The Productivity Puzzle – What Happens AfterLockdown?

It’s the 15th of June and for many of us, it’s the start of a long road to normal, or whatever the new ‘normal’ will be. For many UK employees, it’s been a cross between a 10-week holiday and house arrest; all the time in the world and nothing to do with it, other than drink of course! For others, it’s been a revelation; a realisation that we can be productive without the office commute, politics, and posturing. And for more than you may think, it’s been 10 weeks of hell with little interaction, no distractions, left to ourselves weighed by the mental torment of the lockdown. So, for those of us fortunate enough to still have our jobs and health, what will the future hold? Are there lessons we can learn from this time? What happens after lockdown?

What happened before lockdown?

Prior to lockdown, you will have endlessly heard about how unproductive we are in the UK. I have to be frank, I called bullsh#t on this many times. How you can compare a services economy where we innovate, to a manufacturing economy where they produce following innovation is beyond me. But, it’s precisely this market focus within the UK that means lessons from lockdown could be a major boost for many of us.

Lockdown has brought us many changes.

Some changes we have enjoyed more than others. Many of us have enjoyed working when suits us, rather than fallings to the commands of the meeting room calendar. Many of us have got used to channelling our usual commute time into more productive activities, whether that’s doing “P.E. with Joe” with the kids, or clearing the year-old to-do list! In the morning we enjoyed the songs of the birds and in the evenings the shine of the stars. We’ve also realised that we don’t need to drive 6 hours to close a deal, although we may have to wait 5 hours for Zoom to load our presentation!

On the flip side, while we have gained touch with nature and our families, we have lost touch with our colleagues. We have become indifferent to the subtle relationships that, for many, make work so much more than a payslip. We have been unable to separate the workplace from home, leading to some mental stress for some.

What happens after lockdown?

Firstly, I think for employers and employees the scales will shift. For entry-level jobs, there will be less opportunity and more applicants. Full employment is a distant memory of a time long since gone. However, for more experienced staff, employers will reap the rewards or the consequences of how they have treated colleagues during the lockdown. Those that have been furloughed on 80% can expect to see their ‘gesture’ repaid as talent looks to move to employers who value their team more highly.

The environment will be big.

Your team will seek environmental practices, whether that’s more web-based meetings or electric cars or bikes. Employees will work from home more frequently. This could actually lead to more productivity and positivity when returning to the office. This is due to the office now being an occasion, rather than a routine.

Of course for many, little will change for the better. For those in shops, factories, and the care industry, workloads will continue to be high, with more challenges and potentially more intrusive shift patterns, coupled with childcare headaches.

So, what happens after lockdown? Well, COVID-19 has changed us forever, but some of the changes can and will be positive. More flexible working patterns, less face to face meetings, and less time commuting will have a major impact. The last time we lost a huge amount of the world’s population to disease was in 1918 with the Spanish Flu. You could be forgiven for thinking some managers still lived in those times… However, just like the Spanish Flu, those managers will soon be extinct, hastened by COVID and the positive lessons for productivity, employee flexibility and the environment. Ah the environment, I feel another blog coming on.

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