Glyn Yates is Principle Consultant , GTM International . In this monthly column for Intelligent Tech Channels , he shares his expertise and views on the channel and partner community .

DISCLAIMER : I have walked many roads and worn many hats and , although my experience and expertise can be valuable , my outlook on the world at large is my own and does not necessarily represent that of ITC .

strive to protect employee wellbeing to support the business wellbeing .

A lot , and I mean a lot , of focus has been on technology challenges and adoption to overcome COVID implications . But , while we have focused on the tech , the human element has been sidelined somewhat .

However , as the pandemic stretches on , and with the only certainty being uncertainty , we are seeing clear indicators that the working community needs personal interaction for basic human wellbeing . We spend a good percentage of our time ‘ at work ’ so it is vital that the new normal must consider that we are men ( and women ), not machines .

Zoom fatigue and productivity burnout

In this always Zooming environment we are tied to our screens . Productivity has spiked as our meeting workload has jumped from three to four a day to two or three times that , but with this spike also comes fatigue .

Success doesn ’ t taste as sweet if not shared , especially when most success is a team effort . We must find a way to celebrate success and achievement again , much more than a LinkedIn appreciation post .

Coffee breaks tend to be coffee during a call . Lunch breaks . . . ha . Then add the blurring of the lines between home and work – where previously a drive home from the office and removing the proverbial ‘ tie ’ meant the end of the day , and when you would never do a partner meeting at 8pm , but a partner remote meeting at the same time seems acceptable in this ‘ always on ’ world . It ’ s exhausting .

Remote onboarding and enablement is difficult

Onboarding employees , partners and customers is now far harder , and serious efforts should be made to define a plan for each . No longer can a new starter walk around the head office and get acquainted with key people and see their desks ( often a personality indicator ) or bump into the CEO in the cafeteria . No longer can we spend long afternoons sitting with partners , while they are working , to understand how they work and hence how we can support them better . No longer are we on-site with customers walking the

Glyn Yates , Principle Consultant , GTM International corridors and building internal stakeholder champions in multiple departments .

Success is harder to celebrate

During these times , there are those teams and companies that have enjoyed great success , those where COVID reactions have contributed to driving stronger revenues and better outlooks , yet whether it is the waterboarding of negative news from all media angles , or whether the team building , bonding and celebratory get togethers are just not possible , this success doesn ’ t taste as sweet if not shared , especially when most success is a team effort . We must find a way to celebrate success and achievement again , much more than a LinkedIn appreciation post .

On the lighter side of life , over the last few months I have noticed : y

y

y

I eat better – far less lunchtime fast food carb overloads . My feet are bigger – being barefoot for most of the day , my feet have expanded . Back to work will mean a trip to the stores . Luckily this will be paid for by the savings in my dry-cleaning bill . Work shirts are still worn for important Zooms ( old school ) but for one hour at a time , interchanging with the t-shirt of the day , generally over shorts – what I used to dry-clean in a week I now dry-clean in a month or two .

It is yet to be determined on whether WFH contributes to long-term employee wellbeing , and when your key resources are your employees . . . . We have focused on the business , now how do we shift and get the balance right ? •

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