I sent the following note to my team last year.
Many of us are wondering what the post-COVID workplace will look like. In conversations with with many of you, and based on our recent survey, it’s clear that most of us enjoy aspects of being an office together AND we also appreciate the benefits of WFH. A few folks never want to return to an office ever again, and a few folks want to go back to the way things were. That’s also OK. How do we make this all work? We should expect growing pains as we trial-and-error to figure out the new normal. But before jumping into mechanics, e.g. what teams should be in the office on what days/hours, we should first align on core principles for a successful post-COVID workplace. For me it’s about flexibility, accountability, and cohesion.
Many of you mention that you like the extra flexibility of WFH. Amongst other benefits, we’re hearing that the lack of commute frees up time, it’s easier to attend to personal errands between meetings, and the lack of in-office distractions (sans kids) helps you get in the zone and do deep work. And we’re also hearing that it’s harder to collaborate virtually, it’s more challenging to connect socially, it’s harder to set boundaries between work and home, and Zoom fatigue is very real.
In a workplace with more flexibility, the right kind of accountability will help minimize chaos and deliver results. This isn’t about creepily monitoring employees. It’s about recognizing that we are a team, and teammates depend on each other to get things done. We disrupt others when we don’t do things when we say we will. Setting clearer expectations and creating more shared context about our availability, deliverables, and deadlines enables more freedom AND stronger performance. For example — how often should we check and respond to Slack? Stay tuned for more on this topic.
Last but not least is cohesion. We could have all the flexibility and accountability in the world, but without connection to each other and shared long-term purpose, we’re effectively a group of professional freelancers. How do we help new hires get into the groove when they can’t casually tap on someone’s shoulder? How do we build an inclusive culture when some folks are remote and others are together in an office on a given day? I’m noticing that in COVID we more naturally focus on our immediate team — how do we cultivate cross-team connections and company wide visibility?
There are no established playbooks that easily answer these questions — we will figure out all of this together over the coming quarters and years. I’m excited about the possibilities that have emerged for the future of work. It will take thoughtfulness and experimentation to drive the right balance of flexibility, accountability, and cohesion, but if done right, I believe we can be even happier AND more productive in this brave new world. But we need to be patient and iterative, and remember that we’re co-creating this new experience.
