It’s that time again. A new school year is starting, but unlike any we’ve experienced before.
In NC, many of us are ready to take first day of school photos of our children. We will try to inject some normalcy before sitting them behind a computer and establishing a virtual schooling routine.
For many of us, we still do not know what school day / week schedule will be, what classes and electives will be offered, or the teachers whose faces will pop up on Zoom. At this point, we’ve had to become comfortable with unknowns, constant changes, and a complete lack of control.
While that may be challenging at home, that becomes even more difficult at work. Assuming we’ve been fortunate to be able to keep our jobs during the pandemic and economic downturn, having to adjust with little notice in support of our children provides added complexity.
Leaders can help their teams get ahead of the uncertainty
Leaders at all levels of every company should have been preparing for what’s coming. We’ve known for a while it would.
Each year, there is a shift in late August from summer mode to school mode. This year, there will likely be several shifts. Whether schools are attempting in-person classes, a hybrid model, or all virtual, there will be more change than we are used to this fall.
Organizations can assist their people and prepare for the inevitable changes that are coming. As schools reopen, deal with positive cases and quarantines, potentially extend or move to virtual solutions…leaders can help employees control what they can and provide support when they can’t.
We can leave it up to each person to figure this out on their own. However, that doesn’t do the person or the organization much good.
There is an opportunity to provide transparency into the needs of the individual and the organization. To have open dialogue regarding conflicts and how to best resolve them.
Seven steps to clarity and support
Working with the leaders on my team, we are following a series of steps to create transparency among us. Then we will branch out to all individuals in our department.
While not everyone on the team has school-aged children, we plan to follow the process with everyone. Some may have elder parents and others have health concerns. We want to be inclusive. We will provide everyone with a method to create transparency into their needs during this unprecedented time.
Note that this is structured around remote office work. The same ideas hold for other types of work. They may consider start and end times, or whatever other flexibility companies and leaders can offer their people.
The intention is for leaders to initiate conversations with their people to determine how to best support them.
1. Create a base schedule around home requirements
The first step is for the employee to determine what the “rocks” are at home. This may look different for each person. As a reminder…leaders, you are employees too and should do this as well.
For many of us, our children have to be on virtual classes 3-4 times a day or they are marked absent. Depending on the age of the child, and whether there is another adult present available to assist, there may be times that are not conducive to meetings or certain types of work.
Using this information, it’s time to create a base schedule. It would include ideal start and end times with blocks for the immoveable home needs.
2. Overlay work requirements
Once the home needs are understood, it’s time to look at the work expectations. Depending on the role, time of year, etc there may be “rocks” at work as well.
Whether these are customer meetings, certain types of scheduled tasks, or other commitments, layer the work needs onto the base schedule to create an integrated home and work schedule.
3. Resolve conflicts
Very quickly, it may become clear that there isn’t a fit. Conflict resolution can take place in two ways.
The first is within the control of the individual – look for ways in the home environment to adjust around the work conflict. For example, if there is another adult in the house, are there scheduling shifts that can be affected so both parents’ work schedules can be accommodated?
For some, such as single parents, these kinds of options may be limited. In many communities, families are creating small “pods” to share virtual learning responsibilities to address such disparity.
Even with these adjustments, there may be some conflicts that cannot be resolved. These are discussion opportunities with the individual’s leader to determine options to move the work conflict, shift responsibilities across the team, or other methods to make the schedule work.
4. Share schedule with leader, peers, and directs as applicable
Once the integrated schedule is created and conflicts addressed, a best practice would be to share that information with others.
If there are set times during the day that are unavailable for meetings, that might mean blocking certain times in Outlook. It could involve discussing calendars at a team meeting or 1×1 to help set expectations with peers or a leader.
5. Create norms for handling conflicts
No matter how much effort we put into creating a schedule, it will only last until the first conflict.
If a leader has everyone on the team create a schedule, a best practice is to bring the team together to not only share schedules, but talk about how to handle conflict when it arises.
For example, if there’s a project meeting that is happening at a time when a key resource is unavailable, what should the individual do? Will others step in for coverage so the person’s schedule can be honored? Review common scenarios and determine responses so everyone is on the same page.
6. Provide ongoing support
Once the norms are established, it’s time to implement the schedule(s). It’s critical for leaders to model what they want to see with the team. To do their best to honor what’s been agreed to.
When tempted to reach out to someone during a blocked time, stop. Consider whether someone else available resolve it. Can it wait 30 minutes? Would text work instead of a meeting?
If a leader doesn’t honor the schedule, neither will the team and trust will be broken.
7. Adjust as changes occur
Change will happen. It could be days, weeks, or months into the school year, but it’s highly likely.
Agree to some sort of a review process, such as periodic 1×1 check-ins. Change is predictable, but when it happens may not be. Flexibility will be key in the coming months as our people (and we) navigate the school year.
Change is inevitable, but preparation is possible
If you are a leader, I’d encourage working with your teams to create schedules and team norms that allow you to support each other over the coming months.
Maybe you aren’t a leader and are unsure how to navigate the coming weeks. Try requesting this kind of support from your leader. If that feels unsafe in this uncertain time, create your own schedule the best you can. Maybe partner with your peers to talk about how you can support one another.
None of us has a roadmap to navigate the current environment. However, we can work with the information we have, as we have it, and then adjust as best we can.
Regardless of our challenges in this time, understanding our needs is the start of being able to advocate for them.
As leaders, we can best support our people when we understand those needs, help resolve conflicts, and partner to navigate the blending and boundaries of work and home.
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What ideas or suggestions do you have for helping our teams navigate the upcoming school year? Please consider sharing your thoughts in the comments. If you use the process outlined above, I’d also like to hear how it’s working for your team.
