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Corporate Culture & Pandemic Times

Published Friday Jun 5, 2020

Author Ed Mitzen

Corporate Culture & Pandemic Times

As companies start to transition back to working in an office--likely with masks, social distancing, and many other new policies, company culture will be affected.

Problem: Your company is going to transition back to the office, and you must communicate with employees in a way that makes them feel secure about their health.

Solution:

  • Take it upon yourself as a leader to set the tone.
  • Messaging should be around the steps being taken to ensure the safety and health of employees and how that's a top priority.
  • If workers simply do not feel comfortable returning to work, respect that and let them continue remotely.
  • Know that how the transition is handled will have a major impact.

Problem: Social distancing and persistence of remote workers could impede lines of communication among teams.

Solution:

  • It’s unlikely that when people return to the office, all employees will go back at once.
  • Try to be strategic about who goes back and when, while also following health and government guidelines (i.e. bring a few, complete teams back, bring back departments who could benefit from technology/equipment not available to them at home, etc.)
  • Your people likely just went through a complete disruption to how they work, so encourage the same persistent spirit and dedication they exhibited a few months ago, now.

Problem: Without feeling safe enough to participate in company-sponsored social events or their own lunch breaks or after-work happy hours, workers may not feel as connected to peers, and it shows.

Solution:

  • Build company-wide or team-specific opportunities to connect into the workday, and make sure they are activities that everyone, even those still working remotely, can participate in.
    • If you’re a leader, take time to connect with those who you might not typically interact with.
    • Schedule 15 minutes each week for the whole office to connect via Zoom and share wins or updates, regardless of whether it's work-related or personal.
    • Encourage the use of phones and Zoom with peers instead of writing lengthy emails or messages.
    • Grab a coworker who is in the office with you to get outside for a walk during lunch.

Ed Mitzen (www.edmitzen.com) is the ForbesBook author of More Than a Number: The Power of Empathy and Philanthropy in Driving Ad Agency Performance and the founder of Fingerpaint, an independent advertising agency included on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing companies for seven straight years.

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