How are you doing?
I was telling a friend recently that
I feel like Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky
Balboa in the boxing ring. We’ve reached the
final round, and I’m battered and bruised,
my sharp jabs and uppercuts replaced by
exhausted flailing. The big question – the
only question – is whether this is the first
fight of the film where I end up face down on
the canvas, or whether it’s the second with
the referee lifting my gloved hand into the air
as Bill Conti’s film score soars.
How about you? As the months of this
pandemic drag on, how are you doing?
It turns out there’s a name for what many
of us are feeling these days: “languishing.”
And as psychologist, author and Wharton
professor Adam Grant wrote last month in
a New York Times piece, as we learned that
masks and social distancing slowed the
spread of the coronavirus, and as vaccines
roll out in some countries, the acute concern
that many of us experienced at the onset
of the global pandemic has given way to a
chronic case of the “blahs.”
It’s not depression, but neither is it
flourishing – the ends of the spectrum that
define mental health. It’s the in-between
and, as Grant puts it, it’s “the absence of
well-being.” We’re languishing.
Part of the problem is that we want
a return to normalcy. But we’re not sure
what “normal” will look like when it gets
back. And let’s be honest, some of what
we learned about ourselves and our ability
to be productive during this pandemic was
not just positive, but downright impressive.
I, for one, don’t want to lose those positive
effects, but the whole package needs to be
sustainable.
The New Normal
A recent report by Microsoft on trends
affecting the workplace of the future
suggests that the hybrid workplace is here
to stay. In fact, they predict that the way
organizations manage this transition will
determine their ability to retain and attract
talent.
The report, entitled, “The Next Great
Disruption Is Hybrid Work – Are We Ready?”
identified seven dominant trends:
- Flexible work is here to stay –
employees want it all: the ability to work
remotely, but also time with their co-workers
and teammates. Flexibility is going to be key.
- Leaders are out of touch with
employees and need a wake-up call –
surveys show that seasoned veterans and
business leaders are faring better than their
employees during this downturn, with single
employees, new employees, frontline and
younger workers, and working mothers
particularly impacted.
- High-productivity is masking an
exhausted workforce – using data
collected from users of Microsoft Office,
our employees are spending more time in
(online) meetings, chatting, sending and
receiving more email, and collaborating on
documents. Technology has enabled us to
collectively keep our industry running. But
I’m concerned about sustainability as the
growth in volume and pace is relentless.
- Gen Z is at risk and will need to be
re-energized – our youngest workers, those
ranging in age from 18 to 25, need help.
They’re most likely to be single, isolated
and separated from the natural networking
opportunities – the ability to observe and be
seen – in an office setting. We need to find
better ways to integrate and empower them
in a hybrid world.
- Shrinking networks are endangering
innovation – as our teams came together
to focus on the immediate challenges
confronting our businesses, it was at the
expense of cultivating and investing in our
broader networks – the very places where
new ideas, insights and opportunities might
crystallize.
- Authenticity will spur productivity and
well-being – nothing has humanized our
colleagues and our shared work experience
more than a meeting interrupted by a diaperclad
toddler or barking dog. That doesn’t
usually happen in my conference room at
work; it does on Zoom.
- Talent is everywhere in a hybrid work
world – this is good news for employees
who have opportunities they’d otherwise
lack unless they were willing to move; it’s
also good news for employers who can
identify and attract talent from anywhere.
What it might mean for both groups is a
time of upheaval and change. The study
cites a survey indicating that 40 percent
of the global workforce is considering
changing employers.
One takeaway from the report is that
there is much to look forward to, but that
“we’re all learning as we go.” This suggests
that it might take a while for a new definition
of “normal” to come into focus. So what
to do in the meantime, especially if you’re
languishing?
You Need the Flow, the Flow to Grow
Grant suggests that “a concept called
‘flow’ may be an antidote to languishing.”
First popularized by psychologist Mihaly
Csikszentmihaly, flow is the state that
emerges when someone is fully engaged
in a task that requires their focus and
concentration. If you’ve ever been gotten
involved in a project that was so engrossing
that you looked up and hours have passed,
you’ve experienced flow. It’s typically
accompanied by a state of deep enjoyment
and contentment.
But you need to create time for these
activities, and it has to be uninterrupted
time, because a key element of entering the
flow state is an ability to focus. If you can’t
focus, because you’re distracted by email,
chat, social media, etc., you’re going to have
a hard time getting into flow.
Grant also recommends picking some
small projects to start. You don’t end
languishing in one fell swoop. You do so by
chipping away at it, one goal or project at
a time, each achievement of flow helping
rekindle the fire that moves you toward
flourishing.
“Languishing is not in our heads – it’s in
our circumstances,” Grant concludes. You
can change circumstances, rediscovering
energy and enthusiasm in the process.
Can you hear the music? Cue Bill Conti.