Has your workplace culture become more trusting—or less—during the pandemic?
Recently, I joined a virtual meeting with a team from a school I’ve known for some time. I was struck by how differently they were behaving toward each other. Pre-pandemic, they’d been working in beautiful surroundings with free lunches, happy hours, and lots of lovely perks. Employees clearly had a lot of fun, but below the light-hearted surface, the culture wasn’t great. Leadership was controlling, employees were complaining and blaming, and the overall culture was one of little personal accountability.
On the call, however, the dynamic had shifted. People were more engaged and honest, and were treating each other with far more respect. I asked the Principal, “What happened?”
“During the pandemic, I’ve realized I’m a control freak. I used to think I was a very caring leader when in fact, I tried to micromanage everything,” she told me. “Over the past few months, I’ve had to learn how to properly hand things over.” The need to control comes from a lack of trust.
Written By: Mr.C.P Yadav
