Human signals Exploring emerging human behaviour and service purpose during COVID-19 - EY
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Human signals Exploring emerging human behaviour and service purpose during COVID-19 Edition 2 | June 2020
A rolling research project
EY Seren teams are running two-week sprints of Insights in this issue
EY Seren teams mixed-method research to understand how the
1. Do I trust it?
help global pandemic is changing how we live and how
2. A new era of leadership
we work.
3. We’ve all lost something
organisations The hypothesis is that human behaviour is 4. Make do and mend
achieve growth changing significantly, and that service 5. Sharing space and burdens
providers will need to significantly change what 6. Generation crisis
by serving the they offer and how they offer it, to meet these 7. Virtualising customs and rituals
new needs. To do that, EY Seren teams are 8. Escape from home
needs of people, running:
communities ▶ Desk research across over 200 sources The anatomy of an insight
and the planet. ▶ Depth interviews with people, virtually, in
their own homes about what really matters to
Each fortnight EY Seren teams are collecting the
research into a series of insights. We expect
them right now these to morph and adapt through this series of
papers. All references are given at the end of the
▶ Diary studies with customers across the UK to
document.
get insight into how behaviour is changing
Peter Neufeld | Partner Interviews with design leaders and
▶ Title of the Key Supporting
EMEIA Financial Services LEAD
| Head of Financial Services CX professionals across sectors to understand signal insights evidence
EY-Seren Limited how COVID-19 is transforming the role of
pneufeld@uk.ey.com design and delivery
+44 (0) 746 744 1864
▶ Quantitative surveys to validate and scale the
insight
Joel Bailey | Director EY Seren teams will publish what we discover to
joel.bailey@ey-seren.com
our community fortnightly. If you want to share
EY-Seren Limited
+44 (0) 794 115 6449
your opinion or find out more about this
research, please let us know.
How long will Implications Implications
it last? today tomorrow
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 2
Leaving lockdown – a recipe for behavioural confusion?
Governments are looking for strategies that unlock the economy whilst minimising health risks – a challenging behavioural dilemma.
Moving to phase 3 – the UK has moved Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4 Phase 5
into phase 3, with a roadmap set out. Social distancing Social isolation Pulsing Vaccine Immunity
Trials of health evidencing schemes are 4 weeks 10-18 weeks 12-18 months 18-24 months TBC
underway, alongside “back to work”
guidance for employers. The US is hesitantly moving back and forth between Some countries are moving into phase 3 The hunt for a vaccine continues, Immunity remains a
phases 1 and 2, depending on location and attitude – faster than others. China, New Zealand, across 40 global teams, with confusing picture. News
Entering a new phase – after a period with civil liberties ideology clashing with science. South Korea, Spain – all have moved to near-daily and often premature of a new more virulent
based on a relatively simple rule to stay social distancing or some sort, with claims of new solutions. strain emerging in the
at home, we are now entering a more pulsing in place to manage case spikes. last few days further
complex phase, with its own risks. complicates things.
Cognitive load – humans en-masse Full adaptation, full recovery
Uncertainty
don’t perform well under complex
guidance, especially when it goes Losing confidence
against ingrained habit and custom. Minimising, Testing
The wider the range of interpretations, denial
Confusion
the greater the likelihood the rules will UK now Partial adaptation,
Disbelief Exploring partial recovery
be eroded, intentionally or
unintentionally. Depression
Trust – so far there’s been a high rate Numbness
Accepting Phoenix
of obedience to the rules and science. Crisis recovery
In recent polls “scientists are the most
trusted, [and] Government officials… Collapse
are at the bottom of the rank.” The
former work in open and peer-reviewed
transparency to protect health. The
latter work under very different
circumstances and to a range of
balanced objectives. Public trust in the
combined team and their rules are Information is imperfect Alert to the crisis, people Many people begin to accept aspects A range of end states materialise, based on two variables – how
likely to be tested in this phase. and poorly distributed, rapidly shift behaviour, of the crisis, exploring and testing well the individual recovered and long it has taken them. Some
leading to a slow and often focusing on physiological new, healthier adapt. Others take recover from the ashes through “moment of truth” interventions
Service inconsistency – it now looks gradual change of safety and security, with longer to adapt or adapt less well or from providers.
likely that different sectors will work behaviour. rising financial and not at all.
psychological vulnerability. Successful providers innovate at speed, externally and
under different rules. But people don’t Some service providers Providers are adapting existing internally, to create an effective future for their customers and
experience life as sectors, so confusion were able to anticipate and Some service providers journeys and channels, and colleagues.
and inconsistent behaviour is likely to prepare themselves and were able to anticipate and launching new propositions to help
their customers for the prepare themselves and customers begin to recover.
rise. crash. their customers for the
crash.
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 3
Edition 2 Human signals What EY Seren teams’ latest research has uncovered
Do I trust it?
Key insights Supporting evidence wellbeing of your customers and staff over
financial concerns during the crisis
Unsurprisingly, what people trust and distrust has “When we smell something putrid or “off” we ▶ If you’ve made missteps in your response,
changed. In some areas normal factors have tend to feel, and indeed signal, disgust, and create an overt trust rebuilding strategy, to
accentuated, but in others new factors have arisen. whole areas of the brain, particularly the recover ground.
Economies and markets are founded on trust – so all insula, are activated. Decisions such as what
the talk about “reopening the economy” will only be ▶ Given COVID-19 is likely to last in social
to eat, who to mate with, are influenced by memory, return to your vision and mission,
78%
enabled by close attention to these. such subtle non-conscious factors... What we
and ensure that trust plays a key role.
