There are a few lessons from the pandemic about the work which everyone should learn to be more productive. We have compiled the list of them. So let’s take a look.
Learn these important lessons from the pandemic.
It’s safe to say that 2020 was not the year that everyone expected when we celebrated its arrival last January. Before the first quarter ended, the world was essentially turned upside down, and companies and employees worldwide were left with big, impactful decisions to make when it came to business and career plans.
I don’t need to tell you that, though. Collectively, we’ve lived through (and still are) a global pandemic. But that’s not to say that there aren’t lessons from the pandemic to learn after the sudden shift in society that occurred in 2020, including ones that are here to stay.
Practical Lessons From the Pandemic that We Should Be Mindful of
Remote Work is Possible (and Successful)
Working remotely is one of the first lessons from the pandemic that we all learned. Remote work was obviously an option pre-pandemic, but very few companies were fully distributed. And there was still the mindset that in-office was better and more productive than remote work. However, once offices were deemed unsafe and stay-at-home orders were put into place, remote work was the only viable option. As the workforce got used to working from home, meeting virtually, and conducting business from their homes, it was clear that success can be found this way.
It’s not without its challenges, of course. Parents were forced to figure out a balance between working and schooling or caring for their children, roommates were forced to figure out who got to work at the kitchen table and everyone was forced to be around the same few people day in and day out.
But as we enter 2021 and many larger companies are allowing employees to work from home indefinitely or until the summer, it’s clear that remote work is here to stay.
Communication is Paramount
Messaging apps and video platforms had their heyday last year, with just about everyone relying on them for communication. Zoom was used for business meetings and birthday parties, messaging apps meant it was easy to chat to your entire team about something, but also talk to your extended family.
Going hand in hand with successful remote work are the different forms of communication that we’re all privy to. When you’re used to sitting at a big conference table to woo a client or have a whiteboard in front of you when brainstorming with a team, having software that allows you to connect and collaborate with team members and clients becomes that much more important. Very few jobs can be done in silos, so having multiple forms of communication directly impacts a distributed team’s success.
In addition to communication platforms, comes communicating with teams and managers. For example, working hours may have been pivoted due to other responsibilities, and all of that needs to be communicated. A culture of open communication allows employees to feel comfortable at work amidst a tough time.
Flexibility Is Key
With ever-changing restrictions, rules, and guidelines, businesses have had to learn how to change course quickly. Business models have learned the lessons from the pandemic that they have had to pivot, offices have had to close and managers have had to learn how to manage remotely. Plus, employees have their own set of obstacles, like adjusting to working from home and parents figuring out childcare and remote learning. Basically, the entire world has had to learn how to be flexible, be OK with things changing constantly, and work through problems that they likely haven’t had to before. As we go further into 2021, this will continue to be a key to success for both businesses and employees.
Much of what we’ve learned so far during the pandemic can be traced back to the pivot to all or mostly remote work: communication, productivity, and flexibility. And these main pillars or we can say lessons from the pandemic are here to stay.
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