No more 'us v them': How lockdown brought NZ bosses and workers closer

Bosses have stopped micro-managing, but workers have delivered regardless. Photo / Andrew Neel - Unsplash

Kiwi work teams are functioning better apart than they did when everyone was in the office.

The lockdown, and the way it forced New Zealanders to work from home, has had some surprising benefits, according to a nationwide survey of more than 20,000 people.

The survey conducted by AskYourTeam, a Hawkes' Bay-based workplace productivity and leadership effectiveness consultancy, found bosses are more trusting, teams are working better together, workplace communication has improved and employees feel more empowered to perform.

CEO Chris O'Reilly said it showed bosses had stepped up to the task of leading through the Covid-19 crisis.

"There's definitely less of an 'us vs them' divide now compared to before," he said.

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"There is evidence bosses have taken on the challenge to be kind to the people they manage and are going out of their way to support them through this highly disruptive period."

Prior to Covid-19, only 64 per cent of workplace managers trusted workers to be productive.

This increased to an average of 87 per cent during lockdown.

AskYourTeam CEO Chris O'Reilly said the results show bosses have stepped up to the task of leading people through the Covid-19 crisis. Photo / Supplied

O'Reilly said this showed bosses haven't been micro-managing people working from home as much, and have seen results regardless.

Additionally, the survey suggests bosses have taken the time to make sure their employees are clear on how to keep working at home, with workplaces achieving an average 83 per cent rating for workers knowing what is expected of them to do their job, compared to 66 per cent before lockdown.

Hawke's Bay web design and digital marketing company MRD says the lockdown is set to change future workplaces.

Director Carrie Reaney said a period of almost six weeks working from home had allowed staff time with their families that they never knew they could have, and not being required to commute had helped sleep patterns.

AskYourTeam's results from survey to 20,000 kiwi's working from home.

Hawke's Bay Chamber of Commerce Karla Lee said bosses had stepped up, but so had their staff, and this had created a potential for a future of flexible working environments.

"Together, they are being innovative and creative in response to how their organisations can operate at each alert level and into the future," she said.

"Now that trust has been established and outputs achieved or surpassed, there will be serious consideration around a continued flexible working environment, the way business is done and where it is done from."