Most workers believe the COVID-19 crisis marks the end of full-time work in the office and are looking for a hybrid model that blends work and home.

That is the finding from new research from ManpowerGroup. After health concerns for themselves and their family, workers are most worried about returning to an old way of working and losing the flexibility they have gained. The Future for Workers, By Workers is the second in ManpowerGroup’s What Workers Want series. The research points to employers needing to adopt a People First approach and to reimagine a future of work that works for organizations and individuals alike—prioritizing health, wellbeing and caring responsibilities.

The survey of more than 8,000 workers in eight countries reveals workers everywhere have three key priorities for the Next Normal: autonomy and their personalized version of a Hybrid Workplace with the opportunity to work remotely, yet not all the time; learning on demand—more opportunities to learn virtually and develop skills to stay employable; and finally One Life—a focus on blending work and family life for the long term.

“What started as a health crisis has evolved into an economic and social crisis. While thankfully a small proportion of the population will be infected by COVID-19, 100 percent of us will be impacted by it,” said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup chairman & CEO. “The data shows us how workers around the world are feeling about returning—concerned for their health and employment security, while seeking flexibility which allows them to better balance work and home. Those organizations that prioritize emotional wellbeing and flexibility while demonstrating how they create social impact in challenging times will be best positioned to attract and retain the best talent and ensure workers are confident, healthy and productive.”

When economic outlooks are uncertain, employability matters most to workers, with 9 in 10 workers say simply keeping their job is most important. Yet how workers feel about a return varies by gender and career stage:

• Gen-Z vs. Millennials: Gen Z’s most keen to return to the workplace to develop their careers and socialize, (51%), while millennials are least positive (38%).
• Gen X vs. Boomers: Gen X value being in the workplace to concentrate and collaborate away from household responsibilities. Boomers choose socializing and collaborating with colleagues (34%) as top reason to return.
• Gender Divide: Almost half of men (46%) feel positive about returning, only one-third of women (35%) feel the same. Women report feeling more concerned or nervous about the return. Both men and women rank not having to commute and having flexibility to work when convenient in their top three benefits of working from home.
• Working Parents: Men with children list spending time with their family as a top benefit to working remotely. Women feel more negatively about going back to work, increasing in concern the younger the child—61% for children 0-5, 53% for children 6-17 and 50% for 18+.

To download the full report, click here.

 

(This article was written by Ashira Prossack and appeared on forbes.com.)

Remote work is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

With many companies announcing the extension of their work from home policies through at least the end of the year, it’s clear that this isn’t just a trend. To succeed and thrive in a remote work environment, both employees and leaders need to focus on developing these four skills

Strong written communication.

When teams work remotely, at least half of all communication is done via writing rather than speaking. This means communicating through emails, Slack or texting. It even applies to using the chat function while you’re on a video call. You need to be able to clearly communicate no matter what platform you’re using.

Always check spelling, grammar and punctuation and proofread emails before sending them. You’ll also want to ensure you’re using the right level of formality and the right tone depending on who you’re communicating with. You can get away with less formality when messaging your coworkers than you can with your boss. Texts and Slack also call for less formality than email.

Collaboration.

Working remotely doesn’t mean working alone. You’re still going to be part of a team, which means working with colleagues on projects and tasks. Without a physical space to gather, collaboration can be a bit more challenging.

Communication skills and collaboration skills go hand in hand, as communication plays a huge role in successful collaboration. Find the right balance of video meetings, phone calls and messages to ensure ample but not overwhelming communication.

Make use of tools like project management software, shared documents and folders and dedicated Slack channels where people can easily chat with each other and find information. Get comfortable using these types of applications and working within shared documents. Become an expert in the tools and applications you’re using so that you can take advantage of all of their features.

Focus.

Working from home means there will always be distractions. From pets and children to noise from your roommates or neighbors, it’s nearly impossible to find a space that’s 100% distraction free. Your ability to focus around these distractions is an invaluable skill.

Maintain your focus by blocking out some of the visual and audible distractions. Noise cancelling headphones are fantastic, as is the power of an organized workspace. Remove as much clutter from your space as possible so your focus is only on your work. Embrace the fact that there will be interruptions and don’t dwell on an interruption when it happens. Decide if the interruption requires immediate attention or if it can be dealt with later, then quickly shift your focus back to work.

Time management.

The ability to successfully manage your own time is an invaluable skill to have, benefiting both yourself and your employer. When working from home, you don’t have any of your coworkers looking over your shoulder or the boost that comes from knowing your manager could walk by at any time. It’s up to you to stay focused on your work and ensure that you complete everything that’s assigned to you.

If you find yourself struggling with time management, try apps designed to boost productivity and track your time. Block off certain times of the day to dedicate as focus hours, where you work on one single important task at a time. Don’t allow yourself to get sidetracked with emails or Slack notifications. Try working in sprints where you work for a period of time then take a short break before repeating the cycle. Experiment to find the method that works best for you.

Adaptability.

Remote jobs offer a lot of flexibility, but that flexibility goes beyond simply being able to choose your working hours and work location. It means that you have to be prepared to adapt to new ways of working, sporadic changes, and unexpected situations.

You might be working with colleagues who are in a different time zone which impacts deadlines, when meetings can be scheduled, and even when you can get in touch with those colleagues. If you’re assigned to work with a new team, you might have to adapt to the way that team works.

Unexpected challenges also arise like internet or wifi issues, server problems, and logins not working. Be prepared for these situations, know who to contact to resolve them, and have a backup plan. Sometimes is takes a bit of creative problem solving to find a solution, but that’s all part of being adaptable.

 

(This article was written by William Arruda and appeared on forbes.com.)

