Staying Productive As We Transition To In-Person Or Hybrid Work
Over the past year, we’ve struggled to stay productive in our virtual world of work while managing the at-home responsibilities that shifted simultaneously. Sharing workspace, balancing virtual school with Zoom meetings and finding creative ways to decompress after a long day have become the new work-life balance. We’ve all adapted to these challenges and many have become masters of productivity from home. However, some of us have felt maxed out and are ready to get back to the office. A successful transition will require creating a dialogue around productivity that flexes with the unique needs of our teammates.
What Does A Successful Transition Look Like?
Humans are resilient and adaptable, still we work best when we feel heard especially as it relates to the return-to-work conversation. For those of us preparing to return to work on an in-person or hybrid basis, how can we continue to maintain productivity among new processes and challenges? How can we look to hybrid or in-person work arrangements as opportunities rather than feeling like we are behind the 8 ball on yet another shift in the way we carry out our day-to-day?
The first step is to recognize that, like any learning curve, we won’t have the process ironed out right away. It may take time and different iterations of what work looks like to figure out the best arrangement for ourselves and our teams. We should also keep in mind that productivity measures are not one-size-fits-all. What works for one person on a team may not work for others. These new work arrangements will open the door to understanding of others’ experiences, increased empathy and a demand for flexibility as needed.
How To Begin The Conversation Around Office Productivity
UpSpiral Leadership® specializes in uniting (or in this case, reuniting) teams so that each individual feels valued and welcome to contribute to the conversation. Here are some of the unique ways we’ve encouraged our clients to begin the conversation around productivity in the return to work:
Think Bigger About Work: Create an opportunity mindset that views the new hybrid or in-person way of work as a chance to improve our skills, efficiencies, and innovation for getting the job done. Encourage collaboration that allows for one-off flexibility, shared leadership and creative autonomy to get the job done. Instead of measuring employee progress in terms of hours worked, track their individual and collective contributions instead.
Align Your Team’s Focus: Work together to prioritize the 3 Most Valuable Priorities (MVPs) for individuals and the team as a whole. Revisit these daily to ensure team alignment and carve out time in calendar blocks in case unexpected priorities take precedence.
Structure Reality: Don’t let it feel like the day has gotten away from you! Create a sense of structure and control by scheduling daily and weekly anchor events everyone can count on. Block time for co-work hours so team members can work together on common projects, ask questions or solve problems in real-time. Similarly, deep work sessions (around 90 minutes) keep focus and energy high.
Generate Clarity: Capture key decisions from meetings, both in-person and virtually, to ensure clearly defined roles and to hold each other accountable. Afterward, send a recap email that focuses on very next steps. This will create alignment and will encourage progress updates on a short list of deliverables.
Master Wellness: Support your team to reach high energy states, mindfulness and overall wellness so they can continue to rise above team and individual challenges. Encourage breaks throughout the day to recover from meeting fatigue and ask that teammates carve out time on their calendar for eating, exercising or spending time with loved ones. Set the example by doing the same and allowing them time or space to take care of personal needs. If you feel an overall sense of withdrawal from the team, give permission to turn off the camera on virtual meetings or take the meeting by phone from outdoors. Establish an open-door policy so teammates feel comfortable coming to you when they’re in need of support.
Once we realize that there is still much to figure out and no one person has all the answers, we can alleviate some of the pressure around how we will make the return to work a productive one. After-all, we are talented, capable and strong individuals who work even better in teams. Together, we can navigate and embrace the new world of work, especially when we do so with renewed purpose, curiosity and open mindedness.
UpSpiral Leadership® offers learning journeys and coaching to maximize your team’s engagement and productivity.
Give us a call to see how: Schedule a discovery call today.