Neal J. Couture, CAE, ASNT Executive Director
I recently returned from an extended trip that involved attending my professional association’s annual conference in Nashville as well as business meetings and the ASNT section conference in India. Somewhere along the way I contracted COVID-19. Since I have been vaccinated and boosted, I found the experience comparable to a cold—more of an inconvenience than anything—but it gave me pause to reflect on the past two years.
We really thought back in March 2020 that we were going to work from home for a couple of weeks and then return to the office as if nothing ever happened. Almost like a little break or retreat from the office grind, but with the full expectation that we would be back in the office soon. Instead, it went on, and on, and on. It forced us to adjust on the fly … and no one had experience with this kind of situation. Thank goodness this was 2020 and not 1999. Can you imagine getting our jobs done without easy access to the internet, all of the digital technology tools at our disposal, and employees who were trained on these tools?
We didn’t know how our employees would perform under these conditions, being forced to work from home, away from our supervisory influence. I found that some employees gravitated to the opportunity—our publishing team in particular didn’t miss a beat. Most of our team rose to the occasion and adjusted to be effective.
We opened the office back up a couple of times, with limitations on the number of people allowed in the building at a time, restrictions on how close they could be to each other, and detailed instructions on keeping their workplaces sanitized. Then a new variant would emerge and we’d all scurry back home again. A few brave souls stayed in the office, working at far corners of the building from each other, daring visits to the kitchen to warm up lunch, and wearing masks when it became absolutely necessary to speak to one another.
Over the course of the past two-plus years, our staff has become adept at working remotely. In fact, in many ways, I would assess their performance as improved—certainly more efficient—than before the pandemic. We have become much more proficient at using our digital tools, for example. However, this comes at a price … we have to work with intent and focus to maintain and build communications and relations, especially across departments.
A whole new world of talent has opened up to us. Before the pandemic, we hired almost exclusively from the Columbus, Ohio, area. While it is a large metropolitan area, it is not necessarily a hotbed for association management talent. We now have employees residing in Michigan, Texas, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and Louisiana.
A new kind of lifestyle has opened up for us as well. I frequently communicate with staff and volunteers who are at the beach, visiting family, and many other places away from their homes. My wife and I have been digital nomads since May 2022, living in Airbnbs from Maine all the way down the East Coast to Hilton Head. We have plans to continue this through the spring, with time scheduled in Phoenix, Arizona; Palm Springs, California; and Portland, Oregon, where I will get to spend time with two grandchildren born during the pandemic and who we have not yet met in person.
This is a work in progress for all of us. I know a number of people who worry that fully remote work won’t succeed because of a potential loss of personal connection. I am finding, two years into this experiment, that these connections can be maintained, and in fact, improved, with the proper planning, tools, and focus. Empirical research has demonstrated (since the 1970s) that remote work can be effective.
My main concern now, however, is burnout. The lines between “at work” and “not at work” are blurring, with potentially troubling implications. As a society, we have always brought our work home, or spent too much time in the office; however, with the ubiquitous presence of technology, it becomes too easy to check your email or take a Teams call during off-hours.
In this new remote work environment, it is incumbent upon us as leaders to make sure our employees step away from their work, engage with their friends and families, and take care of their mental, physical, and spiritual health. I know that stepping away and caring for myself is something that I personally struggle with, but I am committed to making it work for my family and for the ASNT staff team.
I invite you to email me at ncouture@asnt.org your personal experiences from the pandemic and how your life has changed as a result of it (or comment below). I’ll share your responses in a future blog post.
_______
Neal J. Couture, CAE, ASNT Executive Director, ncouture@asnt.org.
A shortened version of this Leadership column appears in the October 2022 edition of ASNT’s Materials Evaluation.