As governors begin to lift closure orders, offices with remote work forces prepare for the physical and emotional challenges of reinstating in-person work. Just as organizations needed to help employees transition to home offices, they’ll need to do the same as they welcome them back to a workplace that’s going to look and feel very different from when they left it in March.

In this episode of Promo Insiders, Sara Lavenduski, senior editor of Advantages magazine, discusses this next phase with Mike Goldman, a New Jersey-based business leadership coach and the author of Breakthrough Leadership Team: Strengthening the Heart and Soul of Your Company.

Podcast Chapters:
1:00 – Communicating with employees during this next phase
2:40 – Encouraging openness about their individual comfort levels
4:56 – Managing a wide range of emotions
7:42 – “Not a flip of the switch”
10:54 – New opportunities for managers to be leaders

Goldman encouraged leaders to communicate with their teams as frequently as possible, at a rate that’s about double or triple what it is in normal times. That doesn’t mean that the length of virtual meetings should be extended at the same rate, but the goal is to make sure employees know that their company hears and supports them during this crucial time.

Mike Goldman, business leadership coach and author

“Treat your employees like the grownups that they are,” said Goldman. “We’ve got to tell them the truth. … If we want our teams to be open and honest with us [about how they’re feeling], we need to be open and honest with them. We tend to want to put our superhero capes on and be strong for everyone else.” Be honest about your own challenges, he added, and employees will follow suit so managers can get an accurate read on individuals’ emotional states and obstacles to coming back.

Goldman also warned against basing future strategy solely on the productivity of work-from-home setups. “Leaders are saying, ‘It’s way more productive than we ever thought it would be,’ ” said Goldman. “I think it’s misleading. For a few months, people could be really productive working from home. I think that if half are in the office and half are at home … if we’re not careful, morale, communication and productivity may plummet.”