Recycled Bullsh-IT

How’s everyone feeling about the new normal? Huh, you’re not happy? It’s not working for you? What, it’s changing again? I don’t know: Some people are never satisfied.

 Last summer many of us were revelling in our newfound freedoms: –

• from commuting in cattle class with coughin’ (fare) dodgers
• from co-locating with our fellow folk and frenemies at work
• from our offensively overcrowded and obnoxious open-plan offices

 Punk & Disorderly

 A year on, and a year later than we all thought, businesses are struggling to move from the new normal (that people have tired of) back to the old normal (that few want to go back to), or to a hybrid normal (that no one understands).

 Post-pandemic Blues

Shouldn’t we all be happy that lockdown is over, and we have our lives back? (Ignoring the potential circuit-breaker lockdown being pencilled in for the autumn). For many people the thought of sharing personal space (which now has a 6’ radius), and the air we breathe, with strangers and cow-orkers is enough to trigger most of the COVID symptoms again. Others are so desperate for real human interaction they’d gladly suffer the full Greek alphabet of variants just to be with their mates.

 Hokey Cokey

For all businesses there is a mix of people who want to stay remote working, some who would like to come in occasionally, and some who just want to be office based.   So, hearing that some organisations are requiring workers to ALL work the same way (In, Out, or Shake It All About), induces head slapping all round. It takes a special bull-headed bloody-mindedness to intentionally irritate the majority of your staff just to appear decisive.

 All That Jazz

As we’re all coming to realise there is no easy answer to where to work, nor a consistent approach for all companies. Some roles in some companies for some staff are proving to be more effective when these people work remotely. There are other jobs which are nigh on impossible to do offsite, including most manual work. Many office-based knowledge tasks we have found require some casual interactions to make up for poor processes, management, or data. And the mental health of most sociable people is improved by interacting in person with like-minded souls. Or even your sour-faced colleagues at a pinch.

New Age Folk

If you’re not sure what suits your company best – here’s a thought: Talk to your staff. See what they want. Discuss the impacts for all of you and on the business. Agree some sensible trials of different ways of working and be prepared to flex over time as attitudes and feelings change. That’s of course if you really are a people-first business and not just cynically paying lip service to the staff that make your company special.

John ‘One Man Went to’ Moe