Adapting to the Changing Work Landscape: Strategies for Non-Profits

by | Oct 7, 2024 | life work balance, Mastery, Outsourcing, Productivity, Remote Office Management, ROWE, Team Work, working from home, working remotely

The work landscape has undergone significant transformations in recent years, with trends like remote work, automation, and the gig economy reshaping how organizations operate. As non-profits and associations navigate these changes, it’s essential to stay ahead of the curve by understanding the challenges and adopting effective strategies. In this blog post, we’ll explore some ways your organization can adapt to the evolving work environment and discuss how implementing a Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE) can facilitate workplace flexibility and resilience.

Trends and Challenges in the Modern Workplace

Several key trends have emerged in the modern workplace, presenting both opportunities and challenges for non-profits:

  1. Remote Work: With the rise of digital technologies, employees can now work from anywhere, which can save costs and expand the talent pool. However, this may also lead to communication barriers and feelings of isolation.
  2. Automation and Artificial Intelligence: Advanced technologies are automating tasks, changing job roles, and increasing efficiency. However, this also raises concerns around job security and the need for new skill sets.
  3. Gig Economy: More people are opting for freelance or contract work, offering organizations a flexible workforce. However, managing, and engaging gig workers requires a different approach to traditional employees.

Strategies for Organizations to Adapt to Changes

To adapt to the evolving work landscape, non-profits can implement the following strategies:

  1. Invest in Digital Tools: Equip your team with collaboration and productivity tools like project management platforms or communication apps to support remote work and automate tasks.
  2. Focus on Employee Well-being: Offer mental health resources, promote work-life balance, and provide flexible schedules to support employees in adapting to changes and maintaining a healthy work environment.
  3. Upskill and Reskill: Provide training opportunities to help your team develop new skills and navigate emerging technologies.
  4. Strengthen Communication: Establish clear communication channels, set expectations, and provide opportunities for social interactions to keep your team connected and engaged.

The Role of ROWE in Facilitating Workplace Flexibility and Resilience

ROWE, a management strategy focusing on performance rather than working hours, plays a critical role in helping organizations adapt to the changing work landscape. Here’s how:

  1. Embracing Remote Work and Gig Economy: ROWE’s flexibility allows employees to work from anywhere and accommodates gig workers, ensuring seamless collaboration across distributed teams and enabling organizations to tap into a broader talent pool.
  2. Supporting Employee Well-being: With ROWE, employees have greater control over their schedules, promoting work-life balance, reducing stress, and boosting morale.
  3. Fostering Resilience: By empowering employees to manage their time and responsibilities, ROWE enhances adaptability to changes and resilience in the face of challenges.

Implementing ROWE in Your Organization

To successfully implement ROWE in your non-profit, follow these steps:

  1. Assess Readiness: Evaluate your organization’s culture, policies, and infrastructure to determine if they align with ROWE principles.
  2. Communicate the Change: Clearly explain the benefits and expectations of ROWE to employees and stakeholders.
  3. Provide Training and Support: Offer resources and training to help managers and employees adapt to the new work environment.
  4. Monitor and Adjust: Continuously evaluate the impact of ROWE on your organization and adjust as needed.

Adapting to change is essential in today’s fast-paced work environment and embracing strategies like ROWE can help your non-profit not only keep up but thrive and stay ahead of the game. By understanding the trends, addressing challenges, and leveraging the benefits of ROWE, your organization can build a more productive, engaged, and resilient workforce, ultimately furthering your mission and making a more significant impact.

How Do You Like YOUR Latte?

by | May 20, 2024 | Business, business growth, Customer relationships, Leadership, Mastery, Outsourcing, Productivity, Remote Office Management, Team Work, Virtual Assistant, working from home

virtual office assistantI have a friend who worked as a Barista at a well-known coffee shop. She tells the stories of guests who would return their latte because “it just isn’t right”. After making thousands of lattes she understood that what is ‘right’ to the recipe isn’t always ‘right’ to the customer. She learned to ask probing questions such as “is it too sweet? Too milky? Too much coffee?” By requiring the guest to be more specific, she was able to fix the problem quickly. In short, she learned to speak the language of guests’ expectations.

Hiring a remote support professional can be a little like that, except you’re the guest whose latte isn’t quite ‘right’.

