How is your team doing?

During a virtual event this week, an unexpected discussion emerged about how staffs are managing the pandemic, and it yielded some valuable insights. 

On the plus side, in assessing the overall performance of her staff’s adjustment to this odd workplace year, one participant said, “Everyone on staff did great this year.” And everyone around the table agreed. The group also spoke to the benefits technology brought to managing work during this time. 

But there were also important insights into the challenges that people face. One participant noted that the single greatest risk facing employees right now is mental health, and that leaders need to help their teams set up appropriate barriers between work and home. The memes say that the challenge of work-from-home life is the occasional roaming cat on a keyboard, but it’s the unseen challenges that bear watching.

One particularly jarring statement came when someone said high-performing employees with family commitments are considering leaving the workforce, and another participant recommended that everyone read a McKinsey & Co. report titled “Women in the Workplace 2020,” which speaks to the challenges facing all parents and can inform leaders as to the steps needed to operate effective, constructive workforces. 

I plan to read it, and I’m passing it along to you all, too.