0920_September Comstock's Magazine September 2020 | Page 51

BUSINESS INSIGHT FOR CALIFORNIA’S CAPITAL REGION AUGUST ‘20 VOL. 32 | NO. 8 issue is off the table, and all employees are free from the extra parenting of the COVID-19 era.) A more subtle factor is what Montanaro calls the “life-work integration model.” When we work from home, our schedules tend to be more fluid, which some people love and others loathe. One of Montanaro’s clients, for example, used to work in the office from around 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Now he works at home from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., but he takes a three-hour break and eats lunch with his kids. He loves it — usually. “And I have other clients where, if they’re working at 10 p.m., no matter how many breaks they have, they’ll resent it,” Montanaro says. When sheltering in place began, McLaren quickly put together a webinar about how to effectively work from home. Key concept: The importance of creating anchors. “An anchor is a physical thing that reminds you of something and makes your brain do a certain thing,” says McLaren. If you go into the office every day, those pale blue and gray cubicles are anchors that tell your body you’re here to work. “If you try to work from home, there’s no real anchor,” says McLaren. “That’s an anchor for relaxation and playing around.” She recommends we create anchors by always working in a certain part of the home (such as sitting upright at the kitchen table, as opposed to slumped on the sofa), or only during certain hours (like starting at 8 a.m. sharp, and closing down at 5 p.m.). So if the world pivots to working at home long-term, it will be important to create and honor anchors. Effect on the organization It’s one thing for organizations to go virtual for a month or two during the crucible of a pandemic. That’s a stopgap. But what if it becomes the new normal? How would that affect the bonds and cohesion of the organization? “I think we’re going to see a huge shift,” says Sargam Garg, a business professor at Sacramento State who studies organizational behavior. She expects a shift in an organizational framework known as the psychological contract, developed by Denise M. Rousseau of Carnegie Mellon University. According to the psychological contract, thanks to the principle of reciprocity, we give an organization what we feel we are owed. “But with virtual contexts, everything will change,” explains Garg. “How do I perceive what the employer owes me? What are my obligations?” Physical contexts matter. Symbols matter. When you go into an office building every day, you’re subconsciously reminded of the company logo, the company’s values and the sense that you’re all on the same team. When we’re all in our own homes, we lose that sense of shared identity, so we’re less certain of our place and value. “With the virtual context, organizations will be strained to think about a sense of belonging,” We Move or Ship Anything... Anywhere Local International Secure Storage • Office Licensed in all 50 states since 1979 Freight Forwarding Professionals International International Shipping Specialists Expert Packing, Crating & Rigging Local Freight Forwarding International Professionals Secure Storage • Office International Shipping Specialists Expert Licensed Packing, all Crating 50 states & since Rigging 1979 Freight Forwarding Professionals International Shipping Specialists Expert Packing, Crating & Rigging 800-324-6683 PUC Lic # T-170373 MC-308011 Local Secure Storage • Office Licensed in all 50 states since 1979 916-489-3322 ABetterMoving.com 6640 Fair Oaks Blvd. Carmichael, CA 95608 12 ISSUES SUBSCRIBE $25 TODAY YOUNG PROFESSIONALS ISSUE BUSINESS INSIGHT FOR CALIFORNIA’S CAPITAL REGION JULY ‘20 VOL. 32 | NO. 7 HOPE IN HARD Meet 10 young TIMES FIGHTING FOR FAIRNESS | THE CANNABIS RECESSION TEST | SEEDS OF THE FUTURE leaders who are making a difference COMSTOCKSMAG.COM FOLLOW US ON How the Capital Region can rebound from the coronavirus shutdown September 2020 | comstocksmag.com 51