Colossal change. As offices reopen and firms formulate “return-to-workplace” plans, it’s increasingly clear to Vertex Advisors that institutional leaders may be underestimating the depth and breadth of pandemic-driven change in their talent resources.
Colleagues, people you traditionally spent vast amounts of daily time with, have changed, and maybe even dramatically. When co-workers are in close regular proximity, change is experienced as subtle shifts over time. One has opportunities to adjust expectations and modify behavior as we each grow and mature. But the pandemic and remote work have created physical and emotional distance between colleagues and “the routine.”
Beyond forming new perspectives and general work values, your colleagues experienced profound personal shifts too. It’s possible your coworkers cared for loved ones through illness, even grieved their deaths, or were strained by distance. People moved homes, joined new communities, and found freedom in location-agnostic work. New hobbies were developed and interests formed. Other pursuits abandoned entirely. People’s professional and personal values underwent a sea change impacting how we work together now and find new talent.
Coming back to the office isn’t just about “reuniting with colleagues” or “restructuring workplace norms.” It’s truly a Great Reintegration. Professionals are learning to work with people who are familiar but now somewhat unknown. Relationships must be rebuilt or established with new colleagues. Teams must agree on new ways of communicating, planning, and executing. Conflict resolution, negotiation, and problem-solving all must be repeatedly addressed. Your firm is returning to an “office” where the dynamics have changed because the professionals have changed. If you’re an employer facing these issues, you cannot simply gloss over them and hope to return to “how it used to be.” Acknowledging your professionals’ new expectations, options, and ideas is critical to achieving team peak performance. If you want guidance to maximize productive collaboration, talk to Vertex Advisors! We are here to steer your firm to success.