As we plan for a safe reopening of the workplace while navigating the complexities of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations are balancing immediate and long-term needs in order to protect employees and ensure business continuity. Organizations are contending with new challenges as they lead through crisis, from empowering teams and managing IT operations remotely, to ensuring a safe and connected workplace.
The rise of this new normal creates a challenge in managing our work environments and relationships. We may no longer be able to count on seeing our colleagues and customers in person. Being prepared to manage this hybrid work environment, therefore, becomes a key skill that we need to master in order to accelerate our recovery and grow. Here are three ways to think about managing yourself in a hybrid working environment
#1 Reassess your way of working
It is not business as usual. Use the lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic to adapt your way of working to increase productivity and effectiveness. You may have found that you are better able to focus on administrative tasks in your home. Similarly, you may have found online collaboration tools that enable remote participants to be fully engaged in a meeting or workshop. Finding a way of working and creating routines that suit your context will enable you to make the most of the flexibility available in the new normal. Remember to also allocate time for your personal well-being, especially if you work remotely.
#2 Plan ahead
If you are going to work flexibly once it is safe and advisable to do so, then you should plan ahead, set expectations, and give visibility to your stakeholders on how they can work with you. This can be achieved simply by indicating your availability in your calendar or amending your email signature with your availability. You may also wish to communicate proactively — indicating your planned locations for the week. Doing so will enable your stakeholders to understand your circumstances and take this into consideration when planning their own work.
Use your days in the office to schedule events and activities that are best done in person.
To help organizations make safe, data-driven decisions on their journey to get back to work, MuleSoft has recently announced the COVID-19 Data Platform, a free service that unlocks the full power of Salesforce to gather, unify, and deliver trusted COVID-19 data to developers and analysts around the world. Using tools like this can help organizations plan ahead for the new normal.
#3 Prepare for disruptions
Be prepared for disruptions that could be caused by the need to pivot and close again. Scenarios in which you or your colleagues are required to isolate could impact any initiatives or projects you have in flight.
To mitigate this, focus on partnering closely with others to have sufficient coverage of activities you are working on. Be proactive with documentation and capturing notes in a shared platform that your team can access in the event of your unavailability.
The tips above can help you get ready for the new normal when it comes to managing your work. Many organizations have found that they have accelerated digital transformation in response to new ways of working brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now is the time to embed the positive changes and redefine the way we work to be more resilient and agile while adapting to change.
For more information on how to adjust your working model on the journey to reopen check out Work.com.
