In coaching, we primarily work face-to-face. It’s a people-oriented profession and working alongside those people has been seen as the best method for embedding new skills and developing talent. Remote consultations, such as over the phone or via Skype, have usually been considered as an extra, rather than the primary delivery method.

Therefore, it is fair to say I was sceptical about transitioning to primarily remote delivery. I had questions about the technology and whether I could adequately recreate the classroom experience. Would people pay as much attention? Would they consider it to have the same value? Would there be technical complications? A lot of concerns rolled around in my head. It has always been vital for me to feel that people are benefitting from the training I’m delivering. Could remote training really replicate the in-person experience?

Having been delivering remote programmes for several months now, I feel more confident to say that it could. There will always be times when in-person training is better. Larger groups or residential weeks cannot be delivered remotely. Teambuilding is best managed in reality, not virtual reality. Sometimes the key to unlocking somebody’s potential needs an unfiltered training experience.

More and more, however, I see the value of remote learning. The feedback from clients has allayed a number of my initial misgivings. The versatility of Break Out Rooms for roleplay and simulations significantly helps to make the remote experience more dynamic, while polls and chat encourage engagement. The technical challenges we’ve faced have been minimal, and mostly due to nothing more than a temporary blip in a delegate’s internet connection. Even these have been easy to overcome, as we can record sessions to view later.

Moving forward, I could see remote training have increasingly practical applications. Bite-sized sessions are not only more environmentally friendly, but they are also more cost-effective for both the client and me. Businesses need no longer set aside whole days for some training sessions when smaller groups could be managed in a more staggered manner. Productivity will only increase as courses need no longer be as intrusive on a delegate’s time. If several delegates are unavailable due to unforeseen circumstances, it’s not as problematic as it is with in-person. We have been able to provide additional follow-up sessions quickly, ensuring nobody is left behind in their training journey.

As I write this, sitting in a room on a hot day, I’m reminded of those times a group of us have sat in an uncomfortable office in the middle of summer. While we might not be able to cool down everybody’s home, there is an additional comfort factor in being able to work with an iced-latte and a nearby desk fan. People always work better and learn more, when they’re comfortable.

Our brand new LMS allows us to create supplemental materials, such as pre-work and post-work, to add even more value by challenging and developing people beyond the sessions themselves. We can even better tailor our post-session development work more to the individual, delivering additional learning materials that take into account a person’s needs and goals. Our LMS allows us to see, at a glance, how our delegates are progressing, where they thrive and where they struggle. We can evaluate an entire group’s understanding of the materials and deliver our findings confidently to business leaders. Combined with our E-Learning Platform, we can offer additional low-cost training courses, on-demand, to our clients ensuring a steady stream of valuable materials to facilitate success.

Although we found ourselves in this position out of necessity, by forcing us to confront the limitations of the way things have always been done means that we can now confidently find new ways to do the same thing. In-person training will always have its place in the coaching world, but I am not ashamed to say that I have transitioned from sceptic to believer over these past few months. I truly believe that, in time, remote training may no longer be delivered out of necessity, but become the default for a lot of programmes.

The post From Sceptic to Believer: Remote Training and the ‘New Normal’ appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

In the short-term, businesses have needed to fight to adapt. For those that could not transition to working from home, and for whom the government did not regard as essential, even with the various aid packages made available, the future is unsure. Businesses that were able to transition to remote work have faced their own sets of challenges. We’ve been at the mercy of technology, of knowledge gaps and of caution from our clients and suppliers.

In the long-term, we should look at what these past few months can teach us about the future of work. For a long time, conventional wisdom in boardrooms and among upper management is that even when people could work from home, they should not. Why? Because there is a tendency to distrust our people.

Popular culture paints the image of a home worker being some sort of slacker, waking up at midday, doing their work in their dressing gown, idling the hours away on YouTube or Spotify before finally settling down to get their work done.

The adherence to such stereotypes may have played a significant role in the damaging effects COVID-19 has had on many businesses. For a long time now, the means to work from home has been there, but business had become glued to a notion of how things should be done. We have become so used to the idea of working hours, office culture, formal dress, etc. that organisations that change is viewed as almost radical.

According to the International Workplace Group, 82% of employees in the US agree that working remotely would make them feel more trusted at work. As leaders, should we not be demonstrating such trust in our people? We hired them. We believed that they could do the job. Why then are we so reluctant to believe they could do so at home?

When assessing somebody’s performance while working from home, I’ve often said that it’s not when they do the work that’s important – it’s the quality of the work. If someone gets up a bit later because they’re working from home, but still produces high quality work while sipping mochas, wearing jogging pants and an old t-shirt and listening to Megadeth, does it really matter?

