A Post-Pandemic Workplace: Where Do We Go From Here?

While individuals worldwide continue to experience the adverse outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic, some things have gone back to “normal” at work. Beyond adjusting safety protocols and implementing hybrid work weeks, organizations should recognize the opportunity and need to build resiliency within the organization.

First, it is crucial to have a foundational understanding of organizational resilience. Often, people think of resilience as the mere moving forward after a stressful experience. However, organizational resilience includes refining old practices and identifying novel approaches to work in order to thrive (Vogus & Sutcliffe, 2007). Resiliency in organizations also involves planning and preparation to be more resourceful following crises. Instead of simply focusing on shifting back to how things were before the pandemic, now is an opportunity to examine the lessons learned. Organizational leadership can start by considering recent research on stress and coping among peers at work during the pandemic. A systematic review of literature on organizational resiliency highlighted how creating positive social environments where employees can freely exchange thoughts and ideas is essential to building resilience (Barasa et al., 2018).

The social environment also played a pivotal role in employees coping with COVID-19-related stress at work. Recent research on K-12 teachers (Craw & Bevan, 2022) and nurses (Craw et al., 2022) highlights how coping with stress is often a social process in which communication is inherently vital. We can turn to communal coping literature to better understand this process. Communal coping involves viewing a stressor as something to face together and addressing the problem together through action (Afifi et al., 2006; Lyons et al., 1998). The process of communal coping involves negotiation regarding problem-solving and the pooling of resources to address shared stress. For instance, K-12 teachers shared lesson plans, offered technological support, and listened to each other during the pandemic. Similarly, nurses viewed caring for all COVID-19 patients as a shared responsibility, covering for each other as needed. Social networks within the workplace are unique in that peers may better understand work-related stress because of their shared experiences. Nurses, for example, turned to peers at work because nobody else understood how it felt to treat COVID-19 patients on the front lines. Though, in instances where peers are experiencing the same stressor, such as a pandemic, this can complicate support.

Communal coping does not always lead to entirely positive outcomes. In fact, communal coping can sometimes become dysfunctional (Afifi et al., 2006; Afifi et al., 2020). Although it may be challenging for those outside one’s profession to understand their experiences, peer-to-peer support is not always a simple solution to coping with shared stress. When both people are experiencing the crisis and overwhelming stress, it can be challenging to listen to and help each other reappraise or re-evaluate the situation as less stressful. Instead, the employee might continue to fixate and compare their experiences to others with the perspective that theirs is more severe. My colleague and I found this in K-12 teachers who expressed their lack of hope for change and constantly compared their stress to others, making it difficult for peers to listen (Craw & Bevan, 2022). These instances are important to note because effective coping is especially critical in such scenarios, particularly for those who continue serving the public in crises.

While most jobs today require strong interpersonal skills, not all organizations offer continuous communication-based training. Difficult conversations regarding stress and crisis can be incredibly taxing without proper training and regular skill-building. Thus, organizations should identify ways to develop innovative approaches to fostering regular communication among employees and offer relevant training that focuses on skill-building in areas such as supportive communication and active listening. Doing so emphasizes the value of building teams and fostering work environments where peers feel comfortable sharing ideas and discussing ways to address challenges together. Although employees may not always work with the same co-workers — as we saw with nurses who were required to work in different departments daily — practicing teamwork and group communication skills may allow them to feel more prepared to face the stressor together in the future.

Recognizing opportunities to foster multigenerational relationships in the workplace is also crucial, given that employees of different ages might experience different stressors but be able to help support each other. For instance, older teachers with years of experience implementing new curricula and addressing student concerns may be less comfortable developing innovative teaching materials using technology. Those two co-workers may benefit immensely from collaborative action to address the stress of teaching during the pandemic. Communal coping occurs through interactions with others, in this case, colleagues, by co-constructing meaning and discussing ways to manage the stressor together (Lyons et al., 1998). Fostering multigenerational co-worker relationships before crises occur may allow time for relational development and demonstrate that the organization views communication and collaboration as necessary for resiliency.

The pandemic has interrupted previous plans and processes, even organizational cultures. It is easy to focus on reverting to how things were before COVID-19. So, where do organizations go from here? Leaders must recognize this opportunity to strengthen internal communication and peer-to-peer collaboration to build organizational resilience. Establishing collaborative teams and continuously teaching employees vital communication skills can help prepare your organization to adapt to future stressful experiences more effectively.