Working From Home

Working From Home requires different type of leadership and lots of different routines and practices

In: Working From Home

Around the world and in every industry the future of work has changed dramatically. Some roles made an easy transition to remote work delivering significant benefits. Other roles were unable to work away from the workplace leading to furloughs and layoffs. Most office worker roles actually made a successful transition to remote work. Forcing an urgent transition to what was previously only a workplace experiment. The success of remote work has seen global surveys of executives confirm that remote work or a hybrid version is definitely here to stay. McKinsey Global Institute have conducted analysis and found that the potential for remote work is “highly concentrated among highly skilled, highly educated workers in a handful of occupations and geographies”. However at least half the workforce has little or no opportunity to work remotely. People who need to work physically collaborating with others, those who use specialised machinery etc. They goContinue Reading

In: Career, Gender, Working From Home

When organisations make large cost cutting initiatives traditionally the number of women being reduced is significantly higher than the number of men. The Australian Bureau of Statistics identified that women in Victoria lost jobs at four times the rate of men in July. If this proportion of job loss continues to skew against women we will face a gender disaster. We’ve got job losses at nearly five times the rate of men, and those women are not going to be able to return to work easily. Tanja Kovac, GenVic McKinsey have calculated that women’s jobs are 1.8 times more vulnerable than men’s jobs. Women make up 39% of global employment but equate to 54% of overall job losses. One of the main reasons is that the virus has placed a significant increase in the burden of unpaid care which is largely carried out by women. The global impact of this biasContinue Reading

In: Virtual Teams, Working From Home

This article reflects on the organisational culture at GitLab a company who is Transparent and Remote. GitLab have been been at the cutting edge of remote work models since the company was formed in 2011. With a staff of over 1300 people, GitLab has been touted the largest all remote organisation in the world (up until now…). Team members are spread across 67 countries. The company is radically transparent, if you look at its website you can see a list of everyone who works there (with a photo), Management Group policies are explicitly shared on the company website where everyone is aware of what is expected. GitLab are a competitor to Github (which was acquired by Microsoft in 2018 for $7.5 billion USD) but while the product is similar the company culture is radically different. Vibrant (virtual) Watercooler Meetings Recognising that an all remote workforce needed to have a structuredContinue Reading

Being made redundant

In: Career, Career Development, Working From Home

This article talks to some of the personal experiences people are having being made redundant during CoVID19, how people are being told they are no longer required by video meeting and have no opportunity for closure with colleagues and friends at events. A workplace where you have been employed for a long time can heavily influence who you are, it can be hard to lose a connection to the company, former fellow employees and your purpose at one time. The changing market conditions has also knocked the optimism of some people who would potentially be more buoyant about a change of career and looking for new opportunities. For employers It is important that employers recognise this is a difficult time for people changing roles and looking for new opportunities. Empathy for the situation is critical and while the rules around redundancy in Australia can make it difficult with what youContinue Reading

Job Interviews

In: Career, Career Development, Working From Home

Any one searching for a job at the moment is going to face interviewing remotely, this article from HBR provides some practical tips on how to nail a job interview remotely. Tap into your networkHiring managers are looking for some familiarity so make sure you connect with your network and let them know what you are looking for. Remember that most people do want to help you wherever they can, don’t be afraid to reach out via email or LinkedIn explaining your situation and asking for advice as you search for your next position. Update your CV and cover letterIt is good practice to keep your resume up to date, make sure you highlight how you worked in high pressure environments. Most companies right now are looking for people who can contribute to weathering the current crisis, so it is good practise to state you have relevant experience. Prepare forContinue Reading

In: Virtual Teams, Working From Home

Synopsis of an article from Forbes, by Joe McKendrick Published, 21 July 2020 This article references a recent study Microsoft completed on their employees and how they were coping with working from newly working from home. The team analysed a department of 350 people to better understand what impact mandated working from home was having on the way they worked. some of the key findings included: Longer but choppier work days The work day and the work week was longer with employees tending to work an additional four hours a week starting earlier and finishing later. However this was somewhat offset by more time spent on managing personal priorities such as homeschooling and childcare. More but shorter meetings Lots more meetings especially short 30 minute meetings. Very protective managers Senior managers increased their communication and collaboration. Managers increased messaging 115% as they worked to remain connected to dispersed remote teams.Continue Reading

In: Emotional Intelligence, Leadership, Virtual Teams, Working From Home

Synopsis of an article from Inc. by Anne Gherini, Published 15th July 2020 This article points out that EQ or Emotional Intelligence has been recognised as more powerful predictor of an individual’s success as a leader than IQ. As we continue to work fully remotely what do you need to do to dial up the EQ. “High EQ individuals who display empathy, confidence, and comfort with their own limitations will be able to thrive and emerge as leaders in the pack.“ Human Centric Management Empathy – being aware of how others are feeling and coping. For some working from home can be lonely and feel overwhelming. Not everyone has the best home office set up, they may have to share it with others or have to manage home schooling – be aware. Anne points out that you need to make time for check-ins, with out an agenda to have a basis forContinue Reading

In: Collaboration, Effective Communication, Virtual Teams, Working From Home

Synopsis of an article from Harvard Business Review, by by Justin Hale and Joseph Grenny, Published 9th March 2020 The authors make the argument that too often meeting attendees check out. When everyone is in the same room there are techniques we all use to bring the attention back to the speaker but how do you do that on a virtual meeting. Here are 5 rules that can really help sharpen the focus in your next virtual meeting. The 60 second rule – In the first minute of the meeting do something with the group to make them experience the problem. It might be a dramatic story, compelling statistics or a powerful analogy. The goal is to ensure that the group understands the problem before you discuss or try to solve it. The responsibility rule – when attending a meeting we all have a role, you need to provide clarity on the engagementContinue Reading

In: Culture, Human Capital, Leadership, Working From Home

Twenty five years ago I almost ended up working with the Danish Wunderkind Martin Lindstrom (at the beginning of the dotcom bubble) in what was one of the first Digital Agencies, but I ended up taking a different path. Today Martin is recognised as a global leader in Digital Brand Marketing, with numerous books to his name, he is a regular columnist with Fast Company, Time Magazine and Harvard Business Review. This is a synopsis of an article on LinkedIn by Matin Lindstrom published 25th June 2020. With approximately 100 million users now logging into MSFT Teams every day (and many more on Zoom) the consideration that this way of working from home is the new normal has reached leaders at all levels of organisations around the world. Microsoft however, had been through the same experience four years ago, and the biggest issue was the loss of corporate culture. AContinue Reading

Tough Leadership

In: Change, Culture, Effective Communication, Resilience, Virtual Teams, Working From Home

Synopsis of an article from McKinsey By Homayoun Hatami, Pal Erik Sjatil, and Kevin Sneader Published 28th May 2020 CEOs (and all leaders) need to take care of themselvesWith so much to focus on right now, focusing on yourself might not be top of mind, but if you are tired you lose your ability to be effective, you stop processing information as well and your moods may suffer. The authors suggest tips on ways to avoid burnout and tap into new sources of energy. – Call a friend or colleague you like for an early afternoon chat– Take a walk outside, exercise is a tested way to restore energy– Stop Friday afternoon meetings– Consider getting an early night on Thursday to go into the weekend fresh Break out of your isolationGetting unfiltered information and contradictory viewpoints requires finding sources of objective, trustworthy and quality information. Making contact directly with individuals and teams toContinue Reading