Most office workers were forced to work from home during the COVID-19 Pandemic and lessons were learned. The key takeaway is to be more adaptable, and that goes for both employers and employees.

I recently read an article in a business magazine that reported that business owners and CEO’s we pleasantly surprised to discover that employee productivity from those working from home was as good or better than before the pandemic.

Leaders were forced to be adaptable in having employees work from home as this was the law in many jurisdictions with no choice. Most people are responsible enough to perform and perhaps to even improve performance as this was an opportunity to show employers that allowing them greater flexibility can work and be productive.

Employees also had to adapt to all the changes imposed on them and handle both the challenges and the opportunity to function with more independence. This has resulted in a new way of working that fosters a better balance between professional and personal responsibilities.

Definition of adaptability

Noun

The quality of being able to adjust to new conditions.

Adaptability is an advantage in the harshly competitive global economy.

Some people are more naturally adaptable to change and even enjoy it. Others find it more difficult to adapt to changes that are imposed on them and have a higher tendency for resistance. Personality traits drive how adaptable we are and takes work to become adaptable. Being too extreme either way is not ideal and it is best to learn how to strike a balance.

Imposed situations like COVID-19 force us to find a balance and if we are a less adaptable person resisting becoming more adaptable can cause stress and increase negativity This can lead to mental and physical health issues.

On the other hand, being too adaptable may mean we just follow the rules blindly and do what we are told and fail to question things that should be questioned. Knowing yourself and when being less flexible is not best and when being too adaptable is not good can help you to learn ways to adjust your responses to situations and strike better balance in life.