Individuals with high EQ (emotional intelligence) are most likely to be strong, effective business #leaders. They realize that trusting relationships built on diplomacy and respect is the heart of both individual success and business #productivity.
Success in business is greatly impacted – for better or worse – by the way in which we communicate. Happiness in our personal lives is also greatly dependent on this very same skill. Becoming a good communicator takes practice. It requires consistent attention and effort on your part, and it is a skill that we cannot afford to overlook.
Dr. John Lund, a lead researcher in interpersonal #communication and an author in identification studies, conducted a significant part of research involved in identifying patterns of speech and differences in how men and women communicate.
There is no doubt that we can all benefit from Dr. Lund’s tips on how to better approach people when we begin a conversation, as well as his advice that we “don`t communicate to be understood; rather, communicate so as not to be misunderstood.”
Take a genuine interest in others. Really tune in to what the other person is saying and don’t think up questions while they’re talking. Think about what they’ve said, ask thoughtful questions and provide considerate answers. Always make an effort to remember names, dates and important life events. If you’re not good at this skill, keep practicing!
Being “liked” or having a “wonderful personality” are highly prized attributes, especially in today’s electronic environs. Supreme communicators also have a keen ability to shift gears when the context calls for it; they respond accordingly to what current situations require.
Good judgment is a key people-skill that comes directly from learning, listening to others and observing the world around you. It allows you to wisely select friends and associates, determine reactions and responses and make sound decisions.
To create trust and respect in others, people need to know that their point of view and feedback will be considered and used. Being known as someone who keeps an open mind also makes you more approachable and easier to work with.
The saying “honesty is the best policy” is not only true, it’s essential in building trust among your peers and clientele. Once it’s lost, it’s almost impossible to regain.
Did you know that when someone else communicates with us, the way we interpret their message is based on three things:
55% is based on their facial expressions and their body language.
37% is based on the tone of their voice.
8% is based on the words they say.
Dr. Lund provides us with the above percentages which are the averages across both men and women together. If you looked at women alone they would even give greater weight to the facial expressions and body language and even less on the words. This tells us that it is critical that we become very self-aware of how our body language is speaking to others as well as the tone we use. A little test: next time you are on the phone look at yourself in the mirror to assess how your body language reacts to what you are actually saying. This will help you become more aware of how you are actually reacting to the conversation.
In order to break down the bigger picture of outsourcing your business tasks to a remote resource, let’s have a look at some of the ways to get started on the “how” of outsourcing (rather than the why, when or the where).
Starting with the basics, have a look at your business tasks and processes first, and look at your personal strengths and values (and be honest about it!) Ask people you know for feedback about you as a person. What do they think you are really good at? What things aren’t you so good at? Make a list and go from there, being brutally honest with yourself. Look closely at your list on paper – the pluses and the minuses – and determine what makes sense for you to do, and what is reasonable for someone else to take care of; it might be an ‘us and them’ kind of thing. Every business is different, so the first key to effective outsourcing is to identify exactly what you need.
Along with your ‘us and them’ list, start brainstorming and list all the things you will do to build your business once you have all that extra time that comes with outsourcing.
Recognize that outsourcing is a process that takes time and planning. It’s your business, and it’s your responsibility to ensure things are done and done right. Plan for your needs, tell people what challenges you might be having, always be on the lookout for exceptional people through your circles and networks and ask for referrals. Don’t discount family and friends, either, if you are comfortable having that kind of relationship with those closest to you; not everyone is so inclined! Take the time you need to find the right people for the right work. Hire slowly, fire quickly.
The number one caveat in all of this is to remember that outsourcing is not a “set it and forget it” way of getting things done. Dropping a task list in someone else’s lap and saying “Here, you do it!” is essentially business suicide.
The key to success is finding the right balance and developing a trusting relationship between you and the resource. It’s a very fine balance, too, and one that requires finesse and management. If you micro-manage your resource, they’re going to either quit because they don’t want you constantly in their face, or they won’t take initiative to get things done without your input. If you take a hands-off approach, and leave them on their own without checking in regularly, you’re setting yourself up for disaster, with tasks done wrong, a disregard for your timelines for completion or, worse still, tasks just aren’t getting done at all. All of these scenarios translate into spending more time that you don’t have, defeating the purpose from the outset. It pays to plan ahead and spend a bit of extra time finding the balance that allows you to delineate what they’re responsible for and what you’re responsible for, and also allows for how your remote resource likes to work and how they like to check in.
