In recent weeks, conversations over coffee, in group chats and on social media platforms have steered towards work woes and it had me wondering if the employee-focused environment we saw during peak pandemic has ended. Has the self-care pendulum swung back the other way?
I was hired by a half dozen organizations in 2021 to conduct self-care workshops for their employees. It was great. Folks were happy to be in community whether virtual or in person. Everyone had a story to tell or advice to share. The energy was palpable and organizational leaders were taking recommendations about how to infuse care into their workplaces from those on the front lines.
Fast forward to the end of 2022 and what I’m hearing from colleagues, clients and friends in various sectors is that unsustainable hours and workloads are back.
In the work I’m doing with a current client, we continue to bump up against the new, post March 2020 norm and how that affects culture and policy. For example, what are the expectations of remote workers? In some cases, it seems that employers are expecting MORE. In other situations, confusion over hybrid environments and unclear expectations are causing dissatisfaction and stress. Finally, I’d also posit that employees are feeling less support – or the perspective of less support – with decreased in person interaction with their managers and team.
So, if the pendulum has indeed swung in the wrong direction – how do we get back?
