Return to Work Stage Four: Engaged

Bring Performance into Focus

In this blog, we will be discussing the fourth stage of our work readiness model: Engaged.

Aduro’s Work Readiness Model™

The Work Readiness Model comprises five stages of “readiness” starting with “Not Ready” and ascending all the way to “Kinetic Performance™,” which is a sustainable level of peak performance for individuals, teams, and the company as a whole. To learn about all five stages of the Work Readiness Model, access our Interactive Work Readiness Handbook.

Stage Four: Engaged

No company should ever lose their focus on the safety and well- being of their employees. At some point in the future, either COVID-19 will be behind us or we will have made the difficult decision to cope with a new reality where we have to “coexist” with the virus. Whether that looks like a return to normal or the settling in of a “new normal” is difficult to predict. Regardless, in Stage 4, companies will need to bring performance into focus alongside safety and well- being. After all, when individuals, teams, and companies are not performing, they put jobs (and the broader economy) at greater risk.

The goal of stage four is to return to pre-COVID-19 levels of individual, team, and company performance.

In Stage 4, companies will need to bring performance into focus alongside safety and well-being. After all, when individuals, teams, and companies are not performing, they put jobs (and the broader economy) at greater risk.

Employee Needs

People will need help developing a productive mindset and building resilience before they can become engaged in their work again. They will also want to feel a sense of purpose and their unique contribution to the vision, purpose, and goals of the company. Remember that COVID-19 has caused all of us to evaluate what matters in life — in ways both big and small. The global pandemic has left many feeling isolated. So, people will also need to re-establish their work relationships and feel a sense of belonging both at work and in their communities. This is true whether or not we ever “return to work” in the traditional sense. In fact, if “working at home” becomes the new normal, resilience based on well-being will be even more important. On the other hand, it’s also possible that companies will choose to throw their doors open with no clear end in sight to the COVID-19 pandemic. At some point, the need to return to organizational normalcy, or the need to create a new normal, will probably outweigh the risk of spreading the virus in the workplace.

Solutions

While maintaining a focus on safety and well-being, companies will need to create an environment for enhanced performance by launching a more formal and holistic approach to wellness. To be clear, this will require an investment in software and services focused on holistic well-being.

In the “Engaged” stage, a holistic approach to wellness should include solutions for:

  • Lifestyle and health – Months of stay-at-home put pressure on our ability to make decisions day-to-day that have a strong connection to future health outcomes. Reestablishing healthy routines takes time and requires support.
  • Mindset and resilience – Being clear about our own “defaults” and unconscious programming will help us all better respond to the next round of adversity that will undoubtedly come around.
  • Money and prosperity – COVID-19 has caused widespread and acute financial hardship for tens of millions. Everyone can benefit from a deeper understanding of our relationship to money in order — and over time to move beyond basic needs once more toward a fulfilling, secure life.
  • Development and growth – A vital intrinsic source of motivation for us all, personal and professional development creates a cycle of growth and mentoring.
  • Relationships and community – Life happens in relationship with others. Having been deprived of aspects of relationship and community, there’s a strong need to reinvest in those connections that build and strengthen community.
  • Purpose and contribution – When people have a clear purpose, they’re better able to show up completely, take the difficulties of life in stride and make contributions that are meaningful to ourselves and each other.

Stage Four: Engaged

To provide resources to support you and your team, no matter what stage you are currently in for your Return-to-Work planning, find the ebook for download here.

Download Stage Four: Engaged

Are You Stage Four Ready?

If you have yet to fully determine your return to work triggers and workplace policies that will help your company return to previous levels of individual, team, and company performance it’s not too late to do so.

We created Aduro’s Interactive Work Readiness Handbook to offer practical guidance on what should be considered when deciding when and how to reopen your offices and ultimately regain company performance. We hope you find it to be one valuable source among many to help guide your decisions during one of the most challenging times in world history.


Cut through the uncertainty of your organization’s next steps.

Learn more about our Return-to-Work solutions and schedule a planning consultation.