Future of work | Should YOU hold workers to pre-COVID performance standards?

Accountability is important within any sector, at any seniority level. In normal functioning business times, ensuring that workers feel that they are held accountable to a certain level of quality expected not just for the sake of the customer, but for the culture of the company and the collective community of the workplace is a cornerstone of a functioning business.

However, we’re not currently in normal business times. We’re nearly 12 months deep into an unprecedented pandemic that has penetrated even the most resilient global businesses. This has meant two key things:

Life has gotten harder for the average worker; both physical and mental wellbeing have been impacted as people shield from COVID-19 and workers inevitably suffer from infection – it’s worth noting that this has happened across the business world regardless of seniority, even the likes of President Donald Trump and PM Boris Johnson have suffered at the hands of coronavirus. This has also affected those with families and vulnerable dependants as children have been out of school and at-risk loved ones have needed care.

Secondly, businesses have needed a productive and engaged workforce. Many key industries within the UK such as hospitality and dining have been forced to furlough employees, have struggled with a downturn in customer activity and had to mitigate the economic volatility of the pandemic’s effect on the economy; ensuring that workers are operating at the highest levels possible has never been more important.

So, the question is, given that these two factors are at odds with one another, to what extent should leaders be holding workers to pre-pandemic standards?