A Covid-19 workplace… what comes next?

This month ELIA Executive Director, Maria Hansen meets her team where they’re at. Going for ‘development walks’ with each team member, she explains why traditional performance appraisals are a thing of the past.

It’s February and high time for the ELIA Team and I to have our annual development talks. These used to be called ‘performance appraisals’, but we changed the focus a few years ago. I find there’s not really a need for an ‘appraisal’, but always room for the development of the competencies and skills of our team members. Since we have been working remotely, we don’t see each other in person very often. The last time was in December, when we managed to organise a strategic team day, planning ahead for 2021. Our workload hasn’t wavered. Together with our working groups and platforms, the ELIA team is busy developing projects and events now in line with our new strategic priorities.

Remote working is a managerial challenge at the best of times, and I’m sure many of you recognise this dilemma. I see the ELIA team every day at our virtual coffee meetings which are a great moment to check in with everyone and make quick decisions. But it’s not the same as being together in a shared workspace, where quickly exchanging a look, a smile or a laugh, making coffee for each other, having lunch together can provide a small burst of positive energy that can carry us through the day.

Since that is still not possible in the Netherlands for the next while, I decided to try and spark positivity through connection by conducting development walks with each team member. This did involve travel, but only on my part, as I went to visit each person at their home. Team members mulled over questions in advance in preparation for our conversation. They sent me instructions on how to get to their house, prepared a route for our walk, and also made sure that there was somewhere we could grab a ‘coffee to go’ along the way.

I thought this would work, but hadn’t expected it to be so wonderful. And so different! By now I have had walks with five team members (the sixth walk has been postponed due to a corona close contact scare. We are doing this safely!).

During these home visits, I was able to take stock of where each team member works. I was welcomed warmly by family, treated to all variations of coffee and wonderful treats, and then we went on our walks. Our ‘talking while walking’ was challenged due to our inability to take notes. However this aspect paled in comparison to the benefits fresh air and insightful conversation had to offer.

I highly recommend this format and will use it from now on. As for the plans that the ELIA team are making and the goals they have set – this is exciting stuff, which you can read about in this month’s newsletter.

As we are slowly moving towards post-Covid thinking, we are rethinking our current ELIA office situation. I know from the team members that several of them would like to work with a hybrid scenario and some really would love to come back to the office. This we will work on in the coming weeks. For now, we know that we want a space where we can connect, meet, laugh and make coffee for each other again.