When the Covid-19 lockdown began five years ago, the small and sometimes annoying things that make up a typical workday suddenly felt like ancient history. While many employees embraced the transition to working from home, others missed the daily routine of commuting to an office, making small talk with their colleagues, and sitting at a desk instead of a dining room table. They began to feel nostalgic about the way things used to be – the old days that weren’t so old.
By understanding how employees handled these complex feelings at a time of upheaval, today’s managers can better navigate the next big change in the workplace – whether that’s a return to the office, mass layoffs, a merger, or another global health crisis. “Nostalgia offers a window into the past through rose colored-glasses,” said Jessica Methot, an associate professor of human resource management in the School of Management and Labor Relations. “Navigating it requires a delicate balance between being stuck in the past and experiencing meaningful reflection to establish a new normal.”
In the early days of the pandemic, Methot and fellow researchers Kevin Rockmann (George Mason University) and Emily Rosado-Solomon (Babson College) surveyed 110 people three times a day, for three weeks. The respondents came from a wide range of industries, and they were all working from home, or working a hybrid schedule, after previously being on-site. To read the full story.