Physical - surfaces, spaces and other people are all know is that when in a state of stress or
possible sources of infection and thus not to be when sensing danger, we all tend to be more Human insights
immediately trusted. suspicious and less welcoming of others
Want businesses generally.” - Dr Graham Music, Consultant "Who would want to go on holiday? I don't
Emotional - our ability to trust others comes down to
judgements of whether they demonstrate competence, to protect Child and Adolescent Psychotherapist want to be the first jumping on a plane, going
to a restaurant, I'd rather observe others
act with integrity, care about others and honour
commitments. This is acute for new behaviours, such as
employees and “Employer communications are the most first."
credible source of information about the
digital usage or contact tracing apps, where emotional local coronavirus. 63% said that they would - Diary participant, Male 65
concerns around security are likely to need managing.
communities believe information from that channel… "When I went to Lidl, they were wiping over
Perceived: time is a factor. People are willing to spend versus 58% for a government website and
lots of things they had hand sanitiser as you
10 minutes in close proximity to get groceries, but not 51% for traditional media.” - Edelmans' Trust walked in […] It meant I didn’t feel as dirty
two hours in a cinema, and much less a week on a Barometer Report out today, I know that was probably in my
cruise ship. mind before, but I didn’t feel as grossed out."
Currys PC World is planning to roll out a
Prejudice: trust is determined through our “fast zero-contact Drive Thru model, so that
thinking’” brains, which are often caught up with - Diary participant. Female 31
customers can shop without entering stores.
unconscious bias and prejudice. This could lead to the "Some supermarkets will let only one person
exclusion of certain groups, e.g. minority groups who Implications today in, others have social distancing outside, and
are affected significantly by COVID-19. free flowing inside - we never went back
▶ It’s not enough to be clean. You need to there."
provide evidence of cleaning and a clear
How long will it last hygiene protocol - screens, sanitisers, floor
markers - all of these provide a base level of
- Diary participant, Male 65
“
comfort and reassurance.
It takes a lot of mental and emotional effort to
▶ Given the BAME community is
live in a world where you distrust everything. disproportionately affected by COVID-19, pay
We’re just not used to it. Providers who foster particular attention to your diversity and Airlines are talking about spare seats
and signpost trust, allowing people to “get it on inclusion agenda. in between passengers. But you still
face value”, will thrive. In other domains, there is ▶ Use marketing content and outreach efforts don’t know what germs are around.
potential for this latent mistrust to be negatively that resonate with customers, and avoid the
- Diary participant, Male 65
sustained in a culturally corrosive way, as blame inauthenticity of bandwagoning
for mistakes gets distributed and defensive Implications tomorrow
“divide and conquer” strategies kick in.
▶ Clearly demonstrate that you prioritise the
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 5
A new era of leadership
Key insights Supporting evidence ▶ Coach senior leaders in conscious and
vulnerable leadership qualities, so they’re
The mid 1930s sparked the era of the engineer. Veblen, Scott, and Rautenstrauch “We believe that leadership is strengthened open to diverse points of view and mixed
likened society to a machine, calling for government as “social engineering”. The by continually referring to the big picture as sources of information.
policymaker’s role was to tinker and probe, to keep things working despite stresses, an anchor for meaning, resisting the ▶ Encourage leaders to bring their own
strains, and shocks. temptation to compartmentalise or to struggles and experiences to bear, to create
The 1970s brought the era of the scientist. “Neoliberals developed their ideas on the consider human life in statistics alone. empathy and understanding, and avoid the
model of physics.” In this mode, countries, markets and firms could be run according to Leadership in an uncertain, fast-moving often demanding and alienating need to be
a “Washington Consensus' of standardised policies”. Nations and markets became crisis means making oneself available to feel “always alpha”.
“convenient laboratories” for change. what it is like to be in another’s shoes — to
COVID-19 is accelerating us into a new era: that of the doctor. The doctor sees the lead with empathy. ” Human insights
newly globalised and financialised economy like an organism struck by pathogens – Harvard Business Review "I tried to create the feeling in people that
where old rule books don’t apply, and where subjectivity and objectivity sit on an equal they are empowered to treat the situation as
footing. The opportunity to shift strategy towards purpose, sustainability, and “But one thing is clear: traditional “alpha”
they wanted to and get everything in place in
inclusiveness is available in ways that it wasn’t before. leadership is not proving very helpful at all in
their own way. You can control your own
this crisis. Those who attempt to project
As leaders around the world focus on the longer term recovery ahead, there is an narrative’"
puffed-up authority and come across as
emerging realisation that any return to normal will require them to transform their
businesses, services and platforms. There is also a desire to not only return to a “new falsely knowledgeable in a situation where - Senior Manager, Professional Services
there is no certainty are clearly not the Business
normal” but address larger, regional and global challenges along the way such as
people we can trust right now.”
climate change, poverty, and access to healthcare. Care is the new watchword – so "I've gotten to know my line manager as
this shift to a doctor mindset of leadership seems like an opportunity that shouldn’t be – The Financial Times more of a friend.“
missed.
– Diary study participant, Female, 30s
Leading in this new era requires a range of new attitudes and traits: empathy, Implications today
purpose, acting on behalf of all stakeholders your organisation represents and impacts; "I’m being honest with my team about the
▶ If you’re in a leadership position, look as much down days I experience, this makes it easier
the ability to seek a range of inputs yet be decisive; being other-directed, strong vision-
to your heart as to your head, but don’t get
setting; and balancing risks. If in doubt do what the doctor does – get closer to the for them to share their true feelings with me
woolly – urgent decisions are critically needed.
people you care for. and the team. A feeling where a team
▶ Find ways to have contact with real customers member can say “I’m overwhelmed” and
and colleagues at the frontline, to balance the they can take the day for their head“
How long will it last “filter bubble” risk of acting only off second-
hand “cold” dashboard data about people. - Director, FTSE100
▶ Keep your communications clear and
“
EY Seren teams can relate to a lot of this. We transparent.
have long recognised the need to combine thick ▶ Don’t fear mistakes and missteps. Avoid the
messy data about humans, with the cold hard instinct to double down to appear confident.
data from machines. To bring different experts Please be strong, be kind, and unite
together in experiments, and use customer
Implications tomorrow against COVID-19.
contact to trigger empathy. This is a way ▶ Create cognitively diverse teams, especially at Jacinda Ardern - New Zealand Prime Minister
through wicked problems, so it feels like an leadership levels, as they’re proven to
acceleration of a long-term shift. outperform cognitively normative teams.
