The future of work(place), the talent wars, and the opportunity to reconnect with friends and family. How tired are you?

I'm weary. Exhilarated and weary. It's a joy to see friends. And I miss being on my own. This is a time of a lot of contradictions and I'm hearing from clients that they are feeling all of them! How are you navigating the emotional whiplash?

On a practical note, we're remembering that commuting takes time, traffic is stressful, and that we didn't miss all of our co-workers. We're having to ask about meeting locations (online or in-person?), figuring out which of our favorite lunch spots are still open, and meeting some colleagues and clients "in real life" for the first time. Social skills are a bit rusty and boundaries are being re-navigated.

When the pandemic hit we experienced stress and fatigue. Now we're facing it again. This is not about going inside or coming back outside, it's about change. Change is hard - it affects each of us differently, but it affects us all. In this edition we'll be sharing resources around change and burnout. They were very useful last year and many of us could use a refresher!

We're all balancing the muscle memory of work "before" with the opportunities for changed work "after". We've designed a series of questions to help you figure out your road forward and get intentional about those choices. In addition to work location, we're seeing widespread questioning about work fit. Recruitment and retention are hot topics, and "good enough" isn't good enough anymore. Get ahead of dissatisfaction with open dialogue - as an employee, let your boss know what you need; as an employer, make sure your team members know you value them - before the resignation letters are being passed across the desk. Exciting times - let us know how we can help.​

Best wishes,

Joanna Hoffschneider

Founder, Resolute Consulting LLC

Where are you working today?

As humans we have a peculiar relationship with choice. Many of us have not had a choice of work location in the last year. Essential workers kept going to their workplace - no choice. For many professionals, our offices closed and we went home - no choice, and the kids came with us. Now, we're entering a complex time where we may have choices and we need to make them carefully.

We recognize that choice is not coming back for everyone. Some employers are mandating "back to the office"; some have given up leases and plan to be officeless long-term. Many are adopting hybrid approaches. Each solution has different considerations.

If you're staying remote long term:

• ​Make the changes you may have been putting off in the year of 30-more-days.
• Consider how you may need to adapt your culture and hiring.

If hybrid is your future:

• You've now got multiple realities to navigate. You'll need to consider a lot of relationships and filters.
• ​Coordination is key - who's where when will be vital for your team's success.

If you're going back (or you're already there):

• Take responsibility for managing your own anxiety (if you're having any!)
• Don't fall into the resentment trap. Understand the trends around remote work in your industry and make realistic decisions for your career success.

Have a choice about where you work, and don't know how to choose? This worksheet provides a frame for that decision.

Resources to Manage Change Overload

If you're struggling at the moment, there's help to be had. And much of it is the same help we used last year:

• ​Allostatic load - why you just. can't. take. it.
• Burnout - a pragmatic podcast.
• And don't lose your pandemic lessons! Resharing our workbook.

Upcoming programming

• June/July - Know Your Network - Corporate client
• September - Maintaining a customer service mindset... when there's work to do! - Corporate client
• October (TBD) - CREW DC - Succeeding in the Hybrid Workplace

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