It’s your business and you’re responsible for managing the resources who work for you. Keep in mind that if you micro-manage your resources for fear of not being in control, you will miss the whole point of outsourcing. Commit to regularly checking in with your remote worker. You want to make sure they are doing the work as explained to them, identifying any challenges they might have, and ensuring that they understand that they’re expected to 1) report their progress to you, and 2) immediately let you know of any problems that arise.
If things aren’t going as smoothly as would be ideal, step back and ask yourself if you’re the bottleneck. Many business owners feel a commitment to their business much like a parent’s to a baby. They gave birth to the idea that grew into the business, they have all the business knowledge in their head and they have a need to do it all to ensure it gets done right. For someone like that, it’s very hard to let go and delegate
Having all the knowledge is critical; however, it’s smarter to get out of your own way and delegate the back office tasks so that your business can thrive and grow with you at the helm. By using remote support, your time will be freed up so that you can focus on high-growth activities effectively and get on with growing your business. It’s really more about mindset than it is about logistics.
One of the first things to do when talking about outsourcing to a remote worker is to state your expectations and requirements clearly from the outset and don’t assume anything. This holds true whether you’re hiring a Virtual CFO or a teenager to cut your lawn. The resource doesn’t know what you know and they are also looking at the task from a different perspective than you are. Opening conversations with a potential resource to identify deliverables is essential.
Have an open and frank conversation about what each of you expects in that relationship. Be clear in knowing how they operate, what their reporting style is, how they like to work, where they work, in a remote support setting. Remote resources can work anywhere, from a fully kitted out office in their house or from a dining room table. You really have to get into how they operate and what makes them productive and the circumstances that allow them to thrive in being productive.
The other thing to remember, in that open conversation, is that the resource doesn’t know what you know, as a business owner. Therefore, they’re looking at the tasks from different perspectives than you are. For example, as a business owner, you may know how an audit works. If the resource you’re hiring is going to do the bookkeeping, they may live for numbers and do their bookkeeping at lightning speed. However, if they haven’t experienced going through an audit, they’re looking at the bookkeeping from a different perspective and wouldn’t pick up on things an auditor would notice. This holds true whether you’re hiring someone to do your bookkeeping or someone to cut your lawn.
Ensuring expectations are clear begins with an open conversation that results in the business owner drawing up a specific contract that outlines exactly what was talked about and what the performance metrics are. The contract must outline exactly what is expected – remuneration, terms and conditions, confidentiality, security, who’s going to provide what – and will be as detailed as possible. Both parties can then carefully review and sign the contract before work begins. (It’s a good idea to have all business contracts reviewed by your lawyer.)
In this time of instant gratification, managing our frustrations when things don’t go smoothly is important, so get prepared and be patient!
Allow yourself – and your resource – time to transition. Letting go of tasks that you have always done yourself is not merely a matter of handing over a to-do list and walking away. A time investment by the business owner is essential for providing insight to the remote worker as to how things are to be done, as well as the time frame for completion. This can be as simple as open dialogue or a conference call with all stakeholders to discuss how and when transition is to take place, scheduling, etc. Once the handover is complete, let go and trust that all will be well.
If you have provided clear instructions (and it’s your job to do so), there should be no problems.
Be prepared for a learning curve on the part of the resource. Be patient and, with time, they will find their groove and you can let go of the task completely. Manage success by checking in at periodic and scheduled intervals.
The bottom line? It’s still all about relationships. The key to successful business is building and maintaining relationships in every facet of your operations. An absolute must for business owners is to network to build relationships and gain referrals. The same can be said for building relationships with outsourced suppliers: getting the right team in place, at the right time and for the right reason creates winning relationships and goodwill all around.
Keep these last few tips top-of-mind:
The lowest priced outsourced solution may not be the best; good people cost money and beware that even these days, you still get what you pay for.
Don’t outsource a task just because you don’t want to do it! There will be tasks that only you can do because they’re important to operations and your strategic plan.
Always strike a fair deal with your resources and treat them with respect. You’re relying on them to handle important tasks for you and your business so don’t take advantage of them.
These are unprecedented times we’re living in and with that comes uncertainty. With what has been coined “the new normal”, more people have found themselves working from home, and some are finding it increasingly challenging. Non-profits and associations are finding this new way of working challenging also because when you’re ‘being virtual’ it’s difficult to be in front of your donors and members with why they should contribute or why they need to continue to be a member.