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 6
High Access Significant financial support, well
We’ve all lost something information and extended network support
Resources
Our access to
resources to
Storm Optimistic
Weathers Adapters change and
adapt
Key insights Human insights Passively waiting Confidently
for recovery secure
Everyone’s lost something to COVID-19 and everyone’s navigating “Today has been tough to be honest. Went High
recovery from loss. At one extreme there are those who have lost a shopping on my lunch break and I think a Low capacity
capacity
loved one and experience grief and bereavement. Then the many combination of things, the relaxing of the Overwhelmed
lockdown rumours and just general anxiety made Impacted
who have lost income and financial security. And then the billions of and switched
this a big deal. Found myself struggling to follow but
people who have lost their freedom. The connecting factors – the my wife’s fairly simple shopping list and feeling off Severely Muddling
loss of connection, security, agency, identity and independence. powering on
very overwhelmed.” Impacted Through
The loss of rituals to deal with dying and grieving further extends - Diary study participant, male, 36 At risk Alone but
the experience of bereavement and recovery. It has become harder Capacity Our communities persevering
to be present for friends and loved ones, to support them through “I didn’t sleep too well. I think it's because I'm ability to
the emotional hardships and experiences of grief and isolation. anxious about how the economy is going to
change and
Loss is a well-established area of psychological enquiry. It can lead recover from this but not only that, will my own Low Access Limited access to
job be safe as well? Will it be affected by any adapt
to depression and anxiety, but also anger. For example, the money, information and support
redundancies when I go back?”
perceived loss of freedom in the US during lockdown has led to acts
- Diary study participant, male, 31
of civil disobedience. Loss Mindsets
Understanding two key dimensions of our collective sense of loss will EY Seren teams have created a framework to identify four customer
help providers improve services to better support people: Supporting evidence mindsets across a spectrum that maps the intersection of our
Resources: access to resources is an indicator of how well someone “They tell us that COVID-19 is the great leveller. psychological capacity for change and the access to resources required
will recover from loss. If you have access to information, support It’s not. It’s much much harder if you’re poor.” to support us through that change. This framework allows us to align
and money, you’re more likely to recover. - Emily Maitlis, BBC News new and improvised service experiences to the specific need states of
customers and colleagues. It allows us to experiment with ways to serve
Capacity: although you may have access to resources, you may not
customers better, and use digital services and advanced analytics to
have the capacity to apply those resources, due to the debilitating
support customers in improving their capacity for change, in
effects of grieving or the loss of identity from redundancy.
circumstances where improved access to resources may not be possible.
Implications today Implications tomorrow
The poorest fifth of
How long will it last ▶ Recognise the vulnerability of customers ▶ Identify opportunities to support
With COVID-19, there’s a strong cultural sense that
households direct 55% and colleagues as a fact. Don’t try to
airbrush it out.
customers and colleagues through a
phase of post traumatic recovery and
of their budgets on average growth.
everyone has lost something. The key for providers ▶ Help people to normalise their emotions
to essentials, compared with
now is to move beyond the initial response phase of by providing information about usual ▶ Review customer journeys and service
just 39% for the richest fifth reactions and pointing out that people communications for practical
providing self-serve webpages and content
People living in more often prevail, and even grow, through opportunities to help customers shift
resources, and create solutions that build the
deprived areas in the UK crisis. their mindset and increase their capacity
customer’s capacity for change. The BBC’s use of
have experienced COVID-19 Connect to other service providers that for change.
BBC Bitesize is a great example of helping both ▶
mortality rates more than can support customers and colleagues Connect customers together in
children and their parents to build their capacity to ▶
double those living in less with limited access to resources. communities where they can support
home-school.
deprived areas. one another and position your brand as
a partner in recovery.
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 7
Make do and mend
Key insights Supporting evidence Human insights
Although many have lost something in this crisis, there’s also “All bread bakers feel united. People are baking bread in “My son is excited as I have created a little movie night and
emerging evidence of people trying to create something new. many different languages” made little snack boxes, we would’ve never done this kind of
thing before. Made cookies again – it went wrong. I’m not
Consumption of screen content has risen, but the combination - Nigella Lawson
good at baking, but lockdown has made me try”
of binge-watching colleagues then binge-watching Netflix isn’t
“The garden is a sanctuary. No one wants to be isolated just
much fun - there is a need to achieve a screen-life balance. - Diary study participant, female, 31
in their house. It’s good for the mind … it gives you a sense of
This desire to create something new is not about chest- well-being.” “The one thing I reflected on today when both me and my son
thumping declarations of emerging from isolation with a suite were lying on the grass in our garden, was the fact that this
- Alan Roper, The Blue Diamond Group
of new skills, a new business idea and a brand new body, it's a has given not just us, but everyone a great opportunity to re-
gentler notion. live the "old school" days where parents had a lot more time
to play with their children, spend time away from the TV and
Given the scarcity of goods, resources, stimulus and cash, computers.”
people are having to make do and mend what they have.
- Diary study participant, male, 31
This shift from consumption to production is helping people
find or rediscover the forgotten pleasure of the creative
process.
