What Can We Learn From "Stay At Home?"
As states start to reopen, we are positive that we will never forget these “Stay at Home” times we are experiencing. We were almost instantly thrust into this unknown situation where our work and home are entirely intertwined. With "Stay at Home" orders in place, we are experiencing more enforced restrictions than we have ever known in the United States. It is an interesting time to reflect on how work has changed and learn from these changes. It is essential to understand how these adaptations allowed us to continue to collaborate and what seemed to keep our teams positive and efficient.
Orson Welles said it well, “the enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” In our current context, when faced with extreme restrictions like we currently have, we become incredibly creative. It has been interesting to watch how our teams have adapted to make things “normal.” Our teams have replaced the quick check-ins that generally would have happened at the office with IMs, virtual happy hours, and brief video meetings. One thing is apparent; we all need consistent social interactions. Even those of us introverts who claim we have been preparing for this all our lives quickly realized how quickly we yearned for face-to-face interactions.
Another interesting detail we noticed is, even though our number of meetings increased with the “Stay at Home” order, the length of our meetings has decreased. The debate is still out on the reasoning, but with the increased number of meetings, our calendars are somehow even more stacked than they were at the office. Our guess is that with the added constraints of time, our meetings have become more efficient, and we have become better at prioritizing. Just like limitations can add creativity, time constraints can have the same effect on productivity.
As our world slowly starts to reopen, and many of us start to get back to our offices, take a moment, and reflect on this unprecedented experience. Look for what worked for you in these unsettling times and bring them back into our world of more certainty. Note that our colleagues are more important than we ever knew and that we can not live without that social interaction. Additionally, don’t forget about these restraints and how they helped you be more productive, creative, or both. Finally, as we try our hand at a completely new “normal” once again, stay safe as you reenter our world as it currently stands and reach out to your Pendello Solutions team for any assistance as you get back to business “as usual.”
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