The office is now a relational space

As we enter a new chapter in the COVID-19 era, I hope leaders will rethink everything as they plan a return to the workplace.

​This is an opportunity to build on the greater flexibility that many have found in working from home and to create a new workplace that meets the needs of employees today.

I’m encouraging leaders in my circle to break down barriers that have helped perpetuate inequality in the workplace such as set work hours, the over-reliance on facetime, rigid expectations around dress and self-expression, endless meetings in which extroverts rule the day and many others.  
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We’ve learned how much work we can execute working from home.  It’s time to make the office a relational space, one designed to inspire, sustain and empower professional relationships.  They must be spaces for community, creativity and cohesion, not for executing tasks or keeping tabs on our colleagues.

Here’s an excellent piece by McKinsey & Company that shines a light on what is possible in this new era.