From Stilettos and RM Williams boots to slippers: Let’s talk about 2020

If the movie, Back to the Future, were made in 2085 instead of 1985 and Marty McFly travelled back in time to 2020, having to contend with a pandemic may have been even more of a surprise than Marty becoming his mother’s love interest (you’ll need to see the film if this isn’t making any sense).

Unfortunately, none of us have the luxury of hopping into a time-travelling DeLorean automobile and escaping 2020. Instead of focusing on all of the challenges that have surfaced due to COVID-19, what if we took a step back and considered the positives that this once-in-a-lifetime experience has brought into our lives? After switching my stilettos to comfy slippers for 4 months while working from home, I find myself gravitating towards this question.

Have the consequences of COVID-19 made us more tolerant and authentic as individuals and leaders?                       

For so many Australians, life has looked very different in 2020. As I type, my thoughts are with Victorians who are in the grip of a second lockdown. As they say, this too shall pass. Outside of Victoria, most of us have spent a good part of this year working from home. Even as most states in Australia have begun to return back to ‘normal’ (whatever that is), most workplaces have adopted a hybrid model of workplace flexibility. What this looks like is different on a case-by-case basis but where and how we work has certainly changed. If you ask me, these changes will continue as we move into 2021 and beyond.

Where will all of the adaptations and changes end? I believe this will take place by design. Our standard ways of working have been disrupted forever. We are now in the perfect position to create a workplace for the future based around technological support and the ongoing need for business evolution. From what I can see, it appears that all businesses are taking a similar approach. Leaders are embracing their team’s ability to have a voice and to choose a more casual approach to work that may include:

·        The flexibility to work from home and adjust their hours to better suit their lifestyle

·        Less unnecessary travel if meetings can be conducted via Zoom or Skype

The knock-on benefits of these changes are immeasurable, for both employees and employers. Flexible working arrangements helps people to better support their families, which in turn, makes for less stressed employees who are more switched on while on the job. Less travel means cost savings – both in terms of flight and accommodation expenses, and see resources being better utilised. Of course we need to ensure we integrate our work and home responsibilies well, ensuring we can switch off and over as we don't want "home burn out".

I believe 2020 has forced us all to be more authentic as we’ve had no choice but to invite people into our private worlds to some extent. Being in your own space in your slippers while conducting online meetings automatically makes people feel more casual. Seeing a colleague’s young child move into the background frame reminds us all that in addition to being employees, many people are Mums and Dads too. Perhaps everything we are experiencing now will become our new norm, we just don’t know.

To feel more comfortable at work, whether in the office or in our home office, is wonderful. When we work with the same people over the course of many years, often this ease builds with time. However, during this pandemic, I feel we have all found a new voice and I hope this voice better reflects our authentic selves. Authenticity cannot be ‘winged’ – it is something that people feel, an energy that marks people as memorable. This has immeasurable knock-on effects in a workplace: People exhibiting higher job satisfaction and engagement levels, people feeling happier being at work, a shared sense of belonging… this can only happen when we share our true selves with those we work closest with.

Are you curious and open to new ways of working? If you know you can do better, make a conscious effort to show up authentically at work. The need for self-leadership is more heightened during this difficult time. Don’t step back, step up!

Deborah Wilson is a Thought Leader and a Career Strategist. She takes a personalised approach to strategic career coaching and career transitions, mentoring and leadership development. Deborah provides expert guidance for individuals while supporting organisations through change and connecting people and purpose.

Call Deborah on +61 403 779 746. www.ontalent.com.au