A New Way to Work (The Post-COVID Shift)
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The world changed after 2020. Before COVID, most managers thought you had to see someone at their desk to know they were working. Now, we know that isn't true.
Lesson 2.1: Treating People as Adults
The foundation of modern management is simple: Treat people as adults and expect them to behave like adults.
In the old days, managers acted like babysitters. They watched what time you arrived and what time you left. In a startup, you don't have time for that. When you treat people like adults, you give them freedom (autonomy) and trust. You expect them to handle their responsibilities without you hovering over their shoulder. If you have to micromanage someone, you probably hired the wrong person.
Lesson 2.2: Measure Productivity, Not Time
It doesn’t matter how many hours someone sits in a chair. It matters what they get done. We call this measuring productivity, not time.
In a remote or hybrid world, some people work best at 6:00 AM, while others are night owls. As a manager, you should care if they get a "day’s worth of work" done, not whether they were online at exactly 9:00 AM.
Research Insight: Post-COVID, employees value flexibility more than almost anything else. According to Gallup, many workers are "Splitters" (who want a hard line between work and home) or "Blenders" (who like to mix work and life throughout the day). A great manager lets their team work in the way that makes them most productive.