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This is how it goes well, this is how it goes better... at 1.5 meters
It is gradually clear to everyone that Covid-19 leaves a mark. From 10 weeks of working from home with or without children, video calls, face masks in public and sanitizing gel at the entrance of all stores. These are just a few visible examples of what Covid-19 caused...
Office Centricity is Over
Shopify will close its offices until early 2021, and all employees are expected to work fully remotely. ”Office Centricity is Over” says Tobi Lutke, CEO of Shopify. With that choice, because of Covid-19, Lutke is responding to feeling empathy for the “digital by default” generation, he says. Rather, it makes me frown. Multiple studies show that people need other people to feel good. 40% of respondents to an Etion (Check In — Jochanan Eynikel) survey on what work means show that people work to meet and collaborate with other people. We are hungry for human contact and the digital side cannot completely satisfy this hunger.
How do Shopify employees feel about the CEO's decision? Would Lutke bother to question it? And get started with that input?
The impact of working from home for a long time
Lindsay and I also had a lot of conversations with both employers and employees during the lockdown, one by one longing for social contacts in the workplace. At first, it was quite fun, that Zooming, e-peritifs, digital challenges,... but after 10 weeks, the vast majority are counting down to get back to work at work.
We are social creatures and love to connect with others. Feeling part is almost as necessary as breathing. It's in our nature to surround ourselves with others. Social connectedness is a human need and is essential to our well-being (Prof. Julianne Holt-Lunstad). There is enough scientific research to prove that long-term (mandatory) working from home has an impact on happiness at work and the functioning of everyone in the organization. Not only employees, but also the employer!
Of course, the degree of contact and its form are individual. Some people like to have large groups around them. The other likes 1-1 contact more.
The fact that we started connecting digitally en masse due to Covid-19 is a unique fact. Many were not ready for one, but jumped on the bandwagon (unwillingly).
This is how it goes well, this is how it goes better... at 1.5 meters
The fact that we have to stay 1.5 meters away has become just about the “new normal”. As a precaution not to be infected and not to infect, we keep our distance. Social distancing quickly became the word of 2020, but we think physical distancing is more correct. We just didn't go into social isolation and it was a good thing we were able to keep in touch, even if it was 1.5 meters away.
Do you decide to restart and let the employees come to work?
We would like to give you a few more tips from us HR action plan: a plan that helps with the restart and how to help employees do this:
- Prepare well for the return of employees and communicate in advance what the new rules are, what you expect.
- If you continue to focus on working from home, keep paying attention to virtual follow-up as well.
- Provide a Corona Cockpit.
Work with a “core team” that bridges the gap & creates engagement for employees.
They can work on topics (e.g. working from home) and suggest proposals to you. - Collect FAQs and publish them.
Collect all the questions asked and publish them with the answers. Inform employees where they can go if they have questions.
This way, you can buffer that a question comes to you several times and you increase efficiency in communication. - Sincerely question the emotional, even individually
” How are you?” is the most important question at the moment.