Life in lockdown from diary study participants
So whilst for some this may be developing a new skill, for
many it is the smaller acts, having a go at scratch cooking,
creating a movie night or taking up drawing again, that are John Lewis is reporting a rise in sales
providing both relief and support, and bringing families closer of sewing machines, craft kits and
together.
wool as people become more creative
with their time.
How long will it last
Online DIY product sales were up 42%
How much of this is born out of necessity versus choice is in March.
yet to be seen. For some, financial prudence will mean
this becomes a necessary way of life for some time – a Implications today Implications tomorrow
means of exerting control over their lives and
expenditure. For others, the benefits to wellbeing, health, ▶ People are evaluating what they consider to be essential ▶ New models of consumption will begin to emerge as the
spending, especially as the longer term financial long term benefits of what lock down means in terms of
and family togetherness may form new rituals and values.
implications bite – the experience of “making do” is one way climate change and consumer waste are examined. Brands
As countries begin to emerge from lockdown, our people are taking control and managing their financial that can activate the desire in customers and colleagues to
newfound – and sustainable – skills will compete with the uncertainty. make a difference will build on the loyalty they are creating
consumer convenience of the ready-made, pick-up-and-go through purpose with customers.
▶ Engage consumers in their desire to “create” and provide
culture. them with access to the tools, resources, and insights to ▶ A shift to purpose-centred design will support brands in
make do with less, and create experiences in isolation that creating authentic value with customers and colleagues in
generate value. the post-lockdown consumer experience.
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 8
Sharing space and burdens
Key insights Supporting evidence Human insights
COVID-19 is changing how people interact and navigate “The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, and TfL have today “Now I think I’ll be anxious and more cautious about getting
spaces (both public and private). We are moving from a unveiled their “London Streetspace” programme which will on packed tubes”
“high-touch” to a “low-touch” world. rapidly transform London’s streets to accommodate a - Diary study participant, female, 31
possible ten-fold increase in cycling and five-fold increase in
Urban infrastructure is ill-suited to physical distancing and is “I think, one factor I have found challenging during this
walking when lockdown restrictions are eased. …TfL will
being hastily changed to signal desired behaviours. rapidly repurpose London’s streets to serve this lockdown is that this is now the ‘new norm’. The whole
Employers will roll out physical distancing measures in unprecedented demand for walking and cycling in a major queuing up for ages to get into a shop and then not being able
workplaces. This is already happening in China. new strategic shift.” to go with my wife to several shops, this has made shopping a
lot more difficult, but I completely understand as to why it
Citizens’ new default position will be to avoid crowds and - Press release, 6 May 2020
needs to be done.”
public transport. Bicycle use will increase in urban areas. “A crucial factor for the future direction of the property - Diary study participant, male, 31
market is the willingness of the “Bank of Mum and Dad” to
People are sharing the burden of lockdown in family units and
local communities. In some cases family members in the same keep on lending or gifting deposits”
local community are using social media to stay connected as - Clare Barret, Personal Finance Editor, FT
they are forced to self-isolate.
In the short term, impacted workers have relied on bank As of 1st May 4M workers have been
repayment holidays and the government furlough scheme to
sustain them. However, when these crutches are withdrawn, furloughed on 80% of pay ,and more
individuals will be forced to turn to their family and other than 1.2M have paused their mortgage
networks to bridge income gaps. repayments for three months.
Social distancing signposting in enclosed public spaces
How long will it last Implications today Implications tomorrow
▶ Service providers should facilitate the shift to “low-touch”. ▶ Urban infrastructure will be redesigned to better regulate
Changes to public and private space will persist long after They must consider how to encourage healthy behaviours citizens’ flow around cities and reduce overcrowding and
the immediate peak of infections subsides. Retail and to welcome customers back in a safe environment. “choke points”.
leisure environments will be forced to adapt to facilitate ▶ Employers must introduce short-term transformations to ▶ Employers should consider scaling down office space out of
low-touch, limited-proximity operating modes until a office configuration, including contactless doors, lifts, room economic necessity, re-imagine the use and need of
vaccine is widely available. dividers and much stricter cleaning regimes. physical space for safe working and customer service and
accommodate increased virtual working routines for most
▶ Employers will need to stagger the employee return to
The phasing out of the government furlough scheme from workers from home.
workplace. Guidelines for employees need to be clear with
July will mark the beginning of a new phase of focused, hyper-care engagement. ▶ Service providers must plan for a significant decrease in
vulnerability for workers as they turn to family to share consumer activity and inability of borrowers to sustain
▶ Customer experiences will need to manage new need repayments.
burdens. states, anxieties and changing behaviours for a return to
the high street and close proximity services. ▶ Services will need to further digitise to ensure they are
resilient, can accommodate pre-vaccine consumer
behaviour and return to lockdown when outbreaks emerge.
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 9
Generation crisis
Key insights Supporting evidence Human insights
A whole generation is growing up that only know crisis: with “More than a third (35%) of 26-40-year-olds are preparing to “I woke up so early today had the worst night’s sleep and the
the 2008 financial crisis, COVID-19, and Brexit in the dip into savings and 22% are borrowing money from a friend worst dreams. I realise now I think it was because I was
foreground, and the climate crisis ever-present in the or family member to get by… 8 in 10 (78%) millennials say watching the news before bed as this happened last week as
background. they are currently concerned about their ability to pay bills well as all the dreams in a weird way were about COVID-19. I
and loans.” was so anxious.”
