What's going to change after lockdown?

Have you been thinking about what’s going to change when we can start to come out of lockdown? In almost all of my conversations this week we talked about the impact of virtual working on our mental health and our ability to work and develop.

Interestingly, some of the things my clients say they miss are the things that I missed when I went from being employed and working in teams, to working for myself.

I really missed being part of a team, and that’s hard to replicate in a virtual setting. You can still do it of course, but the natural banter of a team is stilted, it’s harder to see and feel team energy in a virtual setting and introverts find it harder than ever to bring their insights forward.

Another thing that keeps coming up is the casual corridor conversations, the chats at the coffee machine, and the social chats over lunch. That opportunity to slightly switch off from work, and get an insight into the person behind the employee.

So as companies start to consider how much remote working will become normal, how we will ensure we don’t lose forever those things we miss? How will we find a way to replicate the corridor conversations in the new world? I’m very curious to hear your ideas.