The New Normal?
Our current state is not normal. In fact, how can we call it the new normal when it seems to change every other day and sometimes every few hours? People long to go back to the days of normal before the Coronavirus, but most recognize that will not happen. We are changed.
I invite you to learn with me as I explore how the topics below will impact the future of our daily work.
- Social distancing
- Remote work
- Contactless delivery or visits
- Flexible work schedules
- Employee wellbeing
Look for posts in the coming days and weeks. Share with your friends and send me your feedback. First, let’s tackle Social Distancing.
Physical Distancing
I agree with those that are using the phrase Physical Distancing rather than Social Distancing. Human beings are by nature social creatures. Even as we are required to stay at home, we are bridging the physical gap by connecting over the phone and computer. Even before this, the work world was evolving to find a balance between individual focus work and group collaboration. Physical distancing is bringing new challenges. In-person meetings allow users to see each other, take notes or reference content on their personal laptops, share their screens on large monitors that are easy to read, and sketch ideas quickly on an adjacent whiteboard. We have multiple media outlets at our disposable for ideation, sharing, and documentation. We can read visual clues from each other to ensure that everyone is feeling heard.
Now try to take all of that and fit it onto a 15″ laptop screen at your home office or dining room table. You must constantly toggle between reference content on your small screen, mute yourself to eliminate background noise, move your face closer to the screen to see presented content, all while remembering that others can see every strange move you make on camera. Perhaps you’ve even tilted your camera to show a diagram you quickly sketch by hand.
Virtual Meeting Guidelines
There are many virtual meeting platforms, but unless your company made significant use of these tools before, we have been on a steep learning curve to collaborate virtually in effective and meaningful ways. We are learning there is a need to develop best practices around virtual collaboration for today and the future. Here’s what to consider when developing guidelines.