The typical psychological responses to crisis are uncertainty, Diary study participant, female, 32
fear and hopelessness, whilst at the same time people try to - Yahoo Finance
live an emotionally positive life. This can lead to cognitive “They have smaller savings accounts than prior generations. “Struggled today because work was slow, and I didn’t have
dissonance and bewilderment – as indicated by the research: They have less money invested. They own fewer houses to much planned besides that. I live alone so often feel lonely
refinance or rent out or sell. They make less money, and are during lockdown and miss human interaction with family and
► Longing for human connection vs valuing the solitude friends.”
less likely to have benefits like paid sick leave… Compounding
► Guilty about screen time vs screens providing a lifeline their troubles, millennials are, for now, disproportionate - Diary study participant, female, 31
► Living for now vs feeling helpless about the future holders of the kind of positions disappearing the fastest.”
► Enjoying a life pause vs tragedy of trauma elsewhere - The Atlantic
► Enjoying family time vs madness of forced intimacy
“
Opportunity to introspect vs feeling sick of myself
1/5
►
► Wanting to grasp the opportunity vs feeling exhausted
► Rediscovering cooking vs bored cooking every meal
As we’re trying to hack the system
► Working from home is good vs binge watching colleagues of millennials
is bad and figure it out, we just got hit
who were saving
Optimism for humanity coming together vs pessimism of again… It makes you just want to lay
►
for first home down and just stay there.
long-term outlook
Millennials, born between 1981 and 2008 and now the largest
now using cash to
- Vox magazine interviewee
part of the workforce, are maturing into a world of continual cope day-to-day.
personal and emotional turbulence.
How long will it last Implications today Implications tomorrow
▶ This cohort likely makes up a large part of your workforce, ▶ Seek out the voice of this cohort in decision-making,
This is a generation that has only ever known crisis and
so make time to empathise with the conflicting emotions whether from employees inside your organisation, or from
the persistent need to adapt for the short term. Whether people are feeling. customers outside.
it leads to post traumatic stress or growth depends on
▶ Adapt the service propositions you offer to better serve the ▶ Provide explicit permission to this group that they can
individual capacity for change. EY Seren teams expect an
need for stability and security-seeking. Create offers that experiment through change. Empower them to explore
increase in security-seeking and also radical new thinking. combine a pathway to the future combined with flexibility radical thinking, within a structured approach that manages
along the way. risk.
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 10Virtualising customs and rituals
Key insights Supporting evidence Human insights
Customs and rituals are integral to being human. There is
an uncanny sense of incompleteness when one can’t hug a
90% Chinese authorities are working hard to
encourage citizens to stop the tradition of shared
"Morning home-schooling is more structured
than the afternoon"
loved one, head out to meet friends and family for lunch, of the world’s plates and potluck meals. - Diary study participant, female, 31
or shake hands with a client at the start of a meeting. population now The retailer Currys have launched a new live “We are not socialising in person but are going
Equally, physical playground rituals play a real role in live in countries video shopping service to allow people to browse onto Zoom and various WhatsApp groups but
childhood education. Many families struggle with the stores with help from professionals. even this is getting boring now – except with my
with travel children and grandchildren. Generally, really fed
responsibility of home schooling and keeping children Some UK bank branches are using video
restrictions. up that I can't do what I want.”
engaged. conferencing to maintain contact with their local
customers. - Diary study participant, male, 65
Our leisure time is marked by rituals of collective meals, An estimated
weekend trips to shopping malls and high streets for lunch 25M aviation Many museums, cultural sites, and travel
and dinner, window shopping, sporting events, cultural destinations have launched virtual tours you can
jobs and 100M access from home and explore at your leisure.
events, and so much more.
travel and “We’re not going to swing the doors open and go
As the summer months approach, travel destinations, tourism jobs are back to what was happening before. I don’t think
culture events, and sports are all virtualising a return to
at risk. that “where shall we go in Europe for the
a mediated shared experience. weekend?” approach is going to come back in the
We are more social, in many ways, than ever before, and same casual manner.”
social distancing is really more about physical - Tony Wheeler, Lonely Planet
distancing and our willingness to experience services and
share moments together safely in close physical proximity.
Implications today Implications tomorrow
How long will it last ▶ Adapt your service so that old rituals and customs can be ▶ Find ways to create new customs and rituals.
maintained.
▶ Virtualise service to create increased social proximity whilst
It’s about physical distancing, not social distancing.
▶ Think about the physical touchpoints not only in your service maintain physical distancing. Allow colleagues to connect
Service providers need to create new ways to engage experience, but the journey to your service and journey home with customers and increase the personal nature of the
customers in physical proximity and connect families afterward. What are the concerns your customers and services you provide, powered by your digital capabilities.
and friends through social and commercial rituals that colleagues will have? How will you address them? How will
▶ Tap into your customers’ new found sense of purpose and
can be enhanced and supported by digital and virtual you virtualise and deliver your service experience to the
longing for a return of social experiences, to drive better
experiences. And as new habits and rituals emerge, home?
engagement and create connections that will last a lifetime.
with a focus on sustainability and social purpose, ▶ Use your research, insights and analytics to gain a deeper
brands have an opportunity to shape new services and understanding of your customers’ needs and shape virtual
experiences that can build a stronger emotional connection.
value propositions.
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 11Escape from home
Key insights Supporting evidence Human insights
The end of the lockdown honeymoon has been palpable: the A recent poll by the Economist found that over a third of “I’m less concerned about getting back to work but more
flood of memes have reduced, the long-term fatigue of Americans think it will be “several months” before it will be worried about the prospect of getting there – will I really want
isolation is kicking in, and though some may not yet feel ready safe to reopen businesses as normal—which suggests that if to get on the Tube, step into an elevator or even eat lunch
to return to work, many more are ready to escape the home. businesses do re-open some customers, at least, may stay out?”
away. - Design Leader, FTSE100
Governments are easing lockdown restrictions. Complex social
distancing rules and personal health concerns will make the EY research participants had conflicting perspectives on the “Finding it tough being away from loved ones. Feeling sad
return to physical proximity a complex challenge for those future, desiring an escape from home but also balancing that I can’t physically see them.”
returning to work, their high street, and their school. Expect a personal and family health concerns and conflicting messages - Diary study participant, female, 31
return to some things, but normal is unlikely to be one of across the global media and government landscape.
