How to Handle Change in a Post-Retirement Startup

Editor’s note: This article is part of Navigating Change, a Next Avenue initiative made possible by the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation and EIX, the Entrepreneur Innovation Exchange.

Whether driven by hybrid work, artificial intelligence, unexpected layoffs or the need to keep pace with industry trends, change is a constant in today's workplace.

That means workers old and young — and their employers — must grapple with enormous challenges, not the least of which is how to deal with the emotional aspects of workplace flux.

"One of the first responses to change is emotional," says Keven Brahim Kaddi, an organizational development consultant and adjunct professor of management and organization at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business. "We may not be ready."

Case in point: the COVID pandemic shutdowns in March 2020. They forced companies and workers to adapt abruptly to consequential shifts in how to conduct business while keeping employees safe, Kaddi says. Suddenly, everyone was Zooming, Slacking and otherwise communicating only from a distance. Opportunities to meet up in an office hallway or lunchroom to brainstorm or resolve an issue disappeared overnight.

"In white-collar workplaces, where people had been reporting to an office, everyone went home," he says of the widespread closures imposed in March 2020. "If you weren't already working with virtual tools, you had to find a way for them to work in your home. You had to invite your professional life into your personal life and treat your home, which had been an escape from work, as a place of productivity."

This was all while people around the world were attempting to cope with grief, fear and trauma. The change proved monumental and endures in many industries, which have embraced work from home, work from anywhere and hybrid work, a flexible model that allows employees to work some days in the physical workplace and some days at home or from another workspace.

The COVID-related innovations produced silver linings, says Nitya Chawla, Ph.D., an assistant professor of work and organizations at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.

"The changes that happened to work because of COVID can actually do a lot of good in terms of investing properly in DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives," she says. In many households, she adds, the flexibility afforded to couples working from home led to a better division of labor when it came to childcare, grocery shopping and other household tasks.

"People like the flexibility and benefits that come to the family structure," she says. "Work-from-home and hybrid models showed that it's not always the woman who has to leave the workplace and go pick up the kids."

Workers and bosses must keep an important factor in mind: Flexibility and the ability to work remotely should not come at the expense of getting one's job done. In theory, Chawla says, employees pleased with the new work options would choose to give back through greater levels of commitment.

"Of course, there will be exceptions to that rule," she adds. "It's always going to be one of those things that organizations need to think about as a trade-off. (Hybrid and remote work) can be an economic-opportunity strategy and a talent-acquisition strategy. If you don't need employees to be in the same place, then you're able to hire from other geographic areas. That opens the workplace to people of different locations and perspectives."

Problems arise if employees feel they are on their own, with nothing at stake, when companies initiate changes, says Donna Sharp, associate dean of executive education at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Bosses must "build skills and capabilities within an organization so that people have the tools they need to deal with what's ahead," Sharp says.

Here, too, COVID changed things up in fundamental ways.

"If you had an objection in the office and you were with other people, concerns could get dispelled quickly as opposed to what I call 'pile on,'" Sharp adds. "But on Zoom and Slack, you can't rely on hand gestures or tone to convey your point of view. It's hard to get into a debate. Things that are unresolved create emotional baggage and weigh you down. That can affect productivity."

"The way work is done is definitely changing," she adds. "It's all new territory, and we're not really sure where it's going. People feel less and less control."

As a result, wise companies are putting employees' health and wellness front and center, with counseling and "mental health days" on offer.

Laila Sherief, a human resource professional, and Catherine Wan, a management consultant, met while studying at USC. They are teaming on a bicoastal health and wellness consulting and coaching venture called Practice Within that aims to help clients cope with burnout and achieve a better work-life balance amid the hubbub of persistent organizational change.

"We've seen interesting trends over the last few years, largely attributed to the pandemic," Sherief says. "Folks are spending more time in isolation. Some like the flexibility. But others thrive in an office. Some at home are working all hours of the day, with no separation."

"It's a hectic time to be in the workplace," she adds. "Things are still settling. How to harmoniously work in corporate America while prioritizing taking care of yourself is a big topic among our friend group."

Martha Groves was a staff member of the Los Angeles Times for 34 years, during which she was a business editor, business writer and metro reporter. A native Hoosier, she previously worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer and the late, lamented Chicago Daily News. Her freelance writing and editing business is Martha Groves Writing & More. Read More