternatives, which again is not the ideal (or typical) WFH situation.
Our advice? Toss the rulebook for right now and work directly with employees to carve out what success looks like. Outline any areas for flexibility (for example, can employees work off-peak hours after kids are sleeping during the day and one parent must watch over the kids?).
At the end of the day, we merely have to remind ourselves: it’s not a dog, it’s a bear (that is to say, it’s not work from home, it’s something else entirely). We are all in the same situation -- so feel free to emphasize relatability, create a shared understanding, and inject humor into the situation. Applaud yourself and your organization for doing the best that you can, and ensure this is the case by periodically checking in with employees to see how the systems are working.
If you are having trouble taking the temperature of the organization, consider administering our latest survey designed to address exactly this. We’ll send you a report with the results so you can evaluate what your employees need to perform their best in the comfort of their home.
Written by Sheila Shenoy
