Many teams will be returning to the office soon. Some of you will have new colleagues, other teams will essentially have remained the same. However, regardless of whether they are new team members or existing ones, be prepared to re-discover them: their work philosophy and persona has likely changed.
Working from home for the better part of the past 2 years, we have grown accustomed to new things, and now value old habits differently. It may no longer be as important to an employee to work toward their next promotion. They may have found something outside their work that holds their interests more, or gives them a higher sense of purpose.
As leaders, we need to understand these new priorities of our team members to continue to manage our teams effectively. The Wall Street Journal recently published a great article summarizing the 6 types of employees you're likely to face when returning to the office. They are:
#1 THE AMBITOUS EMPLOYEE
These employees are still very focused on their career and have worked diligently in their role throughout the pandemic. As a leader you need to continue to engage with this employee to gain a deeper understanding of their ambitions, training needs and overall career objectives. Work with them to develop a plan to help them achieve their objectives, as you're likely working with a fellow future leader.
#2 WORK TO LIVE
The work-life balance employee. They have discovered that there is more to life than just work. These employees are still interested in working, and want the steady payment that work provides them, they just want to finish work a little quicker to do what truly interests them. They are hard workers, but value flexibility in work schedule.
As their leader you need to understand that these employees will not take well to last minute requests that interfere with attending an event for their children, as an example. Whenever possible, be clear with the employee about the expectations for the task and the time frame that it is required. Transparency from both sides will work well and avoid any confusion.
#3 THE WORKING PARENT
The workforce is filled with people acting as the principal care giver to their family. However, the pandemic has created additional layers of complexity and challenges for these employees, including remote schooling and ever changing quarantine requirements. These caregiving employees are mentally and physically exhausted at the end of their day, after navigating their work Zoom calls, acting as substitute teachers, doctors, and taxiing kids and their parents to appointments, only to wake up and do it all over again.
It is important for both the employee and the supervisor to recognize that this situation is only temporary. As we return to the new normal, some of their newfound responsibilities should fall by the wayside. Supporting your employee with flexibility and understanding of their current situation will be reciprocated with loyalty and trust from these hard-working, overtaxed employees.
#4 THE LONELY EMPLOYEE
These could be your younger, single employees who have been living on their own and have been isolated from social gatherings during the pandemic. They can also be parents who have had their fill of family time and Disney+ shows and are seeking some adult conversations and experiences. The virtual meetings and after work happy hour calls haven't provided the necessary social interaction that these employees are seeking.
Managers need to be aware of this and the need of employees for social interaction by trying to create an environment that fosters collaboration and deeper interpersonal relationship building for these lonely employees. Moreover, managers should try to build deeper relationships with their team members in the office and even possible host a welcome back social event.
#5 ZEST FOR LIFE
These employees can be the ones who have chosen to leave the urban areas and relocate to a lower cost of living region or one that offers them an activity that the enjoy such as skiing, hiking, sailing etc. These employees have placed life experiences in front of career advancement. However, their reshuffled priorities does not make them slackers, quite the opposite, these zesters can easily be your subject matter experts.
Managers of zesters need to recognize their uniqueness, rather hold their lack of career aspirations against them. Managers should try to provide these employees with challenging and changing tasks, which will trigger the employees sense of stimulation and excitement which will ultimately lead to a sense of personal satisfaction for the employee as they achieve the desired outcomes.
#6 THE NEWBIE
You have probably done a lot of hiring during the pandemic. In some cases you may not have even physically met the new hire. These new hires have had a difficult time getting to know their fellow teammates and the culture of your organization. Their experiences has almost exclusively been from virtual meetings.
As you head back to the office it is vitally important to treat these new hires, as new hires. Take the time to reintroduce them to your team, sit with them to discuss your expectations and introduce them to the other teams that they will be interacting with. Doing so will reinstall the expectation you have for the new hire and give them the guidance they crave to allow them to meet expectations and understand the culture of the organization.
Let’s Go And Meet Them Strangers!
The work world has changed in the past two years. Embrace the change and recognize that there is more than one way to achieve success as you build and reacclimate your team.
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