A recent report found that one-fourth of U.S. employees are feeling burnout due to the pandemic.

Clearly, leading is not the same from afar. Distance creates a new set of challenges that leaders must acknowledge and conquer so they can connect with and inspire their people. Maintaining relationships with your people—and strengthening relationships among your people—needs to be a primary objective.

So as you embrace this new all-virtual world, you need to set a new tone by modifying what you do and how you do it to increase engagement and connection, without sacrificing your sanity. These four actions will help:

• Heighten the Humanity
• Make Meetings Meaningful
• Communicate Consistently
• Train Your Talent

Heighten the Humanity

Human connection is limited during the Covid-19 era, and that’s creating a humanity deficit in the workplace. Video meetings can only go so far in fostering emotional connection. A recent study by Topia, a talent mobility company, revealed that empowerment and trust were the most important factors that contribute to a great employee experience.

This means leaders need to amp up their humanity—flexing the leadership styles of coaching, inspiration and encouragement. Sure, the command-and-control leadership style was required at the beginning of this pandemic to create order and calm fears. But now that there’s a new rhythm, what your people need is emotional connection. We’re relying much more heavily on technology and hardware to meet our goals; it’s important to quash the feeling that we’re robots that can be programmed just like a device. Amping up the humanity starts with you. Get comfortable being vulnerable and sharing your own feelings. It will help you build trust and give your people permission to share their feelings too.

Ann Betz, a leading expert in the neuroscience of coaching and leadership, said, “We don’t really pay much attention to how we informally care for one another as part of our day-to-day connections at work. We’re naturally cued to noticing how each other is doing, checking in, and providing emotional support even in simple ‘pass you in the hallway’ sorts of ways. Many people during this global pandemic are much more isolated than usual, having lost the social connections inherent in the workplace.” A Workhuman survey found that 42% of workers felt a sense of loneliness and isolation once a week or more since the pandemic began.

Betz adds, “The main connection for some workers has become not each other at the water cooler, but you, the leader during regular check-ins. In the past, some of the emotional aspects of a healthy, connected team and workplace were naturally taken on by fellow team members. But now, you must pay even more attention to how people are doing and provide that social connection that mitigates against depression, anxiety and more.”

Make Meetings Meaningful

To uncover the crucial factors that influence the overall effectiveness of meetings, the scheduling tool Doodle analyzed over 30 million meetings booked globally on its platform during Q2 of 2020.

They learned that virtual one-to-one meetings jumped 136%, driven by an increased demand for frequent check-ins during Covid-19. They also found that meetings are taking up most of the workday and beyond. “There is no time in the workday when Americans are less likely to have meetings, except for the lunch hour, when there is a slight dip to 9 percent.”

Most organizations have done things to make the WFH experience resemble the WFO experience as much as possible. But Zoom meetings can only go so far. Sure, video is the next best thing to being there, but video meetings are not the same as sitting in a conference room with your colleagues where you can engage all the senses. Meeting collaboration company PGI highlights these four key differences:

• Uninterrupted Presence: Online meetings facilitate simultaneous interaction, but you’re not in the same physical environment, which means environmental stimuli will cause distractions on one end that the other side does not see.
• Full Body Language:Facial features reveal more than what you say, but there are many more types of body language that aren’t visible through a webcam.
• Interpersonal Trust:If time is built in for pleasantries and personal small talk before and after meetings, we make investments in professional relationships.
• Engagement:Distractions are a major annoyance for online meeting participants, creating a problem to solve regarding the way we run meetings; technological limitations are only half the battle.

To counteract these deficiencies, make 20% of all meetings focused on interaction, check-in and connection.

Communicate Consistently

A Microsoft study found that managers increased their communication with their people to nurture connections and manage dispersed teams from home. For example, they sent 115% more IMs in March, compared with just 50% more for individual contributors. An “Organizational Communication White Paper” by Limeade, an employee experience software company, found a positive correlation between increased communication and a favorable employee experience. They learned that when employees feel that information flows freely throughout their organization, they’re 3 times more likely to feel included and 4 times more likely to trust their organization.

Communication is key but remember speaking’s overlooked cousin: listening. Michael Bungay Stanier, author of The Coaching Habit and The Advice Trap, cautions, “In a time of crisis, the brain craves certainty. But the discipline of staying curious longer—just a little bit longer—means you’re more likely to focus on the real problems and generate better solutions. Being coach-like means slowing down the rush to action and advice.”

Train Your Talent

The Topia study referenced above found that after trust and empowerment, employees want development opportunities. These learning opportunities are more valuable than perks like a cool office space, free food and games, the study found. Although each member of your team has individual interests and learning needs—and they should be encouraged to pursue those—you need to identify a learning opportunity your team can go through together. This will help them feel the connection that was lost when they started WFH, and it will give them the opportunity to interact with each other on projects outside your team’s primary mission.

Choose learning programs that are empowering and that allow them to get to know each other on a deeper, more emotional level—addressing deep-dive topics like emotional intelligence, diversity and inclusion or my specialty, personal branding. And to entice participation, make sure the learning experience is fun, engages all your people and provides a double dose of real human connection. To implement a program without adding any stress to your people, choose something that’s asynchronous so they can go at their own pace or in pairs, and include team milestone activities (like live group Zoom sessions) for everyone to connect with each other to deepen learning, bond and have fun. And if the learning program allows for team members to go through it in cohorts, all the better—anything that helps spread the glue.

We’re living in a new world of work, and leaders are being called to venture into completely uncharted territory. This presents you with an amazing opportunity to prove that you’re the right person to guide the organization through the most turbulent, transformative business environment we’ve ever experienced.