In the same study, 65% of workers believed that a work environment tailored to the work function of the staff could lead to greater productivity. What better way to tailor the work environment than by giving the people more overall say? Greater autonomy over workspace will, in the majority of cases, lead to happier, more relaxed and more motivated people. Those people will enjoy working because they have greater control over their environment.

Of course, there are various factors to consider. If your business is heavily regulated, then you need to ensure that processes are in place to comply with all current regulations. Almost every business needs to ensure that they are compliant with ICO and the GDPR, so it is imperative that working from home doesn’t disrupt data protection practices.

Overall, however, as disastrous, complicated, and difficult as the past few months’ have been, they could help shape all of our thinking heading forward. IWG’s study pointed to a majority of businesses acknowledging that flexible working leads to reduced capital and operational expenditures, better risk management and consolidation of their portfolios.

The future is uncertain. We all hope that the second wave of COVID-19 doesn’t hit. We look to the scientists and virologists working around the clock to find a vaccine, and we hope that there are no mutations leading to something even more devastating. Much of what may come is out of our hands, but what we do have control over is moving forward.

By embracing the “new normal” of flexible working, we can help our businesses be better insulated from unforeseen complications, while better catering to our people on a more individual level. For all the damage COVID-19 has caused, it may also be the catalyst needed to create better working practices and environments, more compassionate leaders, and a more productive future.

The post Why Leaders Should Consider Embracing Homeworking Permanently appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

With that in mind, we wanted to offer a few pieces of advice for anybody currently lacking confidence in their work.

Be Patient With Yourself

If you’re used to working in an office environment and now find yourself at home, it is perfectly natural to feel somewhat out of sorts. Remote working can be a lonely experience if you’re used to a busy office. Transitions can take time to get used to, and even after a couple of months’, you may feel like you’re not at your best. Try not to worry about pushing yourself; just focus on what you can do.

You’re Not Slacking Off if You Take Some Time for Yourself

One of the primary concerns managers tend to have about people working remotely is that they might be slacking off. With the copious temptations of the modern home, it’s easy to imagine somebody bingeing Better Call Saul on Netflix or a dozen funny cat videos on YouTube. While that may be a legitimate concern for some managers, you shouldn’t feel bad if you take a bit of time each day to unwind. If you’re already anxious, stressed or lonely, a chapter of a novel or a quick comedy clip on YouTube might be what you need to re-centre yourself.

Protect Your Work Time

While you should definitely factor in some ‘me’ time, you also need to be protective of the time you have. There is a tendency for others to see someone working from home as not really working. Your family and friends may think you have time for a chat, or household chores, or an online video game; particularly if you are taking five minutes to sip a cappuccino while watching cat videos.

What you need to do is assess what must be done each day, sort tasks in order of priority, and work through them in order of priority. When you are working, you need to minimise distractions. This might mean putting your phone on silent, closing your email client or simply shutting the door to your workspace. Let your family and friends know when you’re going to be busy and unavailable.

Get Comfortable

Not many of us have invested in the expensive chairs you often find in modern offices. We don’t tend to have water coolers, air conditioners or lots of plants. The reason why office managers invest in these things is that comfort improves productivity. If you’re uncomfortable, then those niggling frustrations of sore backs, boredom or heat/cold tend to fester and impact how productive you are.

While it’s unfeasible to spend a small fortune on acquiring all sorts of new equipment for a short-term situation, you can still take steps to make your work environment more comfortable. Try using cushions on otherwise uncomfortable chairs, use slideshow functions to change your desktop wallpaper, listen to music that stimulates your mind and try to think how you can personalise your workspace to make it a pleasure to be at.

Keep in Touch With Colleagues

Make sure your colleagues know how they can reach you, and ensure you know how to reach them. In remote work situations, it often pays to be more forthcoming with communication that you might typically be. Ask yourself what your colleagues and managers might need to know, and make sure that they do. By being proactive about keeping everyone in the loop, you will likely find that others adopt similar policies. Consequently, the remote workspace not only feels less lonely but also more productive.

Make an Effort in the Morning

When you don’t have to try hard, it’s easy to sit at your computer in a dressing gown with personal grooming put off until later. However, if you make a similar effort in the morning to what you would do on a typical work-day, you may find that you put yourself in a more productive frame of mind. You needn’t go so far as to put on a suit, but try not to start the day off too casually. Think about what you want to do today, how you would generally start the day, and dress and groom accordingly. What we do in the morning has a significant impact on our mindset for the whole day, so start the day as you mean to continue.

