With so called 'Freedom Day' approaching, and careful inching toward 'new normal' it is a useful time to reflect on the past 16 months. Risk assessment and safety protocols are important, but thoughtful leadership will be what makes the real difference to employees as they re-enter the physical workplace.
The pandemic is one season in our lives; it will end. It will be remembered as an extraordinarily difficult time. But the slow process of returning to a new normal—of naming our grief, helping one another reach acceptance, and finding meaning—will continue. For leaders that moment will be an opportunity.