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Many companies now are looking at how they move people into the next phase of work and the answer is not an easy one because there are so many situations to consider.   There are the people who have worked all the way through in manufacturing and essential services; there are home workers returning to the office; there are people on furlough returning to work in retail or hospitality.  But for all of them life will be different.  Even for those who have been in the office, the shop, or the factory for the whole time, life will be different.

“I don’t want the others to come back” said a six-year-old who had been part of a very small bubble in his school.  “I liked it when they weren’t here.”  Or “they have just sat at home saving money and we’ve been coming in every day (and risking our lives doing it)”; or, from one executive “we’ll get all the marketing people back, and we’ve managed very well without them”. The question as to whether people are ready to come back is one that is concerning many Defy Expectations clients.  How do they keep the best of the lessons they have learnt in lockdown; how do they make people feel safe again (just telling them the offices are “Covid Secure) really doesn’t do it; how do you prepare them to be functionally ready to return?  How do you build the skills you need for the future?  Are those skills different now?  Do we need different people?

We are learning how to help employers answer these questions using our unique blend of tools and techniques to build skills, confidence and a workforce that embraces the new post-lockdown world.

Readiness to go back comes in very different forms and understanding how ready you, your team, your company are to face the future is going to be difficult but it will be critical for the future.

Pat Chapman-Pincher 

Pat has spent most of her career founding and growing leading edge technology companies all around the world.   Pat believes that thoughtful and inspiring leadership is critical to the future growth of the world economy and now uses her skills and experience to help leaders and teams at all levels reach their full potential and to help companies succeed in a world where technology is transforming the way we do business. 

Pat is a Founder of www.defyexpectations.co.uk