The Shift in Professionalism: What We Can Learn From Lockdown
A few weeks ago, I was running late for a video call with my Catholic Women in Business mentor. I had been at the grocery store, and the lines were longer than usual (as they typically are these days). As I got into my car, I frantically pulled off my mask, sanitized my hands, then jumped on my call while sitting in my car in the Kroger parking lot.
As we went through our agenda, we had to laugh at the unique situation we were in. Normally, I would have taken a call like this one in my office, probably dressed in a blazer and dress pants instead of the jeans and crew neck I had thrown on right before I left the house. During our other calls, my dog has interrupted us by barking at the mailman, or my two-year-old came over to see who I was talking to — and we’ve had to just go with the flow.
We got to talking about professionalism and all the ways coronavirus has uprooted our typical idea of what it means to be professional.
Whether or not a company adheres to strict guidelines for things like dress, language, appearance, and schedule can have a huge impact on the culture of a company, whether it’s a large or a small business. Professionalism has started to shift over the course of these past few months. Here’s a few values it has affected — and how we can implement them in our company culture post-COVID-19.
Authenticity
For those of us who have been working from home or had our schedules adjusted, we have brought our work into our homes — and with it, our co-workers. For maybe the first time, many of us had our co-workers see where we lived and possibly meet our families and roommates during Zoom calls, and we’ve adjusted our hours as we try to arrange work around nap schedules and bedtime.
As the traditional wall of professionalism shifted, we began to share the details of our life and struggles with the people we work with. This kind of sharing, although it can be jarring, can offer a level of authenticity to us as colleagues — which can then permeate our workplace.
Authenticity is arguably a Christian quality. We want to be the truest and best version of ourselves, for the people around us and especially for Christ. Bringing a level of authenticity to a workplace post-COVID can help our company cultures be healthier.
Boundaries
While professionalism may be a burden or constraining to some, to others, it offers a level of order and security that helps them to keep a clear line between their work life and their personal life. For those people, sharing video meetings or disruptions in their typical work day may have been more difficult than for others.
Setting boundaries is a healthy structure for any home or workplace. Over the last few months, we’ve had a crash course in setting boundaries — whether it’s telling your roommates when disruptions are acceptable or sharing with your colleagues when you have to put the baby down for a nap.
Our boundaries have been shaken and reshaped, but they are just as important as when we entered quarantine. As we examine our company cultures and how we can help be a positive change, let us remember that we are all working through something new. Our boundaries may not line up with someone else’s. Respecting each other’s boundaries can help build a culture of trust and charity with the people around us.
Compassion
As companies make changes left and right to accommodate their employees, the idea of professionalism as we knew it has taken a back seat. Employers have shifted their focus to communication and marketing, making sure business isn’t affected, and letting things like dress code and working hours become less of a priority. Accepting the fact that we are working within more strenuous conditions, we are being pushed to recognize the humanity of our co-workers.
Before, if we had a personal interruption during a meeting, it would have been labeled as unprofessional. Now, when one of our kids runs into our Zoom meeting, it's just life — a simple matter of work and home colliding. We have now given an unspoken pass to our co-workers, knowing well we are all juggling much more than our typical work day. We have allowed compassion to enter into the workplace.
Compassion can have a rippling effect, both in our personal lives and in the workplace. As the saying (often misattributed to St. Teresa of Calcutta) goes, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” This statement rings true today. With compassion and charity as a focus, we can foster relationships, and trust can grow. Companies that practice compassion as a value tend to have employees who are less stressed and feel more valued in their work environments.
If we bring anything back into our work cultures from this pandemic, let it be compassion.
Annie Schunior is a copy writer and communications specialist working for the Catholic Church in the city of Detroit. In addition, she does consulting for non-profits and online ministries as well as some freelance writing. Most days, Annie can be found with coffee in hand, toting around her 2 year old son or exploring the beautiful city of Detroit with her family. You can follow her on Instagram at @annie_schuns.