In my 17 years of providing remote support to non-profits and associations, I’ve seen many changes and upheavals in the past year because of the pandemic. For me and my team, not much has changed operationally and because we operate the way we do, we were able to provide advice to our clients to help them change and adapt their operations helped them work remotely. The interesting thing is that because they were up and running again quickly, they were able to focus on new ways to stay in front of their donors and members. I have stepped back from time to time amid all the ‘chaos’ and thought, ‘aren’t we lucky that we have the technology to manage everything we need to manage? ‘
There is always a human side to that ‘remoteness’ regardless of what sector your organization is in. In my view, we really do need to take care of ourselves in these times of upheaval and uncertainty. We need to stay in top form so that we can help others around us but also to be more resilient to change. Take care of you. You’re important.
Remember cramming for that exam in university, or pushing yourself in order to meet a deadline at work, only to feel mentally exhausted the next day? Today’s podcast looks at why that is and offers a few tips and strategies to help you and your brain work smarter, not harder.
Hi, I’m Barbara Best and this is Humans Working Remotely, a podcast where I’ll show you how to meet the expanding needs of your organization by utilizing alternative solutions for operational staffing. Through expert insight and meaningful conversations with business professionals, we’ll talk about common challenges and proven strategies that will provide you with more time to focus on your organization’s mission, relationship building and other high value growth activities.
The brain is usually seen as an ethereal realm that exists apart from the body and the laws of physiology. But did you know that grey matter tires well before the body does? Since almost all of us are doing metal work these days, likely more than we usually do trying to cope with everything, managing cognitive resources is not just a nice thing our body does for us; it’s absolutely essential to our wellbeing.
The brain is like a muscle: you can strengthen it or deplete it. If you let this muscle recharge and replenish, you’ll feel better mentally and see improvements in your performance. Regular refueling, or input, is a prerequisite for quality output because the brain is an energy machine consuming 20% of the body’s calories, even though it comprises only 2% of total body mass
Just like your heart, your brain gets fatigued from too much time-on-task. One study found that mental fatigue takes hold after three hours of continuous time-on-task, while other scientists say the brain needs a break after 90 minutes, the length of the “basic rest-activity cycle”.
In the course of staying focused on a task, we use key cognitive resources: self-control. Studies show that regulating our emotions is taxing, known in research circles as “ego depletion”. This holds that every time we exercise self-regulation, when we’re paying attention or suppressing emotions or managing how we act in social situations, we use up limited regulatory resources, which leads to depleted energy and increased fatigue.
So, give yourself permission to take that mental break. When you’re working, set the timer on your phone for 75 minutes and diligently go about working at your task. When the timer goes off, reset for 15 minutes and then get up, stretch, walk around, make a cup of tea, or whatever feels good for you to take your brain away from the task. When you’re on a lunch break or a longer break, get outside for a walk as possible, or do some stretches or yoga poses to get your blood moving, and give your brain a break from the tasks you’re working on. I get to bring my dog to work so I get out for walks periodically throughout the day, and what a difference it makes in my productivity! Every time I get back to my desk, I feel refreshed and ready to start the next thing on my list.
Another tip is to give your brain a new thing to do. I recently discovered the joy of working on a Lego Architecture project. I never had Lego as a child, so when I received the London Skyline kit as a gift, it didn’t take me long to get into it and I quickly realized how calming this type of project was to work on and my brain was actually refreshed! The key point here is to find you and your brain something new to do; learn a new language, learn how to make pottery, try an escape room with your friends, whatever it is.
Remember the saying “a change is as good as a rest” and it’s true for your brain as well!
In closing, I’d like to thank you so much for listening today. I hope this information was helpful, and I look forward to providing more. I’m Barbara Best CEO of Virtual Works, Inc.
Here’s a few action steps:
Please feel free to leave me comments or feedback on this platform.
If you’d like to be considered for a future podcast, please drop me a line at info@virtualworks.ca
How Humans Work Has Been Turned Upside Down – Podcast Transcript
Barbara: How humans work around the world has been turned upside down this year, with a dramatic and sudden shift to remote work. Some of us have grown to love it; some of us have grown to dislike it immensely. Today’s podcast offers a few productivity strategies and a lot of practical advice on how remote operations now and in the future can be conducted.
