Reimagining Workplace Culture for the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Adrian Voorkamp, Director, Learning Deployment, Americas, Product & Channel Learning, Johnson Controls
As we all grappled with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson Controls leadership teams across the world were tasked with continuing to meet the needs of their employees, even as many began working from home. Johnson Controls has always prioritized a culture of safety and teamwork, but with its employees isolated and scattered across the globe, we knew we had to get creative. This meant rapidly pivoting and leveraging the latest communication and workforce management technologies to provide all staff members, both new and seasoned, with the tools required to succeed.

Protecting our employees every step of the way
When it comes to our employees, of first and foremost importance is their safety. As policies continue to evolve and new information is discovered, our leadership team is constantly reevaluating the situation to ensure we are protecting our most valued asset: our people.

This is especially true for individuals who have returned to their offices or plants, or who are working in the field. To provide them with peace of mind and valuable resources, Johnson Controls leverages daily check-in processes. Performed on a mobile app, this program gives employees access to a private nurse staff and allows them to provide an update on their wellness via a checklist. We’ve found that our employees are incredibly comforted knowing that all their colleagues have completed a checklist confirming they are feeling well and symptom-free, and that they have nursing resources available if that is not the case. In addition, Johnson Controls sends COVID-19 pocket guides, free personal protective equipment (PPE) and training on best practices to each employee.

Maintaining a team culture, even when apart
In the early days of the pandemic, before Zoom happy hours and the rise of the phrase, “Can everyone see my screen?,” Johnson Controls was one of the first companies of its size to make the difficult decision to restrict all unnecessary travel and begin a work-from-home initiative for all office-based employees. While this was a jarring change for many, our leaders remained committed to continuing Johnson Controls culture of teamwork, even from afar.

For many, this meant creating new opportunities for connection and communication, especially for new hires who have joined our team during the pandemic. Whether that includes sales managers beginning every team meeting with a personal check-in or giving employees direct virtual access to colleagues they otherwise would never have met, Johnson Controls has found new ways to build camaraderie and keep staff engaged. One of the best examples is the Bravo recognition program, based around a new peer-led platform that makes it easy to recognize individual achievements and milestones. While Johnson Controls employees remain apart, they have continued to rise above the situation to maintain a culture of gratitude.

Reimaging workforce development for remote operations
While we may be working from home, our commitment to workforce development and employee training has not changed. However, without the ability to meet face-to-face, we have had to get creative. This has led to an incredible amount of innovation in virtual instructor-led training. From using helmet-mounted cameras, to having technicians troubleshoot a fire panel through a remotely-operated laptop, to teams in India leveraging augmented and virtual reality, our teams have risen to the occasion. As a result, we have seen cross-functional technology applications that were still in the planning stage pre-pandemic suddenly become the standard.

Johnson Controls is one team
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a complete reimagining of workplace culture, and at Johnson Controls, we know how crucial colleague interaction is to that culture. We strive to maintain, and even strengthen, our team relationships as we all work from home. From pets and children joining our video calls to 30 second dance parties, we’ve all learned to take ourselves a little less seriously and have a little more fun. As a result, our employees have the tools they need to truly thrive and provide our customers with exemplary service through the pandemic and beyond.