How the Coronavirus Pandemic Has Changed the Workplace

There is now a need to focus on adaptability both in terms of processes and decision making.

By ■ Mark Wager is an international leadership expert who regularly runs programmes in Fiji. Mark can be fj

Over the past year and a half, the coronavirus pandemic has changed the business world. Many businesses have struggled, some have closed, while the rest have had to pivot and learn new ways of working.

Amongst all the changes that have occurred in the business world it’s clear that there’s been some changes in how people view and perceive leadership.

The changing circumstances are forcing leaders to challenge how they lead teams, realising what has worked in the past may not be as effective in the present.

As a leadership coach, I work with a lot of leaders helping them become better leaders and in this week’s article I want to share with you some of the ways that the coronavirus pandemic has changed leadership.

Mental

health is taken more seriously

The most positive change I’ve observed is that a lot more leaders are taking mental health, both of their team and themselves far more seriously than before.

I always found it sad, when I visited companies to train leaders, that whenever I spoke about a leader’s responsibilities in regards to their team’s mental health, there were always some who held onto the outdated belief that people impacted by mental health issues were weak or too emotional.

I believe the pandemic, and in particular dealing with lockdown, has made mental health, anxiety, stress and depression a lot easier to discuss and that can only be good for everyone moving forward.

Leaders (and teams) have to be a lot more adaptable.

One of the most illogical sayings in the workplace is “we’ve always done it that way” which is usually an excuse not to accept a proposed change as to how they do their work.

Yet the pandemic has shown that businesses that have thrived during this economic downturn are the ones that were able to adapt and find new ways of working.

Leaders now find themselves in a position where it’s very difficult to predict the economic future.

When there’s so much uncertainty, instead of having fixed business leaders there is now a need to focus on adaptability both in terms of processes and decision making. Change is no longer a desirable outcome, it’s now an essential business quality.

The office model is no longer sustainable

Prior to the pandemic, there was a lot of debate in the business world about the merits of allowing people to work from home with some embracing the idea while others were resistant believing that the traditional office model is the best way to ensure that people do their best work.

If I’m being honest, there are some industries where this is true but in the majority of circumstances it’s clear that people can work from home just as effectively as an office.

The consequences are that the need for a physical office has had to be reevaluated with more businesses looking at alternatives.

Management is a thing of the past

The most significant change is that businesses are starting to realise that they need less Managers and more leaders.

Just for clarification, management and leadership are very different skills. “Management is the control and responsibility of people and resources in order to achieve an objective” while leadership is “the ability to influence people in order to achieve an objective.”

During the pandemic I received a call from a manager who wanted some advice.

As his team was working remotely, he started to question himself because his team were performing better without his constant presence than when they were in the same office.

He started to realise that he had to be less of a manager and more of a leader as his team didn’t need to be controlled.

Instead they needed to be supported, empowered and given the necessary tools and skills in order to do their job.

Fear and desperation are a dangerous combination.

There are many different ways to influence people and the pandemic has demonstrated a weakness in human nature that can be taken advantage of if leaders are not careful.

When there’s a combination of fear and desperation you will find that people will believe in and follow those who offer a solution to those fears and desperation and this is so powerful that people will follow even if the solution is illogical.

Currently there are a significant number of people around the world that are ignoring scientific facts not because they are unaware but because they are scared, so much so that they will listen to anything that addresses those fears.

Leaders need to be aware that we are in times where fear and desperation unfortunately are commonplace.

It’s not just people worried about their health but also their finances, having an income and being able to provide for their families.

In these difficult times, we need people who regardless of their position have the courage, empathy and humility to step up and lead because without them people will follow their fears rather than what’s best.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced leaders to embrace change and this has undoubtedly been an extremely difficult time but adversity encourages change and change demands innovation and when leaders are able to innovate then businesses grow and thrive and that is exactly what the world needs right now