Ask for Feedback from Leadership

It’s a lot easier to feel comfortable with what we’re doing when we know whether we’re doing it right. Leaders may assume everything is fine if they don’t hear from us, but we may take their silence as a sign, something is wrong. Instead of wondering, or panicking, reach out to your leader and ask. You’ll either receive some good advice on how to improve your performance, or you’ll gain the confidence to know that you’re doing well. Either is a good thing.

The post Improving Productivity and Morale while Working Remotely appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

As with an in-person meeting, the first thing you need to decide upon is what you wish to achieve from the meeting. Are you delivering a product demonstration and pitch? Perhaps you’re negotiating an already existing offer? You could be meeting a new client or contact within an organisation for the first time. You may also be conducting a meeting with your team members.

With the meeting’s purpose firmly in mind, you should begin preparing for the call. Ensure that any documents, information, PowerPoint slides and similar items are ready and rehearse the content of any pitch or speech you need to give.

If it’s a team meeting, make sure that you circulate an agenda, preferably a couple of days before the meeting to allow your people to comment or contribute to it.

Be Punctual

When running a remote meeting, you must be punctual. Try and ensure that you are in position at least fifteen minutes before it begins. This gives people confidence that everything is working at your end, doesn’t leave other early-birds sitting around staring at loading screens, and importantly, it allows you to thank everybody for attending as they filter into the room.

Small Talk

Try and set everyone at ease with a little bit of small talk. Have an icebreaker ready. Understand that this is the perfect time to start trying to engage people in the meeting by asking questions. If it’s a team meeting, give people a chance to let you know how they’re coping, particularly during the current health crisis.

Presentation Skills

We all know that when you’re working from home, it’s easy to let things slide a bit. Perhaps rather than wearing your typical work suit, you’ve adopted the heavy metal t-shirt and jogging bottoms approach? That’s not a problem when you’re flying solo, but a meeting is a team affair. If you’ve decided to start growing out your beard or haven’t been able to visit the hairdressers for a while, at least make yourself presentable.

If you’re meeting somebody for the first time, perhaps a new client or contact, then it is even more critical that you make a great first impression so go the extra mile to make sure your appearance is up to scratch.

You should also ensure that your room is well lit, with no distracting elements in view of the camera. A few typical items like a coffee mug or picture frame are acceptable, but if you’ve got a Pulp Fiction poster on your wall or a pet tarantula behind you, then you might want to consider moving things around a bit.

Body Language and Speech

55% of all communication is non-verbal. Think about what you’re like when you’re on the phone. You might be fidgety, you might pull faces, or you might slouch or otherwise appear to lack confidence. During video conferences, it’s often easy to forget that other people can see us. You should treat the meeting as though it was an in-person meeting, and adopt the same body language that you usually would. Avoid appearing too casual, and be mindful of what you are communicating to the other participants.

When it comes to speaking, you should have a good quality microphone that you can get. While many laptops come with built-in microphones, you often find that these are of poor quality. Similarly, cheap and cheerful headset-mics are usually cheap for a reason. It is worth investing in good quality equipment. While it is not currently feasible to test devices in-store before you buy, make sure that you check out reviews of different products.

Equipment

You also need to consider that many of your attendees may not have good quality headsets and microphones. They may also have network problems that cause stuttering or lag. Consequently, you need to speak clearly and concisely, and possibly slower than you might typically speak. Don’t sound condescending if speaking slower than usual; try and maintain a positive pitch and tone, and after key points, ask everyone whether they understand.

Finally, remain upbeat and try to remember to smile and give a warm vibe through your facial expressions. You want people to be and stay engaged throughout, and that won’t happen if you look like you don’t want to be there.

The post Video Conferencing Tips for a Successful Meeting Part 1 appeared first on Robin Lines Associates.

The Law

All employees that have worked for an organisation for more than 26 weeks are eligible to make a statutory application for flexible working. A common misconception is that this only applies to carers and/or parents, but in fact, anybody can make the request, and business is legally obliged to consider the application and make appropriate arrangements in a timely fashion.
 

What is Flexible Working?

Various types of flexible working exist. Job sharing, part-time, compressed hours, flexitime, annualised hours, working from home, etc.

An employer can reject an application for flexible working if specific criteria are met (e.g. Damaging costs, workforce shortage, insufficient scope to reorganise, etc.). However, often businesses see flexible working as a nuisance not because it poses real problems, but only because it isn’t the traditional thing.

Ignoring legal requirements, I’d like you to consider some reasons to offer flexible working and why it can be hugely beneficial.
 

Combatting Stress

I’ve looked at stress in previous articles, and it is a significant problem. Studies have shown that flexible working can reduce work-related stress. If you have an employee struggling with stress or other mental health issues, wouldn’t it be better for both of you if they could continue to work in a more suitable environment? Unless they’re in a customer-facing role, perhaps you could allow them a day or two per week to work from home?

