The ‘new normal’ wish list Top 5 things I hope will continue after we go back to work HARVARD VERITAS

I— H. Jackson Brown Jr.

N every crisis, we are unwillingly forced to change how we do things and must adapt really quickly to new norms. It was hard at first for a lot of us to switch from a physical workplace to what seems like an array of videoconferencing meetings over Zoom, Google meets, Teams and some even in Skype. We realized that even if we haven’t gone out of the house, we sometimes are still physically tired from the workday, even wearing our dress shirts on top and pajamas below.

As some cities and countries are opening up, and it seems that even though we aren’t really sure when we will go back to the office, I reflected on the things that I really hope will continue post-coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the workplace. I know that how each works is a personal preference, so let me say upfront that this might not be a one size fits all list. But I wanted to capture these thoughts during this very specific time.

Despite the stress and anxiety of rapidly changing my own work routines and ways that I do business, I tried to reflect on the silver lining of what I really actually appreciated during these times. Here are the top 5 things that I wish continues even after we go back to work:

During this Covid period, I’ve been in meetings with chief executive officers, investors and world-class founders. What I really appreciate is that there is a common greeting during Covid and it goes something like this: “How are things over there?”, “How are you holding up?” and “How is your family?” I really felt that during this time, people were kinder to each other and more united because of a common struggle during this time. Even if you have something very important or urgent to share in the meeting, everyone was willing to spend the first three to five minutes really listening to each other’s situation and truly sharing empathy with one another.

I have had a number of Zoom calls that have been “video-bombed” (in a good way) by kids, spouses, parents and others — and guess what? I loved it! This Covid-19 period revealed the fact that we are not robots, we are human beings, with lives that revolve around both work and family, both a professional and a personal life. We were forced to quickly blend these and expose them to our work colleagues, if not the public. One thing that I really appreciate is that I really felt that having to integrate in real time these two lives and for your office mates to be 100 percent for it.

If you were like me, before Covid-19 I had a block — 10 hours from 8.30 a.m. — 6.30 p.m. of workday that no one can bother me in the office unless it was an emergency call from family while I focus on my office duties. One thing I really enjoyed in this Covid time was being able to have honest scheduling priority conversations with your teams on other personal matters that need to be placed in the middle of the workday. These personal matters could constitute having to teach your kids for an online class, or having to cook lunch, or being able to spend 20 to 30 minutes with your child to give him or her a little mid-day playtime for him to get a mental health break under the sun. I really value the honesty and flexibility people are giving during this time.

During this Covid-19 time, I have pitched to hundreds of potential investors, clients, partners and hires; and one thing changed during this time of the coronavirus — the preconceived notion that business can only be done face to face has been debunked. Yes, I admit, being able to shake the hand of a business partner or having coffee with a founder to brainstorm an idea is ideal, but with us getting used to these new tools, we have to admit to ourselves, “it ain’t that bad.” If you were like me who used to believe that I needed to fly six hours coast-to-coast to do a one-to-twohour investor meeting, or a 16-hour flight to close a partner meeting, it might not be worth it anymore. I still believe that business is 100 percent personal, but now the option is not just over latte in the corner coffee shop, but also over a shared delivered meal over Zoom.

We have all been given the press release from management and human resources in the past, that what is expected are “outcomes,” but also when perfomance reviews come, they reward people who stay in the office longer than others and dub them as a “dedicated worker” or “company man/woman.” With the crisis, management has been stretched to give full to employees to achieve goals despite minimal physical supervision. I heard of horror stories from others that their manager texts each member of a team at 8.45 a.m. everyday to remind them to log on to their office computer at 9 a.m., or monitoring the hours logged in VPN by an employee to make sure its more than eight hours. One thing that high-performing organizations during the pandemic realized is that autonomy and clear goals for employees breed productivity and achieving outcomes. I really hope that most companies in the future will continue to focus on outcomes vs counting the clock.

I realize that throughout these trying times, I consider myself lucky to have the privilege of having the option to work from home, while others cant, especially our essential workers. While some of my examples focus on my own personal experience as a founder in tech, I am hoping that some of these common elements of empathy, trust, family life and understanding each other will apply to the new workplace regardless of what industry you might be in.

We have all had to adjust to this way of work, but I know you want some of them to stick even after we go back to the office. What changes will be part of your list?