Goldman Sachs furore | Are you expecting too much from staff right now?

There is a paradox at the heart of leadership currently. On the one hand, businesses around the world are stretched to their absolute limits, either dealing with reduced staff, turbulent markets, uncertain futures or unpredictable client behaviours.

Those who have found that their business has decreased over the past 12 months are grappling with the notion of handling output with fewer employees to do the work or facing the increasingly concerning imminent conclusion of the Government’s furlough scheme.

Conversely, those for whom business has improved are dealing with demand that was as unpredictable as it is insecure and are having to rely on the hard efforts of their employees through this time to get the work done.

Yet, whilst serving clients must always be the priority, it’s undeniable that all employees will have been massively personally and professionally impacted by the coronavirus pandemic and, as such, need greater care and attention from their employers – potentially having to accept that output reduces as a result of this strain.