"I don't know about you but I'm absolutely sick and tired of being the same person all day as I slouch around at home. I want to have different clothes, go into the office, see different people who become my lifelong friends and have a complete laugh when I'm there." ~ Lucy Kellaway, Author and Journalist
"I think what we have learned this year is that we had a dysfunctional relationship with our workplaces. Commuting for an hour each way to sit at your desk answering emails – in hindsight that looks like an act of collective lunacy." ~ Bruce Daisley, former Twitter executive and now a big-time business podcaster
Return to the Workplace
Free webinar - 19th May @ 1pm - register here
We're on the edge of a transition at the moment as some companies slowly edge back to the workplace and, in our personal lives, we are gradually experiencing more and more freedom again.
I have written in the past about how I feel it is hardwired into my brain to have a fresh start in September, alongside the return to school. There's even a French word for it - le rentrée. But with "hybrid working" the buzz word on everyone's lips, are we ready to 'go back' and do we even want to?
Whilst I have been as keen as the next person to take advantage of our greater freedoms, it does strike me that we cannot be expected to transition into the next phase without some kind of recognition of what has passed.
First, we lost our pre-Covid worlds. Our 'normal' was shattered almost overnight. And this has then been coupled with so much loss during the pandemic (pain that continues in parts of the world such as India).
As I reflected on what we are transitioning from, I noticed the following themes:
Loss of freedom alongside greater space and expansiveness
I moved out of London at the beginning of the pandemic so this has been heightened for me. I literally have more space at home and around me, than I did pre pandemic. For others, the loss of the commute or the loss of highly scheduled weekends meant greater time and space for other new past times.
What do we want to let go of here and what do we want to keep?
Greater disconnection alongside greater connection
I have found greater connection with my immediate family and my team throughout the last year. We have also noticed in our workshops and coaching that people are more ready to step into sharing how they really are, or how they really think. Yet I also notice there are those from whom I feel more disconnected.
As has been widely reported, we've sailed this pandemic in different boats.
The biggest challenges for me have been the fear of losing my business and livelihood, a short-lived (but hard) mental health dip in January (caused solely by being in isolation at home for 6 weeks) and supporting those in my team with personal losses.
My NHS friends have experienced different horrors. I wonder what space we can create to share these experiences with one another without a race to the bottom?
This isn't about comparative suffering but about honouring all of our experiences with compassion and empathy.
Collective gain alongside collective loss
I'll say it again; there has been so much loss. I am compelled to go and visit the Covid memorial wall in London to wrap my head around the scale of the loss. It feels important.
And the losses go beyond the people who have died. Teenagers have lost their university experience. The young and the old have lost countless jobs and opportunities. Businesses have gone under. Kids have lost the opportunity to play football with their mates for months on end. Some women have lost their, possibly, last chance IVF attempts.
And yet...
We did gain something. And I'm noticing a reluctance to talk about that. I have gained a new house, a new community and another dog. Our business has gained international clients as we normalise delivery over Zoom. I think we have gained more momentum behind the D, E and I agenda, particulary in relation to racial and ethnic diversity.
The gains don't cancel out the losses. But they're worth acknowledging alongside them.
Slowing down and moving forwards
For some of us, 2020 was a collective exercise in slowing down and noticing everything that brought up for us. Now as we ready ourselves to move forwards, I am aware of a continued need to slow down and to notice. Because of the work that I do, I have monthly supervision sessions that allow me to reflect and pause (when my natural default setting is one of action). Today, we modelled on a small scale that need to stop, pause, acknowledge both of our feelings and then move on.
Can we truly move forwards without acknowledging, honouring or grieving what we are leaving behind?
Because, at the end of the day, we are not 'going back' to the workplace. That would mean going backwards - to routines, processes and practices that were dehumanising and marginalising. Let us instead, take a moment to pause before we 'move forwards' into a new way of working.
How can we co-create something that is truly magical for everyone? This is a once in a generation opportunity. Let's not rush it.
Pause, and come to our webinar.
Rox
xx