Hi, I’m Barbara Best and this is Humans Working Remotely. A podcast where I’ll show you how to meet the expanding needs of your organization by utilizing alternative solutions for operational staffing, through expert insight and meaningful conversations with business professionals. We’ll talk about common challenges and proven strategies that will provide you with more time to focus on your organization’s mission, relationship building and other high value growth activities.
My guest today is Karen Brownrigg, Founder and CEO of iHR Advisory Services. Karen is an accomplished senior human resources leader, certified executive coach and business strategist, with more than two decades of experience leading transformational mission critical, security, sensitive and crisis management issues and initiatives.
Welcome Karen. Thank you for joining me on today’s podcast.
Karen: Thanks so much for having me on the show Barbara, I really appreciate it.
Barbara: So, HR is definitely a hot topic these days with everything going on many twists and turns and folks trying to just cope and navigate with their new working reality their new normal. So, let’s just dive right in. We’re no longer in a controlled or in-person environment and workplaces. That is forprofit and nonprofit organizations are impacted. They’re in turn upside down and have had to take many different forms. How do these new work environments impact on company process and policy in your view?
Karen: Well, I think first and foremost, companies really need to be focusing on an open dialogue with their employees about what their telework policy looks like. Like how we used to call it telework.
Barbara: I remember…
Karen: Right? Yeah. There’s some longevity to that now it seems, and also pleasant discoveries that perhaps the jobs that we thought needed to be performed in an office environment can be highly productive in an off-site format. And now that people are working within the home environment, we need to be looking at what it means to support them in that new workplace. So remote work, off-site work policies need to be updated to reflect that and also to ensure that employees understand what supports are available to them from an ergonomic sense. So how are we setting up the work environment? What are the costs associated with that? Who’s responsible for those costs for workplaces that the employees are working in. I’m saying “workplaces” because I know we’ll get into it a little bit later.
Barbara, though some people love the ability to work from their home office, and some people really don’t love that at all. So, I’m saying “workplaces” because people are looking for alternative options in cases where they’re not able to go back to the office environment that existed previously. So, safety considerations: what’s the ergonomic setup? How do people feel about that, and designing the policy around that, so that managers have the tools and support that they need to be able to apply those practices in a consistent way so that we’re not seeing one team doing one thing and other team is doing another. So, for sure, looking at the policies and looking at a process for ensuring that there is that touch point. So, when we have a mixed workplace now where some people are working part of the time at the office, other people are still working remotely and may do that indefinitely. How do we make sure that we have the team connected with and across those various platforms work/workplace platforms that we find them working in? So, making sure we’ve got a process for that, and making sure that managers are trained on how to use that process.
Barbara: And would you suggest that it’s a collaborative process, developing a remote work policy, that is, managers talking to employees and collaborating? What’s great, what works well for everyone involved? Or is it just, you know, an “us and them” kind of thing?
Karen: Absolutely. I think the best way to do it is a collaborative approach. A lot of our clients have called us, and what we do is we have a confidential conversation with the team. So, we’ll set up a zoom meeting with the team and say, “Hey, (privately without any managers present), what worked, what didn’t work? And, you know, how could this be co-created? And so we get some really honest feedback around what’s working, and what are some of the challenges for people, and then we bring that back to the leadership team so that they can then engage with their team members, and they could do this on their own too. They could engage with the team members and really design something for the hear and now that’s going to sustain into this transition phase because we are a long way away of understanding what the new normal is going to be. We may be two years away from that.
Barbara: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, I bet you’ve got some good stories to tell!
Getting back to the seriousness of this interview: what are a few productivity strategies for people who work remotely and totally love it and for those who work remotely and totally dislike it?
Karen: Well, interestingly enough for the people who are working remotely, who totally love it, when we’re helping them design strategies around productivity, it’s to really help them focus on giving themselves permission to take a break, right?
Barbara: Yes, of course, because they can just run away with it, right?
Karen: Yeah, they get in the flow, and before they know it, their backside has been melded to their chair and can’t remember the last time they got up to take a break. They don’t even know what it looks like outside and so we are helping them be deliberate around setting some time aside to actually leave that particular work environment. So whatever that means, maybe a different location in that workplace, the remote workplace, home in this case, or you know, getting outside, getting some fresh air, going to do something because there’s this interesting sense of guilt for taking that time, feeling like they’re sloughing off and we try and help them understand, when you were in the office, and you walk down the hallway to make yourself a cup of tea or get yourself water, whatever, that was a break. Sometimes to a colleague in the hallway, you might take an extra 5-10 minutes to talk, that was okay then. Yeah, so what’s it going to be that makes it okay now for you to take those breaks away and continue to be okay about that. So, strategies around blocking time, letting people know that they’re blocking time to do that; getting validation that it’s okay to do that.