When you hire someone to do a job you have a number of expectations about how the job ought to be done. It can take time to learn how to talk about the tasks you need accomplished. It can be difficult to accurately define the quality, feel or essence of a job that needs doing. You might think it is simple, yet you understand all the reasons you do it THIS way, and perhaps even all the reasons you DON’T do it another way. Your ‘right’ isn’t the same as everyone else’s. Often this skill is learned through trial and error.

To start learning this skill you just have to begin. One options might be to choose a small one-off task that can be outsourced with limited risk to your organization. It could be a mailer that needs to be written, or a spreadsheet that needs cleaning up. Just a couple of hours’ worth of work. Find a resource who can do the project for you and see how it goes. If they do a good job, you have a great product and good return on your investment. If they don’t meet your expectations, ask yourself how you could have communicated better.

Then try it again.

In this way you learn to speak the language of your expectations and your business in such a way so your resource can grasp what you need and want and meet those expectations the first time!

Check out our Nine Guidelines to Outsourcing to help you find your remote support groove.

The High Price of ‘Doing the Paperwork’

by | Aug 13, 2023 | Business, business growth, Customer relationships, Leadership, Marketing, Mastery, office management, Outsourcing, Productivity, Team Work, Time Management, Virtual Assistant, working from home, working remotely

When you think of the most expensive admin assistant on the Planet, you might think of someone like Tony Stark’s assistant who puts up with all his quirks, but who is handsomely paid for her hardship. Or a billionaire’s assistant who is available 24/7 and at a moment’s notice may be called upon to drop everything and jump on a plane to Tokyo to attend meetings with their boss. You might think that…… and you would be wrong.

YOU.. yes.. you… are the most expensive admin assistant on the planet.

How can this be true? It’s because studies show that administrative tasks take up as much as 25% of an organization’s time.

So, what does this mean? Before we even talk about the dollar cost of this truth let’s talk about time. As a business owner, working a very conservative 60 hours a week, this equates to 15 hours per week. Which may not seem like that much, but how about when we look at the annual cost of this truth?

720 HOURS per year the average business owner spends on administrative tasks, that’s THREE MONTHS!  Take that 720 hours and multiply by your client charge out rate.  Not only is that a lot of money for doing back-office work that you shouldn’t be doing in the first place, it’s also money you haven’t billed because you’ve been doing “the paperwork”.  If you outsourced these tasks alone at a much lower rate (hopefully) than you bill your clients, just think what you could do with an extra three month’s worth of time and a whole lot of extra money every year!!!

  • How could your organization grow?
  • What activities could you do with your family?
  • How could you invest in your network and members?
  • How could you serve your community?

If you have ever thought, “if only I had more time…” (you know that’s just an excuse, right?!?) and yet repeatedly find yourself burning the midnight oil filing invoices, inputting information into a database, updating your social media (or wishing you had time for social media)…

Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day so why not change things up and use those hours to full advantage?

Employee Interaction in a Remote World

by | Mar 26, 2023 | Leadership, Mastery, Productivity, Team Work, Time Management, Uncategorized, working from home, working remotely

One of the key questions that a remote business employer receives from clients, or those thinking of starting their own virtual business is, “How do you know your employees are getting anything done? I mean, you are paying them but, what are you getting in return?” The easy answer is ‘Outcomes and Results’, as noted in our last blog post Managing a Changing Environment.

On the flip side, this article tackles some of the big questions asked by some of our remote employees:

  1. How do I know if I am doing a good job?
  2. Is there more I could be doing? Am I just one software program away from being able to obtain more work?
  3. What are other employees for the company doing and how do we all fit together?
  4. How do I work collaboratively with other employees to share ideas?
  5. What is the big picture for the company and how is my work a part of this?

The ability to answer your remote employees’ questions helps them know where they stand in the big picture of your organization and can increase productivity.

Although much of a remote employee’s work is done using technology, clear communication goes a long way, even in these days of remote ‘everything’. Whether through email, a phone call or an in-person meeting, remote employees can accomplish a great deal by using all forms of communication and answers the questions above.

How do I know if I am doing a good job?
Employees should simply ask the question to their employer and be prepared for potential constructive criticism. Employers should be monitoring the progress of the employee’s deliverables and be ready to provide this feedback, whether positive or constructive. Consider the setting to provide this feedback. An in-person meeting may be warranted, as an email may not provide the sentiment and feeling behind such a conversation.

