What Do You Do When the Honeymoon Ends?

You would like nothing more than to have your team in the office. You can be sure that your team wants that as much as you. Good feelings are bound to break out when everyone is back together. Your team will share stories about homeschooling, shopping, about all those things they did to cope. You may have some of your own. Everyone will likely bring a greater desire to be helpful, to contribute to the team.

If those good feelings fade, though, the ‘people issues’ you didn’t have while working remotely can reappear.

You’ll need to be aware of subtle changes in office dynamics actively. Listen carefully and build in one-to-one conversations with team members. Watch for emotions and personalities coming out, especially those that you recall from the past and hoped had ceased to be a problem. Toxic behavior can start with one person but will spread if people come to believe the practice has a high tolerance for these issues.

You should already have a good understanding of the personalities of your team. Rely on that experience to help you be alert to potential flashpoints and personality clashes. You can’t afford a “see no evil, hear no evil” approach in the interest of keeping the peace.

We all hope that what we’re going through changes us for the better when we get back to an office environment. Smart practice leaders will keep an eye and ear out for when the honeymoon ends.