In many cases, people say, of course, like you’ve got to be taking a break, because we’re spending longer periods of time for those of us who are quite comfortable working remotely like that, longer periods of time focusing and being present in a Zoom meeting or working on an activity online and so on. So, the “for” working remotely people, yes, strategies around taking breaks. And the folks who really don’t love being away from the office, it’s helping them design a strategy around, obviously, where possible, we look forward to helping them be some of the first people to put their hands up to go back to the workplace, if that’s in the cards for them. If not, then we help them recreate another workplace elsewhere. Sometimes it’s because it’s at home. So, there’s something distracting me at the home; it may be that there are other people in the house, their children or other people that live in the same household. It could be “I don’t like my work environment because I’m in the middle of my living room”, and so that makes me not want to be relaxing in my living room anymore because it’s now a workplace, or I can’t concentrate because I need to physically displace myself and flip that switch where I’m getting in my car or getting on public transit, (or maybe not so much these days), but I’m going somewhere for the purpose of work. So, we help them strategize around different options of what it means to go somewhere for the purpose of work. And it may be that a friend has a really nice home office they’re not using, that they can go and work out of that location. It may be that they’re working out of a collaborative workspace, of which we have many now that employers are often subsidizing for employees who are not finding it super fantastic to be working from home. They’re subsidizing collaborative workplaces where their employees can go and work out of an office and close the door and flip that switch. To help them be in the moment or in the zone of work, rather than being in the zone of home. Some people really do have that. And I think it’s wonderful, completely segregated in their mind. So, they’re in constant dissonance about working at home, it’s just not computing for them.
Barbara: And following on that, are there any trends that you’re seeing with these two groups, those who are “for” and those who are “against”? Are there any cool trends that you haven’t seen before that are coming up for you?
Karen: Yeah, for sure. I think the pendulum can’t swing too far in one direction. You know, we hear about Spotify this “Hey, you know, we’re banishing offices, everybody’s going to work remotely” and doesn’t. It’s not a one size fits all, that’s really problematic.
Barbara: Yeah, I agree.
Karen: Nobody wins and somebody loses, and I think the trend that we’re seeing is, and I’m in strong favor of this trend, that leaders in organizations are really stepping up and engaging their team members in a dialogue around what the art of the possible is. So, individual circumstances are different. We’ve got school looming on the horizon. Parents have been homeschooling and trying to navigate working when there’s kids at home and that kind of stuff. So these things need to be taken into consideration, personal circumstances needs to be taken into consideration. And I think the organizations that are doing that, that are engaging in that dialogue to say, “what is our mix based on the members of our team today”? How can we design the work around the personal circumstances, the professional engagement that people want to have? How do we do that? And it really is a co-creation model to get it right. And it’s an ongoing fine tuning. So, it’s not a one and done kind of thing. It’s a monthly check-in at first and then probably a quarterly check-in once people have found their groove in that, just to see, you know, do we need to make any adjustments, but I think, work that we didn’t think would work remotely, works.
So, and it’s more commonly accepted now to have Zoom meetings or Team meetings and so on. People that didn’t use technology at all for their work in this way, are now very comfortable doing it. So, what I’m seeing is a trend on people moving out of town. They’re moving further out, because they can. So, they’re actually changing their location. And because there’s more flexibility, and they’re spending a little bit more time doing things that were important to them, spending time with important people in their lives, spending time focusing on their hobbies, because they’re not spending time commuting to and from work. And the folks who really love the whole going to the office, for them, life is copacetic, and probably slightly more improved because we have less people on the roads. So, it’s not taking as much time to get to the office as it as it did previously. So, it’s really an interesting dynamic where the set time of day we’re seeing used to be like eight to four, or nine to five, and now what we’re seeing is more flexibility in terms of when the work gets done. And a shortened window within which people need to be available for collaborative discussions, whether in person or via technology, like, everybody in the workplace needs to be available between ten and two, because that’s when we’re going to have our collaborative meetings scheduled. Outside of that manage max-flex however, you want to be scheduling your work day as long as client calls are responded to or whatever the nature of the business is. It’s an interesting change in perspective around, you know, the old term ‘presenteeism’.
