The Great Resignation
My colleague Roger Martin argues persuasively in a recent article that the underlying cause of the ongoing great resignation is habit — specifically working from home occasioned by the covid pandemic (read the article here).
Working from home, in addition to being safer, has become comfortable, convenient, and preferred by many workers. At this point, nearly two full years into the pandemic, this working from home habit has become well-established. If this is the problem, then what’s the solution for small businesses and nonprofits who are trying to reengage their workers? For those that want to enable, empower and inspire them to reach peak individual and team performance?
Take a look at your business.
What are the facts for your business? Has remote working affected customer service, business or financial results? The motivation of your team? Are they still as creative and productive as they used to be?
If nothing’s changed then it’s time to sell the office and cancel the lease.
If things have changed, especially for the worse, then it’s time to assess what’s working and what’s not… and why.
A third way?
For most businesses and nonprofits I’m working with, the best solution appears to be a third way of thinking… a pragmatic hybrid solution that brings people together when needed, and allows them to be apart when not. It allows for collaboration of work best done together as a team, and allows individuals team members to do their individual work wherever they are most comfortable, creative and productive.
A lot of important, meaningful, constructive and productive work can be done individually and remotely today enabled by the right technology and collaboration tools and techniques. But — the benefits of coming together can’t be overlooked.
Creative work and complex problem solving may be better suited to teamwork. Collaboration and unlikely connections stimulate creativity and innovation.
Teams tend to do a better job defining a problem and identifying its root cause or describing an opportunity and more of its possibilities. Bringing teams together to regroup and prepare an after action report after an event will maximize learnings — both positive and negative. Convening teams to celebrate successes, and learn from failures, broadens and deepens the learnings.
And, there is no substitute for in-person get togethers to demonstrate company core values, build an organization’s culture, and socialize new team members.