Other options would be allowing them to work compressed hours – this is where they work extra hours on certain days, allowing them more free time on others. During this free time, they may be able to catch up on sleep, attend therapy sessions or merely spend time unwinding to reduce their stress levels. During busy periods, this might not always be feasible, but looking at ways to offer a solution is still preferable to having an ongoing problem.
 

Attracting Parents/Carers

A lot of capable, qualified and talented individuals are frozen out of the job market when employers are unwilling or unable to offer working solutions that suit an individual’s situation. Again, business leaders should ask themselves does a particular job need to be done at the office during set hours, or can a compromise be reached?

If you can find a way to offer working solutions that are more appealing to carers and parents, you increase the potential pool of talent that can help your business grow. A flexible working solution means that parents aren’t eating into vacation days to attend a school play. It can allow people to spend less on childcare or alternative care for a loved one. Rather than organising everything around work, they can arrange work around their responsibilities. This will lead to a happier work/family balance.
 

Reducing Unnecessary Commutes

The daily commute to and from work continues to be a frustrating nightmare for many workers. Traffic jams, crowded buses and trains. Few people feel energised and motivated after having suffered through an hour or more of the morning grind to work. Is it necessary to put people through it?

Of course, it depends on the job and the role but unless there is a reason someone needs to be in the office, might it not be better if they stayed at home? They could grab an extra hour in bed, sit at their presumably comfortable desk, log on to your system and work with a much more positive mindset than they will having just sat through an hour of rush hour hell.

Even if they cannot work from home, is the 9-to-5 schedule essential? Perhaps they could come in at 10 and leave at 6, consequently avoiding a lot of rush hour traffic? You may even find that with a more positive and relaxed mindset, an individual can do as much work between 10 and 5 as they would have between 9 and 5.
 

Early Birds vs Night Owls

There is a common misconception that early birds are hard workers and night owls are slackers. In truth, some people just are not morning people. Studies have even suggested that night owls tend to be some of the most creative and intelligent individuals. Famous examples of night owls are Sir Winston Churchill, JRR Tolkien and Bob Dylan.

The misconception about night owls may well be due to traditional working hours. If you notice that somebody struggles during the early part of the day but is a productivity machine towards the end of it, perhaps they might be a night owl? If so, is there a way you could turn this to both your advantages by offering flexible working hours? It is a waste of talent if they do their best work after they’ve knocked off for the night.

Similarly, with early birds, are you noticing that they tend to tackle work head-on first thing but are worn out by the end of the day? Again, could you work around this? Could they come in a bit earlier so that you both capitalise on their early-morning performance boost? This may also help to reduce the frustration of the morning commute.
 

Giving Your People a Sense of Control

People value their freedom, and few like to feel they’re in a dictatorship. Giving your people a sense of control over their work/life balance can make them feel valued and appreciated. It may even invigorate and motivate them because they will see you as an empathic business responding to their individual needs.

Some business leaders fear that offering flexible working will lead to a productivity loss and that their people will start to underperform due to too much freedom. However, it may very well be the case that by offering flexible working you encourage people to put their very best in. Few people who work in an environment that in-turn works for them will do anything to jeopardise their future with the business. Rather than ‘taking the mickey’, they are much more likely to pour more of their effort into every project because they respect their employer and the job that they have.
 

Reducing Costs

Where it is possible for more people to work remotely, there is great potential to reduce business overheads. Instead of having a large office with the necessary expenses (utilities, rent, business rates, etc.) you can have a smaller office with more of your people working from home. While you may need to consider some level of costs incurred for this, it may well be that the reduction in operating expenses leads to a clear advantage for your business. With so many ways to facilitate remote work, even in team-based environments, it at least behoves a business owner or manager to think about whether off-site flexible working is something that might work for them.

Similarly, by offering flexible working hours, you may find a decrease in the costs of productivity losses when someone has needed to take time off. It is possible that you will need to hire fewer temps to cover staff shortfalls.

You may even find that sick days decrease too as someone who wakes up ill but feels better later that day may still be inclined to get some work done, instead of taking the whole day off as is currently prevalent.
 

Disadvantages

There are disadvantages to flexible working, particularly for those in customer-facing roles or if you run a ‘traditional’ business where company culture dictates home-workers are lazy. Being unable to offer the same level of flexibility to all of your people may create some resentment amongst colleagues. Where there are client handovers to consider, flexitime or compressed work hours may introduce complications.

It will never be a case of deciding to go with flexible working. You will need to consider whether it is the best move for your business. However, in my opinion, the potential benefits far outweigh the negatives for a significant number of organisations.

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