“Planning for the new normal of work has to be more comprehensive than simply giving everyone a laptop and turning them loose. Leadership needs to come to terms with what these seismic shifts in workplace culture means. In a lot of cases, that’s unhappy, mentally unwell employees. According to a recent study, 40 percent of managers and 30 percent of employees cited happiness, motivation, and productivity as their biggest challenges currently. Emma Kenny, a behavioral therapist who contributed to a recent report on the topic, said that managers were “walking a tightrope whilst managing expectation versus reality” and suggested that empathy must be prioritized. “Suddenly, managers are responsible for way more than staff productivity; they have to take charge in adapting and maintaining their work environments, whilst remotely managing staff who are no longer within direct reach,” Kenny said. “Mental health has always been a concern for employers and managers, and these concerns have undoubtedly escalated recently. Now, managers are working with traumatized employees, resistant employees, and those employees who use working from home as an excuse for less productivity.”