Viewpoints: Thriving at work post covid-19

Thriving at work post COVID-19 calls on employees to prioritise the skills and behaviours that will allow them to transform and meet the evolving needs of business. For decades, the focus has been on what business can do to engage, train and nurture their workforce. It is time for the workforce to step up, even more so than they already have in 2020, to support businesses to thrive once more.

When businesses thrive, the economy grows, employment rates improve, communities are uplifted, and the country can stabilise.

Depending on the research you read, the direct job losses as a result of COVID-19 are anywhere from three million jobs lost. As data is gathered, a clearer picture will likely show the final number to be significantly higher.

What if, as an employee, you looked at your own commitment to thriving at work post COVID-19, not only as a ‘nice to have’ for yourself but as a necessity to better serve your family, your employer, your colleagues and the people of your country? Would this context give you the courage, determination and resolve to make it happen?

This has been a tough year indeed. You have been called upon to deliver at an unprecedented rate, to work in environments not equipped and ready for work, to juggle even more responsibilities and demands, to change and deal with change in every area of your life, to sacrifice and give up things you love − and you have done all of this and more without any planning or preparation.

It could not have been easy, but through this challenging journey, you would have proven to yourself that you are more capable and a lot stronger than you had ever imagined. That you have the capacity to stretch and grow to meet the demands in your life. That you can achieve more than you may have given yourself credit for in the past. Grit, resilience, creativity have become your 2020 way of life.

The time has come to look into the rear-view mirror and acknowledge yourself for the journey behind you, and to pause and prepare for the one ahead. The world has transformed, and business is evolving to meet the needs, constraints and opportunities presented. As an employee, stepping up to support business in this process will set you apart from others while preparing you for any opportunities that are borne or for unforeseen challenges that may come your way.

 

Top 5 focus areas

Here are the Top 5 focus areas for you as an employee for thriving at work (now and) post COVID-19:

• High performance – Go above and beyond, stay up to date, deliver quality results on time.
• Mindset and motivation – Be positive and contagious! Read, listen to audio books, spend time with positive people.
• Networking and relationships – A powerful and engaged network will help you attract and unlock new opportunities.
• Technology – Get comfortable with and start to love technology: it is here to stay!
• Spiritual connection – Connect to your true self and to a purpose much greater than yourself.