Devan Moonsamy 

Since the dawn of Covid-19 work culture has been neglected. This mean staff are dealing with negative work attitudes and a work environment that is not what it used to be. 

As much as the build up to Heritage Day brings about celebration of culture in the office, we should not neglect the opportunity to improve our work culture. Having team members adorn cultural attire does little to improve the work culture when we should be using team building exercises to familiarise ourselves with the different cultural groups. This is one of the ways to overcome the age-old barrier of cultural differences. 

However, we should not lose focus of the fact that work culture has suffered since working from home has become the more acceptable method to work amid the pandemic. But as more and more people get vaccinated and countries slowly open up, we can see the hope of normalcy rising. 

But what does this mean for the staff who have not been at the office since the start of the pandemic? Have they forgotten work culture? 

It is possible that as time has passed with the current conditions the usual working relationships have taken a fall. Team work might be on a down low and there is a possibility that the isolation and working from home could have had an impact on staff members understanding the way in which the office still operates. 

So, what should we do to address improvements needed in the work culture? 

  • Communication is everything. It is important to communicate effectively with your team in order to achieve results. Leaders need to talk to team members to establish what their concerns are around the work culture. This means going the extra mile to make staff feel safe and comfortable again. We have to understand that for a while now it has not been easy adjusting to this new way of life. Going back to the office under the uncertainty of a pandemic will leave people with anxiety and concern. As a leader step up and engage with your team. Get them to open up about the steps they feel should be taken to improve work culture. This is a great way to get inclusivity in the office. 
  • If you have identified gaps that are beyond you to fill, then get help. Ask other managers what are their strategies and implement those. This will also be useful to you when it comes to looking at teams in the office that are successfully achieving the company’s goals. We are not indicating that what works for others might work for you but rather trying to adapt your current strategy to the way other people are doing things might be helpful for you. 
  • In an effort to revive the work culture it is important to acknowledge different perspectives and different personalities. We can’t force people to get along but we can do is have an open dialogue that reiterates the need for respect to team members views and perspectives. The last thing you need on the road to recovering work culture is conflict due to different personalities clashing. 
  • Team bonding must be encouraged. This means ensuring your team the good team spirit that proved to work over the years. This can be done with social distancing and in line with the Covid-19 regulations. Set the tone of team work and this will automatically get the team on board with building their relationships. 

Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute, a South African TVET College. He is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us, AND My Leadership Legacy Journal available from the ICHAF Training Institute. 

The ICHAF Training Institute offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management, and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates. To book a seminar with Devan or for other training courses, please use the contact details below.

Tel: 011 262 2461 | 083 303 9159 |

Email: admin@ichaftraining.co.za devan@ichaftraining.co.za | 

Website: www.ichaftraining.co.za |  www.devan-moonsamy.com