Building a new team normal

The way forward for returning to the workplace

It’s happening again. Organisations are facing another back-to-the-office transition after months of working from home. But as our team members return, they are likely to be different versions of the people who left. After adjusting their workstations, wardrobes and routines, some will be rejoicing at returning to normality but others will be exhausted at yet another change.

For in-depth suggestions on how to navigate returning your employees to the office, read this article, which recommends simply being flexible. Recognise everyone has different emotional metabolism. We process change differently. Some of your team members may be excited to return to the office and interact with colleagues again. Others may be experiencing change fatigue and a sense of anxiety at having to share space, for example.

It’s important to understand things will not simply revert back to what they were previously. Employees have had unprecedented levels of autonomy while working from home, setting their own schedules, deadlines and processes to a large extent. Many have come to value this to such a degree that they’re willing to leave their current employers if forced back into the traditional top-down approach. Research supports this by demonstrating that when employees are treated and trusted like autonomous adults, performance and engagement levels increase. Perhaps this warrants more of an outcomes- rather than task-focussed approach. Yes, organisations still need jobs completed to certain standards, but there’s often various ways of achieving these outcomes.

As your team members return and you begin to create a new sense of normal, there are bound to be some bumps in the road. These may present as an initial dip in performance, fluctuating emotions or new behaviours such as using headphones to create the illusion of solitude. It’s OK. Your team members are readjusting to working alongside others again. Acknowledge the the need for added support and perhaps the setting of new boundaries to help with re-building the team.

Speaking of team building, now may not be the time to launch into the well-intended team bonding day. People have been juggling months of team bonding while sharing home offices with their spouse, homeschooling their children and trying to remain civil while doing so. Focus instead on team connection: a mutual understanding and support for each other. Such a connection will provide a safe space for open communication around what each team member needs, setting new expectations, potentially grieving the loss of the old normal and navigating into a new normal.