Is there more I could be doing? Am I just one software program away from being able to obtain more work?
Again, employees should ask the employer if there is any available work, followed up by asking what tools and experience are required to do this work. Employers should check in with their employees to see if they have an interest in taking on other work and checking to see if there has been any change in their available tools to help you with your business.

What are other employees for the company doing and how do we all fit together?
Employers may want to consider planning opportunities for all employees to get to together to share work ideas and get to know who is playing what role in the business. Additionally, employers may want to create an employee list with contact emails and identification of who is working on what files, if it is secure to do so.

How do I work collaboratively with other employees to share ideas?
Following on the last point, employees may want to take advantage of opportunities to meet with others in the organization and share ideas with the entire team. Perhaps send an email to keep in contact and consider asking your colleagues if you have a question or need help, if your employer is ok with that.

What is the big picture for the company and how is my work a part of this?
Employees should have this discussion with their employer not just at the time of hire, but every once and a while to check in. The organization may have changed or new projects started and it is important for one to know where their efforts in an organization have an impact.

These questions are just the tip of the iceberg; making communication with and between employees integral in a remote business is an important component to the relationship.  So, if you’re feeling stuck, remember to just ask!

What Do You Propose?

by | Jan 30, 2023 | Business, business growth, Marketing, Mastery, Team Work, Time Management, Value Based Fees

When an organization needs to write a proposal, it can be for many different reasons, such as business proposals, project proposals, proposals for research funding or non-profit organization funding, each of which require a particular focus. Today I’ll focus on writing proposals in response to a solicited request, like contract work.

All organizations need revenue, whether they are non-profits, associations or business enterprises. While it’s great to have repeat clients and members, there are times where organizations have to get out there and look for that work by other means and one method is by responding to a Tender, Request for Quotation, Request for Services, Request for Proposal, etc.

At times when an organization is provided with one of these Request documents, it can be met with some shock as to the amount of information being requested for a simple piece of work. Why so much detail? In short, some of the Requests may be from clients that use public funds and are accountable for how those funds are spent or the client is simply seeking good value for money and are looking for evidence from organizations that their potential contractor is capable of providing the services in a manner that is of good quality and is cost effective.

So, what makes a good proposal?

Like any consumer, the client is looking for good value for the money they plan on spending. By responding to what they are looking for, or solving their problem, stated in the request in a clear manner, a well written proposal can give you the edge on the competition.

There are many areas on the internet to find information on how to prepare a proposal. For example, if you are considering preparing a proposal for the Government of Canada, you may want to check out their site at buyandsell.gc.ca on Preparing Proposals.

Let’s take a look at some of the Do’s in proposal writing:

  • Do read the request thoroughly to understand what the client is looking for. You need to understand where the client is coming from in their current state, their needs, and possible opportunities to provide a solution to their problem.
  • Do ensure the goods or services are something your organization provides. If you are looking at a Request that is asking for something you may not provide, you may have to look at sub-contracting a portion of that work (if allowable), or it may not be worth your time to respond.
  • Do ask questions where something is not clear, or you need information to help you prepare your proposal. These questions are helpful to the organization submitting a proposal and it may tell the client where they need to make the request clearer for all.
  • Do watch out for question deadlines and submission deadlines – Proposals received after deadlines are usually not allowed.
  • Do really take a look at the criteria in the Request. In most cases it is the criteria what your proposal will be reviewed against, so make sure to answer all parts of each criteria listed in the Request document.
  • Do plan ahead to make sure there is enough time not only to write the proposal, but research the Client, understand the resources you have available, and have the proposal reviewed a few other people in your organization to make sure the submission is aligned with the Request. Another pair of eyes is always good!

The obvious Don’ts are those actions contrary to the Do’s above and:

  • Don’t have the client search on external links for supporting material, especially if the request states that all supporting material must be in the proposal. In many cases, information from external sources can’t be taken into consideration and proposals are reviewed as they are provided, with no opportunity to add more in later. NB: some exceptions may be allowable, but they will probably be stated in the Request document, if they are.
  • Don’t put it on your references to fill in the blanks of what should be in your proposal. If there is a request to provide references these are most likely only to verify what was stated in your proposal.

While it was mentioned above that Requests are received from clients, there are also many sites where organizations can search for potential Request documents to provide a proposal to such as MERX, Biddingo. Also check your city’s municipal, university, hospital or non-profit websites.

Best of luck in your proposal writing endeavors!