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If workers feel that wearing a mask or distancing is part of a new social contract, they'll be more likely to do it on their own.A lot of effort goes into safely reopening offices, daycares, and other public spaces. Furniture has to be reorganized, ventilation reconsidered, touch-free devices installed, and signage added to reduce occupancy and encourage social distancing — among many other measures.
"For example, imagine you're doing all these things to keep people distant, but then people are packed into the bathroom like sardines," he said. "That moment does two things. First, it energizes the resisters. It gives them the opportunity to talk about how dumb, inconsistent, and hypocritical the protocols are. And second, once you begin to break the standard, even though it's not your intent, it makes doing so more acceptable.
You also need to think through instances when a solution isn't possible or practical. In one company Nordgren was speaking with, lunchtime offered a friction point without an obvious workaround. What might this look like? In Nordgren's view, there are limits to the effectiveness of pleading with people to comply or punishing them if they don't. After all, these are external pressures that can fade quickly if pleas and punishments aren't ever-present.
Similarly, if individuals feel as though behaviors like masking, distancing, following quarantine orders, or limiting gatherings are simply something that one does — that it is a part of the social contract that you make with others in your organization and community — new behaviors are more likely to become enduring habits.
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