Barbara: Yeah, it is. I think there’s a whole general shift, whether on purpose or just because we’re dealing with a pandemic, there’s a huge shift on work life balance across the board. I think it’s all good, too. I really do.
Karen: Yeah, I do. And I think, to some degree, we may have lost the balance.
Barbara: Yes, I would agree with that.
Karen: And yeah, but I do think we are winning on choice. So, people have more options available to them about work location, about the time of day to perform the work that might be more conducive to their own personal circadian rhythm. I think there are more choices available. I think it’s just getting comfortable with making those choices.
Barbara: Yeah, I agree. I think as a society, we’ve realized, “yeah, this really is okay”. You know, this remote working thing, this can really work because we have to do it, but also it’s coming to our advantage as well. So, we’ve demonstrated to ourselves that yes, we can have a more balanced life, and things are possible and everything’s good. Absolutely.
Do you have any suggestions, Karen, to help manage distractions during the day? Those distractions that come up for employees, and also maybe ones that come up for the employer from an operations perspective?
Karen:Yeah, absolutely. I think in terms of the employee perspective, managing distractions is really about, you know how you’ve created your own, like people who struggle with sleep. They say create your own sleep ritual before bed; create your own ritual, whatever that’s going to work for you, that gets you into that relaxed mode where you’re slowly, you know, turning off all of the distractions that will have a negative, same kind of thing. Create your own anti-distraction strategy. Right? So, for some people, having background noise is important. So, you know, do you have headphones on? Are you listening to music to kind of tune out the world around? How do you tune out the world around you? Does that mean that you’re behind a closed door with absolute silence? Does that mean you can be in a very noisy environment because that works for you? Some people work really well out of a coffee shop. Or, you know, you put headphones on, and then engage in a dialogue with your employer around how to support that. So, like we spoke about earlier, is it a collaborative workspace where you can actually go into a closed office and do that work in a collaborative workspace because you don’t have that quiet, no distraction at home. What other equipment might you need, like headphones or whatever, that you can listen to music and tune that out. Maybe you’re finding an open environment in your home, but all you need is just that, you know, block out the noise, but you’re okay with visual distractions. It’s really personal. And it’s important that people spend the time sitting down and actually writing out what it is that is causing the distractions. And then on the counterbalance of that, identify what it is that’s going to protect them from those distractions and apply it. Right? And engage in a dialogue with other team members. Most organizations are having coffee check-ins online or whatever.
It’s really interesting to hear other people talk about what their personal strategies are. You can get tips and tricks from people on your team who have come up with some pretty cool strategies. You know, I know a friend of mine has set up kind of like a little space in their open concept living room where she can pull a curtain closed. It’s kind of like a work tent and the kids know not come anywhere near the work tent.
Barbara: Yeah, that’s a good idea. Really a good idea.
Karen: She needed to block out the visual distractions because she was tempted to kind of look in and see what was going on. But it’s very personal.
Barbara: And anything for the employer from an operations thing, I mean? It must be disruptive from an operations perspective as well, because all of a sudden your entire workforce is no longer in the building, and they’ve been remote for the last five months. Is there anything you can suggest to keep the employer, or even indeed the management team, on track and being productive all the time as well?
Karen: I think it’s really, really important with a team that’s now working virtually to have very efficient and deliberate check-ins so you know, it’s kind of like the equivalent of a stand up meeting, but on technology, whatever technology they’re using, is an agenda about what are we talking about? What do we need to get through this check-in? How’s everybody doing? Are we working to our objectives? You know, what are the barriers? And how are we navigating those. It’s going to take much more time to stay connected than one would realize. And there’s some, you know, very efficient meetings that need to happen. And you need to be deliberate about it. Like we can’t, you know, today we can just say, hey, how’s it going? And we’re right into work because we’ve got just a half hour for this stand up meeting, we make sure work deliverables are good, but also to have some, you know, check-in time where it’s just personal. We’re just connecting like we would in the hallway when we ran into each other or casually if we decide to sit down and have lunch together. We’re not getting that in person “Hey”, you know ‘How was yourvacation?’ or ‘what’s going on with the fam?’ and ‘how are how are things there?’ Making sure you’ve got that time scheduled in is super important. And then also, operationally making sure that people understand when there’s going to be a meeting blackout. It is so critical when we’re spending so much time being “on” if you will, or incredibly present in these online meetings to make it okay for whatever, a half day or full day every week where there are no meetings to be scheduled ,because we need more meetings now to stay connected.
