Five things I loved about 2020 that we should cling onto in the Old Normal
By: Joff Outlaw
Tags: Design, Covid-19, Corporate Culture, 2020, Business

Nothing beats a cup of tea. Photo Credit: Jorge Garcia

There’s an alternative post - 9,999 things I hated about 2020, but that article feels less useful and more about the past. I think there’s some good that’s come out of 2020 that will stick.

I’m hopeful we’ll return to the old normal at some point in 2021; ‘new normal’ is my least favourite phrase of 2020 and it’s unhelpful. Wearing a face mask will never be normal, seeing far-away loved ones only via screen will never be normal, not shaking hands, hugging, patting each other on the back will never be normal. Seeing the fear in someone’s eyes when you’ve accidentally stepped too close in the supermarket will never be normal.

Alas, I’m falling into the trap of writing the alternative article - here’s five things I loved about 2020:

1. The Corporate World Relinquished Its Armour

My good friend Andy Polaine and I have often discussed how some people wear their suits as a kind of modern-day armour, serving to protect them from any sign of vulnerability, whilst reinforcing their professionalism and status. This isn’t everyone of course, some people like wearing suits, go for it if you do. However, I do find it peculiar when I see someone in the office, unmoved from a desk for 8 hours, wearing a tie. Surely this isn’t practical, or comfortable.

Covid helped bring this guard down — most clients and colleagues saw the ridiculousness in putting a shirt and jacket on for a video call. I found it made conversations more authentic — more about what was discussed, without the theatrics of business attire and sparkling water. It also made leaders more approachable — wearing a suit can act as a barrier between the corporate world and the real world. I suspect many team members found it easier to talk to their boss in a t-shirt.

2. Covid Cured Inertia

The first thing that struck me when I moved to Australia in 2014 was how many businesses were seemingly unconcerned with the need to change and innovate (I wrote about this in a Mumbrella article at the time).

Whether businesses had it tough during 2020, or experienced unexpected growth, one thing is for certain, few businesses remained unchanged. This was the year companies accelerated their journeys to the cloud, got serious about security and committed to essential business capabilities in advanced analytics and artificial intelligence. Not to mention the obvious of quickly embedding digital collaboration tools for the workforce. It also proved that customer experience is key to competitive advantage — companies with a poor digital user experience really suffered a missed opportunity during 2020.

I’m a firm believer that necessity is the mother of invention and Covid showed what can be done when needs must. I hope this attitude lives long in the memory when we come out the other side.

3. Community Spirit Was Reborn

18 months ago, I moved out of the city to accommodate my growing family. I found the first 6 months pretty tough — I missed the convenience of my inner-city suburb and was frustrated by the commute. I saw my new home as a hub — a place to travel to and from.

The Covid lockdown gave me space and time to appreciate my new community — to meet neighbours, discover walks and take note of its natural beauty. I became more concerned with supporting the community and shopping local. Others did too and my area has improved; a new supermarket has opened, as have some other small businesses. Most importantly, people stop and say hello (maybe they did before, and I wasn’t paying attention). I hope this is a trend that transcends my suburb — the UK is littered with soulless commuter towns, full of shops ‘to let’.

With less emphasis on the city, I hope one of 2020's legacies will be the rebirth of community spirit and the regeneration of commuter towns.

4. Working From Home

Not all the time I might add. There have been times when I wished for a change of scenery, or a day of uninterrupted focus but mostly I have enjoyed been home more. It seems many feel the same — I could quote any of the numerous surveys, but most seem to conclude that people want to work from home 2–3 days a week. This doesn’t mean that will happen of course, which could be particularly jarring for some employees, who for the first time may have felt they had finally cracked work/life balance. I know my wife and I don’t miss the frantic morning hustle with our two young boys.

I’ve seen many organisations release statements such as “we encourage you to work from wherever you like that allows you to deliver the best outcomes for customers. Please discuss with your Manager to agree the right working arrangement for you and your team.” The last sentence is problematic. Different Managers have different styles and different expectations. This could lead to team envy and vastly different workplace experiences and cultures.

I think it’s important that CEOs address this issue head on. Those that are seem to be stipulating a ‘minimum working from the office expectation’ e.g. 3 days. This is also problematic and easily manipulated to adhere to a Manager’s preference — 3 days easily becomes 5.

I would prefer to see a ‘maximum working from office expectation’, as this gives the employee peace of mind that their work from home days are protected. We will see in time how this all pans out, but I think it would be a wasted opportunity if we return full-time to the office grind in 2021. It’s less stressful holding your child’s hand to day-care in the morning, versus the back of their coat and less stressed team members perform better.

5. All the small things

The wonderful Yuval Noah Harari wrote ‘luxuries tend to become necessities and spawn new obligations’. This may feel familiar — the pressure is constant to do more and get more. The world is obsessed with growth. 2020 took everything away — holidays, dining out, sporting events, gyms, hairdressers. Much more than that, it took away time with friends and family.

During our lockdown period in Sydney, I read ‘Endurance’ by Alfred Lansing — it tells the true story of Sir Ernest Shakleton’s harrowing attempt to cross the Antarctic continent in 1914. As I read through their many trials and tribulations, I couldn’t help but feel in awe of the crew’s resilience and by extension the resilience that every human is capable of showing when push comes to shove. Shackleton’s crew made do with infinitely less than we had during lockdown and still managed to maintain a positive outlook most the time.

2020 made me appreciate all the small things — the things you don’t notice and take for granted. I enjoy my morning cup of coffee much more now and there is nothing better than being with family or having a beer with a friend. Everything else is just filler.

Here’s to 2021, I can’t wait.