While some pre-pandemic patterns will remain, albeit with a few tweaks, the advent of remote work environments or hybrid business models has led to the formation of new policies on remote management and leadership training on how to manage a workforce functioning from their home offices. 

Vikrant Kapur, Head of People India at Better.com, commented on the changing workspace, focusing on the new processes that are now in place and the challenges attached to it. “As new teams come together, the forces that lead to storming will continue to exist. However, the processes of forming and norming that resulted from exploring and breaking bread together have been disrupted. This is where CHROs must become a lot more thoughtful in planning interventions that bring people onboard and together virtually.”

He further highlighted a few methods to aid the processes of forming and norming for the benefit of the HR Leaders:

• Formulate ways to conduct our virtual time together. Are we engaging creatively?
• Leverage VR platforms to build in team-based games and a platform for folks to unwind or ideate ways to give people time off from their system while still at work. We could leverage clubs for people with shared interests to exchange ideas and thoughts on this as well.
• Ideate ways to give people time off from their system while they are still at work.

The lack of social interactions in the workplace is one of the biggest impacts the pandemic has had on working business environments. This impact gets amplified astronomically when it comes to onboarding new team members. “Our virtual ‘zoom boxes’ have broken the process of storming, forming and norming,” adds Vikrant while emphasizing the need for leaders to show up now more than ever to motivate their team as a role model for the organization’s values and behaviour standards.