The hybrid work world has been a reality for several months now, but whether it’s working well is really a matter of debate. A new report from Microsoft, entitled “Empowering your workforce in economic uncertainty,” checks in with both employers and employees and finds there’s a definite divide between management and worker perspectives.

The study gathered data from a survey of 20,000 people in 11 countries, as well as incorporated anonymized and aggregated data from LinkedIn and Microsoft 365. What it found was that, when it comes to perceptions on productivity these days, there’s a huge chasm.

Some 87% of employees say they’re productive at work these days, but 85% of leaders are less sure of that. The change to a hybrid work environment has made it challenging for managers to know with confidence that people are being productive.

“What I’m finding, quite frankly, is leaders have tools they’ve developed through their careers to measure how productive their employees are–and without a physical workspace, many of those tools are inaccessible,” Jared Spataro, CVP of Modern Work at Microsoft, tells Fast Company. “So, there is a question of, in this new era, how do we look at productivity? We need to pivot away from looking at activity and looking at outcomes. But this productivity paranoia is really about activity.”

Although it was over 25 years ago, I clearly remember my first job managing the work of others.  I was half the age of some on the team and had even less experience. I was thrilled for the opportunity but intimidated to say the least. At my first team meeting, I blabbed on about HR theories to prove my mettle. Impostor syndrome? You bet!  Who was I to tell them what to do? What did they think of me? Did I really know what I was doing? My concerns matched what many new managers experience, but there are ways through it that can place you on the path to extraordinary.

She began to mistrust her team and managed to assert her authority. In response, team members listened less and mistrusted her more. Her behavior made them feel incompetent. Although they shared her concern for safety, they were rebelling against her approach. She turned this dynamic around after considerable personal reflection and by taking concerted actions to re-build trust with the team.

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In the past two years, we’ve seen more disruption than we typically see in decades. As if the pandemic of 2020 wasn’t enough, we’re now dealing with inflation increasing at the highest rate in more than 40 years, empty shelves in grocery stores, plummeting stock market tickers, and gas prices more than double what they were in 2020. (How I miss the good old days of $2 per gallon.)

In the midst of a chaotic present and an uncertain future, how do you stay productive and focus on what you can do, instead of getting consumed thinking about situations largely outside of your control? As a time management coach and as a human being who wrestles with these same questions in my day-to-day life, here are some of the best strategies I’ve found for continuing to get things done, and feel less overwhelmed:

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