Melbourne has endured one of the strictest and longest lockdowns in the world with stage 4 restrictions imposed since early August. There have been huge impacts on businesses, personal lives, and people’s general mental well-being. As restrictions have started to ease, the chapter turned to experts Joe Pane and Katerina Papamarkou to know how to readjust to life after lockdown.
An expert in human behaviour with a degree qualified in psychology and sociology, Joe Pane acknowledged that “there are a lot of realities that people have gone through that are very extremes. Some people had a tough time losing money, losing relationships, losing businesses and some unfortunate tragic circumstances where lives have been lost as well. At the other extreme, some businesses have been booming and doing well.”
With a healthy appreciation and respect for people’s experiences and what they have gone through, he elaborated on how to handle the realities of people, which are unique for everyone. One of the key points that he touched on was focusing on what we have, which is gratitude, without denying what is happening around us. When business leaders manage themselves this way, they can manage their teams more effectively because they can see more clearly when they’re in touch with gratitude.
“And that’s when you can start bringing in even more certainty, even more warmth and even more connection to your interactions every day if you’re running a team or dealing directly with customers or clients,” he said.
Joe added, “Hope, along with gratitude, is one of the simplest yet most powerful focus points in our lives.” It is helpful to come up with small rituals that people can look forward weekly and raise their spirits. This can be done by learning something new like a musical instrument or online course, getting involved in a new hobby or designing small events in your schedule like pizza night every Friday. He called this micro-hope. From that, people can create macro-hope that will help them get to the next stage by looking forward to something in the long-term, such as travelling to other places or getting together.
Katerina Papamarkou, EO Melbourne’s Resident Psychologist with over 25 years of experience in organisational consultancy roles, pointed out that “there is a wide range of different responses to what’s been going on so there have been several workplace challenges.”
What she has noticed was that as workplaces have started to think about going back to work, people experience anxiety on how going back to work will look like for them, since this whole thing is still novel. Some of the challenges for organisations and businesses are the social distancing requirements, travelling to and from work, and maintaining records for contact tracing. What businesses can do are to:
Ensure safe and healthy practices
Manage different attitudes and expectations
Think of financial considerations
Do contingency planning
Care for the mental health and well-being of their team members
She remarked that people are experiencing lockdown fatigue and anxiety so it is important for organisations to lend support and talk it over to those who are going through these challenges. She also reiterated the need for compassion and empathy for those who are experiencing difficulty during these tough times. Since there are shifts in context, choice and control, it is normal to have a range of psychological reactions to an abnormal situation and it is important to acknowledge these various thoughts and feelings.
It helps to be mindful of such realities, to focus your attention on values and goals, and to know what is most important to you and what you need to let go. You can do this by putting things in perspective, taking precautions and minimising risks, and taking action according to your goals.
Finally, both cited open communication as the best approach that can help organisations and their members readjust to life after lockdown. Knowing the concerns of those in your team and discussing possible solutions can be a huge comfort to them. Although there has been a huge shift in people’s lifestyle due to the pandemic, things will eventually come to pass. However, to get through this and be able to cope through the changes happening within and around us, it is noteworthy to be mindful of one’s own as well as of others’ thoughts and feelings, accept these realities, and acknowledge them.
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