“Like lots of Nans, I’m missing my grand-daughters. I just
them. want to hug them and smell them. I want to kiss their sticky
Each individual will balance competing and inter-related Footfall in a faces.”
personal, family health and financial wellbeing considerations Wuhan - Diary study participant, female, 56
“
when assessing their level of comfort with a return to any
physical proximity.
shopping
district
Many have found new ways to live and work, which will be As people come out of this crisis and start
either cast away or reconfigured in a new round of dropped
experiments. from 60k a coming back to work, the first thing that I
would do is have a discussion about what
For customers dealing with complex issues like bereavement, day to
everyone learned from the experiments they
10k
illness, and job loss, these will continue and they’re likely to
demand new digital expectations developed during lockdown ran. Some of those experiments were by force,
to be met. others were by choice, but we've all had to test
out different routines and the way we work.
post
- Adam Grant,
lockdown.
How long will it last Wharton School Professor and Author of Give and Take
The return to work will be an ongoing effort as markets Implications today Implications tomorrow
re-open and people escape their homes to physically re- ▶ Set clear principles about the way you’ll manage the ▶ Set up a return to work central function, to explore what
engage with services, family and colleagues. Responding process. elements of this experiment should remain and what should
to colleagues and customers with purpose, transparency end.
▶ Set-up and track how customers and colleagues are
and empathy will be essential. Our day one response will experiencing the shift, so you can quickly inform decisions. ▶ Be transparent with your behavioural insights and data,
adapt over time. Customer and colleague sentiment collating cross-sector best practice, and government
▶ Pay overly close attention to feedback and measures, and guidance on staying healthy and well in close proximity.
measurement will help you navigate changing behaviours
communicate regularly, at the same crisis levels, on any
and expectations. adjustments to protocol. ▶ Even though we’ve progressed to phase 3, make plans for
intermittent returns to phase 2, and also for how you will
progress based on phase 4 and 5 scenarios.
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 12Edition 2 Working with signals How to apply these insights in your organisation
Working with #humansignals
Using the concept-generation matrix so you can action these human signals in your organisation
About this method Step-by-step guide
The next couple of pages
walks you through a simple,
hands-on method for
Step 1. Prepare Step 2. Explore Step 3. Prioritise
generating ideas from these
human signals, or any insights ► Take the themes from human signals ► Secure enough time for your team to ► Bring the groups back together.
you may have access to or be that resonate with your organisation focus on this exercise. We would
generating. The aim is to help Ask each group to talk through their
and prioritise the ones you want to recommend around 90 minutes. Set ►
you identify opportunities and work on. the scope for the session based on preferred ideas. Encourage anyone
with a similar idea to call out “snap”
generate ideas relevant to your strategic or team priorities.
What to do?
► Feel free to rephrase or break them (you can utilise the chat function
your customers, organisation down to suit your needs. Just make ► Break the team into smaller breakout here), and then contribute any builds
and context. sure your team has a shared groups of two, in separate calls if they might have. Encourage a “yes
understanding of them. possible and assign them each a and…” mindset to build on ideas.
When to use:
theme or set of the themes to
You can also supplement the list with Once complete, you should have a
explore. Have the teams code
► ►
Once you’ve read the themes any additional insights your own populated board. Ask everyone to
and are thinking: how can I challenges in red and opportunities in
research teams may have identified. yellow. vote against their favourite ideas.
apply these to our organisation, Some tools have dedicated voting
in our context? Lay out your insights in the below Give people 30-40 minutes to work features. Give each team member a
►
►
format, on your online whiteboard quietly in pairs, to generate ideas in fixed number of votes to cast.
What you’ll need: tool. You should end up with the each of their boxes. Give people a
same themes labelled along the Look at the results of voting and
timeslot and target number of ideas ►
► A team of people horizontal axis and areas of impact agree on what ideas should be
per box. Keep the energy up and
responsible for your COVID- along the vertical axis. drive momentum. Quantity and prioritised.
19 response chemistry is more important that
► Every grey square then represents
the intersection of a theme with an quality at this stage.
► An open-minded and trusted
atmosphere area of impact.
► Reliable video conferencing
tool
Human Human Human Do I trust it A new era of leadership Customs and rituals …
…
Canvas to use
► Online whiteboarding tool signal 1 signal 2 signal 3
Customer … Customer …
Colleague … Colleague …
Business … Business …
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 14Working with #humansignals
Moving from human signals towards a timeline of opportunities (Page 2/2)
Step-by-step guide continued
Step 4. Put your ideas on a timeline Step 5. Run your customer and organisation through the concept You should now have a range of
► This step is all about prioritising which ► This step is about going deep into your idea from a customer’s point of view, and from a
fresh, COVID-19 relevant,
ideas need to be worked on most urgently. few organisational points of view – so you can check it’s desirable, feasible and viable. customer-centred and
► Edit the timeline headers below to fit with ► Customer: whether B2B or B2C, your customer will experience your service idea over business-oriented concepts to
your organisation’s own milestones, or you time. If you have customer personas, introduce them here. Their experience will have a: socialise within the business.
What to do?
can use our timelines from earlier in the
Before – the trigger and the route are critical, how the need emerges and the
document (from pulsing through to ►
immunity) – whichever works best. customer discovers the service and decides whether to invest time and effort in it
to get value out.
► Take each priority idea from step 3 and
allocate them to a phase in the timeline. ► Begin – first impressions of a service matter and are where new behaviours are
forged.
