Our lives, dreams and aspirations were normal. We knew how we wanted to scale our hustle, climb the career ladder, or become our best selves in 2020. We had defined all strategies and had started on the right footing. Then, boom! One month, the disease marched into our territory, through our borders and everything changed at the bat of an eyelid.
Schools, churches and workplaces, closed. Our weak healthcare systems quaked. The life we had in our cities had disappeared. The curfews and the deafening silence of the nights were enough to tell us how an unseen thing could cause a pandemic that would shake and shape the rest of our lives. For most of us, this was a defining moment that revealed and introduced us to our innermost being: who we are, what matters, the essence of life, and the need for focus and redirection. This self-awareness became necessary for our relationships with others, in our homes and workplaces.
In our work laces, for instance, the impact is felt the most. From businesses that were forced to shut down, to a negative shift in company earnings, the constantly unannounced pressure on employers, the heart-wrenching moments that called for pay cuts and downsizing of employees,, and the complexities of office politics, one would deduce that there has been lots of redefining moments at work. Although for some, the reverse is the case, there are still a few takeaways for us all, as we chart our courses in 2021.
The team that runs at the speed of the customer wins. At the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we found a shift in consumer behaviour. Movements and activities were restricted. This meant that most consumers either used digital platforms to make purchases or resorted to shops closest to them with those services. For instance, consumers would prefer to use Netflix, instead of the cinema an hour away, or use Zoom for parties, instead of attending physically. With the skyrocketing in the use of online services, we see that the maxim “Go digital or go home” has become strongly enforced. In the coming year, more consumer-centric brands must move from digital denial to digital friendliness to meet the needs of their potential audience.
Remote work is here to stay but it is not for everyone. The speed with which we moved from “What is Zoom?” (pre-COVID) to “Please send me the Meeting ID.” or “I am still in the waiting room.” (during COVID) was such an interesting one. Meetings, collaborations, idea-sharing, and team work has become effective in the past year due to the rise in the use of digital tools that support accountability and productivity. More people are getting things done from different locations. However, there is a consequent decline in the time spent with family and friends due to the overlap in work and personal time. The team that will win in 2021, will have to define and stick with the time for members to do deep work without hurting the relationships they have with themselves and their families or loved ones. Identifying the right platforms, data, timing and technologies would do wonders for both the workplace and the audience that they serve.
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Employee attrition will rise in the absence of health and work safety. With COVID-19, the #EndSARS protests, the challenges of working remotely, and employees’ personal challenges, there is a strong need to prioritize self-care. Team-bonding sessions, group health coaching, online workouts and selfcare activities might just be the little things that create the sense of belonging and value for those contributing to the workplace’s mission.
Empathetic leadership is non-negotiable. Contrary to popular opinions, employers do not have it all figured out. The teams that seem to have the courage to do the unimaginable are the ones with leaders who are not afraid to be honest and vulnerable, in such a way that the work team realizes what is at stake, and contributes valuably by owning their part of the work.
Communication is life-wire of every business. As the singer and songwriter, Timi Dakolo, once said, the best way to kill a thing is to stop communicating with it. Without proper, respectful communication, especially in-house, the foundation that founders have given sleepless nights to build, may soon crash. Establishing a seamless means of communication would remove or reduce hindrances, address conflicting interests and allow everyone to be on the same page with the increasing demands of the organization’s goal. Communication erases assumption, because assumption is the mother of conflicts.
As we live through the much acclaimed “new normal”, workplace culture would no longer be the same. With the pandemic, came lots of redefining moments. The teams that will courageously execute their dreams and build consumer or brand loyalty are the ones where the people who do the work find meaning in the cause that they contribute to.
About the Writer
Chidindu Mmadu-Okoli is a health writer and licensed medical laboratory scientist, who is passionate about telling purposeful and persuasive health stories that promote patient-provider interactions, patient-centered care and inspires healthy living.
She is a 2019 #PreventEpidemicsNaija Fellow with the Nigeria Health Watch where she lends her voice towards advocating for the need for sustainable funding for disease prevention. She is a 2019 Science Communications Fellow of the Africa Science Literary Network, a TEDx Speaker whose talk advocates for patient-centred storytelling as the future of healthcare and a member of the Society for Health Communications, USA.
Chidindu currently hosts The Vital Signs Podcast show for humanizing healthcare, and has contributed through her various communications roles to write, create and design health awareness, education and promotion materials for vulnerable patient populations, the public and policymakers.
