Introduction What defines a safe place to work? How to show up as leaders Nurturing a culture of care Introduction What defines a safe place to work? How to show up as leaders How to show up as managers Nurturing a culture of care How to show up as managers of participants ranked manager and supervisor involvement in change initiatives as 84% “extremely important” or “very important” to the success of their project. Prosci, Best Practices in Change Management, 2018. Bridging people and change Managers are in the spotlight, Getting clarity on Review the current state of Identify the location, tools and and employees will look to employee needs individuals and how they’ve communications approaches With a dispersed workforce, the them to define and demonstrate adapted up to this point. most effective at the team level. manager’s role becomes more acceptable ways to interact and Many companies have conducted Company survey results, as Managers should begin with complex because the needs of communicate with in-office and staff surveys to gauge the effec- mentioned above, can be used what’s been working for their remote and in-office workers are remote team members, follow tiveness of COVID-19 commu- by managers as a baseline to team, assessing the effect working theirs to address. Additionally, as office safety policies, and practise nications around policies, new inform individual conversations remotely has had on the team’s the conduit between corporate inclusive behaviours that sup- processes and collaboration with team members. Managers overall productivity, communi- leadership and employees, man- port a sense of belonging for all tools implemented. With survey should be prepared to not only cations and ability to collaborate. agers serve as the most trusted employees, regardless of where results such as these, organisa- determine productivity levels Surface the successful practises source for delivering information they work. Managers can help tions can then help managers but also be able to assess the teams have already adopted. that has a personal impact on eliminate the unconscious bias inform and refine communica- emotional well-being and stress Identify what tools have success- employees. And there’s good rea- that exists with remote workers tions and change management levels of team members. All indi- fully supported the team’s inter- son: during any change or tran- who are not physically present by needs. Some thoughts: viduals will move at their own actions, and consider continuing sition, those who manage teams working remotely themselves to pace and react to changes dif- to use these successful practises have the greatest influence on demonstrate that it is still accept- ferently, and it is up to managers even as some employees return whether employees embrace the able behaviour even after some to uncover what is working and to the office. change or not. employees return to the office. where employees are struggling. Leading the workforce 11