Get in touch if you
► For each idea, challenge the team on how
they can deliver value across all three time ► During – how the customer gets value over time from using products and channels. want help with any
horizons. As an example, for a beyond
concept, what is the now activity to
► After – how the customer assesses the service and shares the experience with
others.
of this or would like
consider that may allow us to deliver value
earlier. ► Channel: consider which channels customers are likely to want to use to interact with
the service.
a facilitated session.
► Enablers: which internal organisational teams need to be consulted to make this a
reality?
► Success measures: what cost, revenue and experience metrics will indicate service
success for your idea.
Yuliia Pashkova | Service Design
and Research Consultant
Now Next Beyond Before Begin During After EY-Seren Limited
yuliia.pashkova@uk.ey.com
Canvas to use
Customer +44 (0) 739 287 9840
Days and weeks Weeks and months Months and years
Channel
Joel Bailey | Director
joel.bailey@ey-seren.com
Enablers
EY-Seren Limited
Success measures +44 (0) 794 115 6449
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 15Edition 2 Leaders guide On creating value remotely
When value comes from deep work, how do you help teams avoid the
shallows of remote working?
Why you now need to move from a situation of remote busyness, to a focus on remote value creation.
EY Seren teams have long recognised the Remote working can increase shallow work and decrease the deep work where value is created
power of “deep work”, which is why our sprints ► Constant interruptions to check in and communicate break flow, which is a critical ingredient of deep work. The
usually have “dark room Fridays”, so people fewer the interruptions, the better quality the work.
can recharge, collect their thoughts and let ► The need to be be visibly productive becomes the need to be connected. The industrial work model of
creative ideas emerge from the hustle of a “productivity” required workers to be visibly working for the full eight-hour day to justify their employment. In
busy week. remote knowledge work, this isn’t so necessary, or even so desirable. We’re all experiencing how
counterproductive being “always on” can be.
EY Seren teams explore how organisations can
achieve this through remote working.
“We all like to think we have strong teams that can work Shallow work Deep work
autonomously but the reality is some people cope with this
► Processing email and chat ► Working on a service improvement or innovation
better than others… It’s difficult to strike the balance
between being a good “remote” leader together with not ► Attending status update meetings ► Defining and writing a strategy paper
being intrusive or being seen to be checking up for the sake ► Arranging logistics ► Preparing a key presentation
of checking up.” ► Organising work lists ► Researching a problem
– Diary study participant, male, 36
According to the Harvard Business Review, the time
employees spend on collaboration has increased by 50% over ► Right now people are so “busy” they’re having to do their deep work in the margins, around a tidal wave of shallow
the past two decades… [but] researchers found it was not work. This is leading to personal problems (stress and overwork) and also business problems - not enough value is
uncommon for workers to spend a full 80% of their workdays being created.
communicating with colleagues in the form of email (on Right now teams are confused and tired. To maximise the deep work your organisation needs, leaders must
which workers’ spend an average of six hours a day); actively rethink how to lead teams and help them work remotely.
meetings (which fill up 15% of a company’s time, on
average); and more recently instant messaging apps (the
average Slack user sends an average of 200 messages a
day, though 1,000-message power users are “not the
exception”).”
- Doist
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 17How world-leading value creation businesses do it remotely
Remote working maturity scale
“ “We’re betting that in the future, the most successful companies and Skeptics Testers Adopters Scalers
teams will be the ones who make this shift. It will be the teams that don’t
require their employees to be always-on, prioritise asynchronous
communication to create space for deep work, and allow employees to
disconnect and recharge fully.” Don’t see value of Apply remote Available to Remote working
or need for remote working by everyone, though shapes how the
- Doist
working. May even exception to models of use and organisation thinks
“Regardless of industry, company size, or leadership styles, a high-trust suspect deep, value specific locations engagement vary and works. Value is
culture is a defining characteristic of every company that wins a coveted creating work can and roles. Cultural across the created
spot on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For list that we have
only be done with norm is to work in organisation. systematically,
produced each year since 1998.”
physical proximity. physical proximity. Cultural confusion regardless of
- Great Place to Work about best way to location or
work together to personal
create value. preference.
Organisations higher up the scale have a preference for:
Synchronous work requires the whole team to stop what they’re doing in order to come together for the majority of activities e.g., updates, decisions, communications.
1. Asynchronous over This breaks people’s flow and undermines quality of knowledge work. Instead, asynchronous work allows the bulk of these things to happen in parallel to the work, using
synchronous work transparent work tools like kanban boards and by using email and messaging apps. Though beware of email, as it locks information in personal inboxes.
Talking fades, where as writing persists. When people are remote, and trying to work to their own energy, they won’t always be there to hear you speak. So you, or
2. Writing over talking someone else, will end up repeating things. Often details will be confused along the way. Writing things down provides a persistent record, available to all in the team. It
usually encourages clearer thinking too.
Everyone works differently. Some are night owls, some are introverts. Cognitively diverse teams excel. So it’s best to let people work the way that gives them best
3. Blocking time over energy. The key to this is letting people and teams block their time each day and week, and avoid fragmented and crowded days. The key is to let people balance signal
fragmented time and noise – with enough collaboration and solo working to achieve the result.
Measure performance based on outputs and results, not on responsiveness or hours worked. You want teams actively managing their scope and deliverables within
4. Maximising work not available time and based on available resources. Encourage them to challenge one another on whether planned work is necessary or a priority. Focus only on what’s
done over busywork needed to achieve the outcome.
The speed at which software like Zoom, Microsoft Teams and other remote working tools have been adopted, demonstrates how reliant teams now are on these new
5. Using the tech over technologies. However, no tool is perfect. Teams need to work out how they will combine different tools into their work, alongside good remote ways of working (which is
being used by the tech explored on the next page). All technology has downsides – notifications can encourage overwork and burn out, and the ‘”always on virtual mirror” of video-conferencing
software, is quickly becoming a less-popular feature.
