Tuesday, June 2, 2020 Flooded with New Possibilities Beyond the horrible human toll of COVID-19, the mess the pandemic has left in its wake in our workplaces will have profound and lasting implications. But the forced closures are also providing us with unintended opportunities. Here’s how to make the most of them Blogs Newsletters By André van Heerden, Communications Director For anyone who has experienced a flooded basement, it’s harrowing to lose what you’ve stored there. But often, by clearing away the ruined things, you improve the space and make better use of it. You’re not likely to rush out to buy things you don’t use and put them into storage, and you’re likely to repair the space and make fixes to prevent another flood. After the damage and turmoil, your basement turns out to be a better, more usable space. The forced closures due to the coronavirus pandemic are providing the same sort of unintended opportunity for many workplaces. Given the scope and impact of COVID-19 and the measures to combat it, our workplaces will be forever changed. But just like after a flood, how we remake our workplaces when they are allowed to open should be done thoughtfully and purposefully. It will be much more difficult to go back and make changes after the fact than getting it right the first time when beginning with a fresh slate. If you’re a manager, you have more say in how your new workplace functions as it restarts. But even if you’re not, you can still be active in affecting what you’d like to see by talking with your manager and coworkers about what worked and what didn’t before the pandemic. A recent Conference Board of Canada blog provides some suggestions for thinking about what your workplace community was like—and what you can do now to make it better together. 7 Postpandemic Ways to Improve Your Workplace Think back before the pandemic. What was morale like in your workplace? How did you prioritize psychological safety? How can you improve it? What did you learn during this experience about yourself and those you work with? Identify what you want to keep doing. Write down all the things you were doing before that continue to work well. Write down the things you have introduced during the crisis that are having a positive impact. What didn’t work in your workplace, and what should you stop doing? Don’t focus on the how right now—it’s about the what and the why. The how comes later when you are in more of a position to make things happen. Ask your coworkers and others on your team to think of these questions too. Compare and share what people identified. Create a list of priorities together for moving forward, and then figure out how to implement it. Commit to the list and reference it as you eventually get to a future normal. The destruction of property during a flood or other disaster isn’t something we’d ever look forward to. But beginning again with just the key essentials—those things that are useful and that work for us—is a great way to build a better future and a better workplace community. You might be interested in Why We Work Safely 5 Jun 2026 Standing Your Ground, and Staying Steady on the Job 4 Jun 2026 CLAC Partners with Alberta Government to Advance Skilled Trades Training and Accelerate Certification 4 Jun 2026 Strathcona Mechanical Workers Ratify New Agreement Providing Wage, Scheduling Improvements 3 Jun 2026