A leader's reflection on lockdown mark 2

When lockdown hit in March we all scrambled to put an infrastructure in place to enable our people to function and for work to continue. We grappled with new technologies, new kitchen/bedroom/bathroom work environments and were forced out of the familiar and into a ‘new normal’ that was anything but normal.

With that enormous and sudden change came a seismic shift for those of us who manage people. A greater focus on individuals rather than profits, more autonomy and less micro-managing, greater trust and transparency and an overwhelming need and want to support the mental and physical wellbeing of our employees. 

Then lockdown ended and we made the tentative transition back to the office. Easing our way onto half-empty trains, the unfamiliar feel of a collar and tie, the relief of a new working environment and the ‘masked’ joy of being with colleagues – albeit at a distance.