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 18Questions leaders should consider to improve remote working maturity
Remote working doesn’t work the same way as normal working. Leaders need to make a number of active choices.
What rituals matter How should we What can and can’t How should I How do we
to us? communicate? people do? manage? meet?
Don’t let physical distancing In remote working, not all As organisations take on Remote working is not a free- Fewer opportunities to connect
become social distancing. channels perform the same remote working, it can lead to for-all. As a leader, you need to necessitate good meeting
Consider which of your work function, and dialogue and one- confusion and uncertainty of make clear what you expect hygiene.
rituals need to be virtualised. way communication work better how to behave. This can often from people, and avoid the
Set a clear agenda in advance.
Explore what new ones may be on different formats. leave people feeling they should bigger risk of misinterpretation
►
needed. just do more. Help people define that comes with remote ► Start with the decisions the group
Match channel to need. Video- needs to make.
►
conferencing for complex practical terms, such as: working.
► Use morning “stand ups” and
“stand downs” to help people dialogue, written messages for ► “You don’t have to attend ► Set clear expectations, through ► Consider allowing people time to
collectively start and end the day. relaying facts. everything, but you must attend over-detailed written briefs and review material in silence. Then
these things…” delegation documents. open for discussion.
► Encourage people to create their ► Use the why, what, when, who
own 5-10 min “time-to-work” and model of communications, so you ► “You can and should block out ► Consciously increase the trust you ► Designate a clear chairperson to
“time-to-finish” rituals, to replace don’t forget key facts. ”dark room time” for focused put in teams and avoid run the agenda, keep to time and
the travel between home and work. We suggest…” micromanagement. achieve the outcome.
► Encourage people to share their
work.
communication styles, so people ► “You don’t have to have your ► In return, request transparency, ► “Stack” contributors who want to
► Retain serendipity by allowing don’t negatively judge others. camera on… or explain why it’s through Kanban boards and wikis, comment, so each gets queued.
guests to attend other team off.” so you can drop in anytime to see
► Use photos and gifs to help bring ► Don’t feel obliged to wait for a
meetings, or by running non-work how the work is progressing.
messages to life. “You can experiment with taking a meeting. Some video conferences
sessions during work hours e.g. ►
meeting whilst taking a walk.” Agree clear decision making are best done unplanned.
group lunch. ► Be present. People need verbal ►
norms.
and non verbal feedback during “Don’t be afraid of having family ► Take notes live into a shared wiki,
► Encourage audible claps and ►
video conferences. Avoid “dead- and pets play an unexpected Go for joint tasks, rather than and create Kanban cards for all
cheers when recognising success ►
face” aka ”I’m here but doing role.” isolated ones, to avoid reinforcing actions, so there is a live record,
on video conferences.
something else”. isolation. and to avoid re-work.
Make time for rapport so people ► “You can turn your notifications
Avoid backchannel. It may be
►
can still create bonds.
►
off between x and y times, and all ► Create a shared identity within
innocent, but it unnerves the channels off out-of-office hours.” the team, which echoes the
► Give junior members access to speaker. company mission. Use it as a
senior people, to replace the regular touchstone.
► Build in pauses and solo thinking,
“being spotted” opportunities of
to encourage input from quieter More of your team are vulnerable,
the office. ►
members. so give extra focus to diversity
and inclusion. Start team
meetings with a check in, allowing
people to score their energy from
1-10, with no judgement.
Encourage peers to support one
another.
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 19Edition 2 Notes from the field Remote diary studies
Why virtual diary studies?
Dear (virtual) diary... ► Discovering the new: ideal for revealing
territories for new product and service
development.
► Getting Personal: diary studies are up close
and personal – a rare opportunity for access
Human signals called for a research
technique which would reveal changing
habits, attitudes and motivations over ►
to customers’ lives, thoughts and feelings on
a very human level.
Revealing authenticity: participants respond
10
in their own time, in their own environment. Participants
time. EY Seren researchers chose an
This facilitates authentic responses on a
ethnographic, longitudinal method called deep level.
a diary study to gather rich qualitative
data on their experience of life during the ► Understanding context: EY Seren teams
148
learn about the environment that a product
pandemic.
or service is being (or will be) used. This
Research participants are asked to log often reveals unexpected challenges and
opportunities that wouldn’t be revealed in a
key activities on-the-fly via a private
lab or interview.
Days of
WhatsApp channel and reflect on their participant
experience and emotions at the end of ► Uncovering insights: diaries generate a lot of
data (which requires sifting), but the result diaries
each day. This approach is proving ideal
for gathering insights from participants is often surprising insights which might not (cumulative)
have registered on a survey or interview.
remotely in the context of the COVID-
19 lockdown. ► Achieving depth: researchers conduct depth
interviews at the end of the diary study to
Researchers respond rapidly to emerging help the team correctly interpret the Secure, private WhatsApp channel
events, probing participants for vital content shared in the diary updates. between researchers and participant.
information in real-time as their
experience unfolds.
Notes from the field Part 2: Daily reflections – potential topics
“Rather than asking participants
to remember what they did or how
they felt in the past, interceptive
messaging allows participants to
Guy Simpson
respond in the moment with
messages and photos via a tool they
have at their fingertips – WhatsApp.”
“The tool’s familiar and light-touch
nature makes it perfect for engaging
hard-to-engage individuals like busy
Victoria Rogers
health professionals and parents
juggling work with childcare.”
In-diary exercises produce rich participant Participants are provided with a framework to guide their daily
artefacts such as this mood chart. reflections.
EY Seren | Growth Re-Imagined Private and confidential 21You can also read