Barbara: Yes.
Karen: We need to be protecting some head down work time or even just mental health break time like “I’m not going to be able to work.” Like just where you know protected time where we’re not having any meetings? I’m absolutely fried. I’m checking out, I’m going to go for a run or I’m going to go and spend time with a good friend and laugh and make that okay.
Barbara: So, my last thing Karen today is we’re at the end of August already. And the back to school is, I’ve written here coming up fast, I want to say looming up fast. So do you have any thoughts on how we can help prepare for a new school year. When September comes, it’s all hustle and bustle, everybody’s back to work and school. But this year, it’s a little bit different. How can we prepare for our new way of working? Whether it’s if we’re working remotely if we’re going to the office or maybe a hybrid of the two? Are there things that can help us prepare for the near future in our new way of working?
Karen: Well, I think that we have some important learnings now from what we’ve experienced with parents who are at home. Single parents, dual parents, who have been some degree in the early days at least doing some homeschooling while trying to work and taking turns, you know, who’s on duty to make sure the kids are okay or the kid is okay and who’s able to focus on work and so on. And then also on the reverse side, we have employers who are transitioning folks back to the workplace, either full time or on a part time basis. And we still have this parent, this situation where parents are, you know, trying to navigate. You know, whether they have children in primary school or children in high school. Primary school kids right now are going back to full classes. full time, whereas high school kids are doing a mixture of in-class, very little in-class and more online stuff. So, we still have parental supervision requirement in the home, which is also the workplace. And I think that this may create a tremendous amount of anxiety for parents whose employers are saying, we need you back and they’ve got kids still at home. So that dialogue needs to start happening now around how that transition might look for those individuals in those workplaces, to ensure that we’re not in a situation where we’ve got, you know, exorbitant amounts of anxiety unnecessarily when things could be navigated around. I mean, there are some circumstances where it is what it is, right, that there may be that the nature of the job, just cannot be, you know, those folks were laid off. And now that they’ve returned back to work, this is not a job that that is doable from a remote perspective, that’s kind of the exception to the rule. But really considering that you can’t just flick a switch. And we’ve got, you know, this transition plan, and this is how this is going to go and so on and so forth. We still have some external input now, and in this case, the school system is trying to build its airplane while it’s flying. And parents are now trying to navigate Okay, ‘what does my work schedule look like? And how do I plan for that with my employer?’ I think we’ve got a number of weeks over the next, you know, period of time where there’s going to need to be some tweaks as this changes, so parents who selected a certain option between now, and I think November, was kind of the commitment that they had to make, might not select that option in the next semester. So, employers will be doing the right thing, I think, if they’re engaging in that dialogue and trying to customize this around their employees, rather than having their employees kind of being forced to fit into a transition plan.
Barbara: Excellent advice. Thank you.
Barbara: So that’s it for us today. Karen, if you’d like to provide a little more about you just an impromptu blurb, so that our listeners know more about you and where to contact you, that would be awesome.
Karen: For sure. Thank you. iHR Advisory Services: we’re a team of certified HR professionals. Most people don’t know that HR is in fact a regulated profession, much like the legal profession and the accounting profession. So, the folks on my team are certified HR professionals and also certified executive coaches at the Masters level. So, businesses outsource all or portions of their human resources requirements to us and we become an extension of their team and we co-create the HR program that’s suited to that workplace to ensure that it really does support the culture and the people and allows them to grow and build on their existing HR program. We’re located in Ottawa, and we have clients across Canada. So, I guess what separates us, is that we have expert knowledge on the operational application of employment law in the various provinces and certainly in different workplaces.
Barbara: Where can our listeners reach you?
Karen: If you want to visit our website, you can find us at www.ihradvisoryservices.ca and you can connect with us through the website or you can contact us at our office line 613-686-6364.
Barbara: Wonderful. Thanks very much Karen, very, very interesting stuff. Thanks for joining me today.
Karen: Thanks for having me on the podcast, Barbara. Appreciate it.
Barbara: In closing, I’d like to thank you so much for listening today. I hope this information is helpful and I look forward to providing you more. I’m Barbara Best, CEO of Virtual Works Inc.
Here’s a few action steps:
Please feel free to leave me comments or feedback on this platform.
You can always drop me a line if you’d like to be considered for a future podcast at info@virtualworks.ca.
You can also visit us online at www.virtualworks.ca.
Recent Comments