The nature of work changed over the past year, so much so that it probably makes sense to pause and reflect on why we’ve made the decisions we have about the workplace.
For example, some chose their current role and career path out of a desire to be part of a team and a wish for a certain type of work environment. But now many of us are working from home, or are social distancing so much that being in the same room is a mere shadow of what it used to be. (When you can’t see the other person smile, frown or wince, you start to wonder whether it might be more productive to talk via Zoom.)
Much of my work motivation revolves around intellectual challenge, so my experience hasn’t shifted that much. Since I tend to work long and hard, my self-reflections tend to be more along the lines of whether I’m also keeping my other priorities in good order: did I balance work this week with being a good husband, father, and son? Am I contributing positively as a member of society, and being a good friend?
You might consider whether you wish to better separate work from your life, or whether you might instead wish to do a better job of blending it together.
Do you want work to be a separate thing that has clear boundaries? Or perhaps you want to be a person who mixes the two and has a little more flexibility moving back and forth between them? For all its challenges, working from home creates the opportunity to eat dinner with your family—or help a child with homework—and then finish up any work that requires your attention.
My sense is that few leaders want to work from home a hundred percent of the time, nor spend 100% of their work day in the office. What’s the right balance for you?
Here’s an interesting thought exercise… imagine that for the past 20 years, the convention in this country was that most professionals worked from home. Now imagine that some smart consultant comes up with the idea that companies should rent giant “offices” so that employees can sit and do their work together. The benefit, argues the consultant, is that employees will socialize more and thus form tighter connections that foster creativity and more efficient work together.
Do you think you’d agree with this point of view, or would you think it’s crazy to spend a sizeable percentage of revenues so that employees can “socialize more”? Oh, and don’t forget the 30-60 minutes (each way) employees will spend on commuting.
The ways we used to do things are not necessarily the best ways to do them. What’s the right way today to manage the role of work in our lives?