Navigating Workplace ChangE Post-Pandemic

We only know one thing for sure about post-pandemic workplaces: They will be different. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, Laura Empson, professor at London’s Case Business School and Jennifer Howard- Grenville, professor at the Cambridge Judge Business School, define this pandemic as a liminal experience, an “in between” occurrence that disrupts normal life for a prolonged time and from which those who have survived return transformed. Such experiences are disturbing, but “also represent potent opportunities for reflection, discovery, and even reinvention.”

​In the post-Covid world, leaders should not try to recreate their pre-Covid cultures, say the authors. Since people will return with unanswered questions and potentially incompatible expectations, leaders need to recognize this and consider how to respond. They suggest steps leaders can take now to prepare their organizations to emerge stronger in the post-pandemic world.

• Emerge gradually: Some employees may be “gung ho” to return to normal; others may be exhausted or confused. All will need time to adjust and to process what they have experienced.
• Identify what to retain and what to discard: Identify which long-established pre-pandemic practices should be reinstated, which pandemic-driven practices should be retained, and which pandemic-era practices should be discarded.
• Don't lose the liminal altogether: The pandemic has taken a toll socially and economically, yet many people and organizations discovered new strengths and identified new opportunities. Show that you value the spirit of experimentation and adaptability that the last year engendered.

How do you think your workplace might alter after the pandemic, and how do you
plan to sustain the best changes? To join the conversation, click "comments" above.

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