Tiring of lockdown

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The lockdown has taken its toll on peoples’ wellbeing in many different ways. Some have dealt with the situation easily, while others have struggled, particularly with mental health. And the half-in, half-out limbo we seem to be inhabiting at the moment isn’t helping.  You knew where you were with lockdown. Now we’re in this hinterland where the rules are blurred, misinterpreted and misunderstood, leaving many people more fraught now than earlier in the year.

Wellbeing under fire

One of the big challenges of the situation is fatigue. Many people have been working flat-out during this lockdown and some companies are busier than ever.  The impact of this however is there aren’t the usual relief options that many people enjoy to wind down. If you don’t have a garden, you haven’t even got an outdoor space to relax in. Only recently social and leisure activities have been allowed, the little things that help wellbeing and that so many people rely on to unwind. This lack of relief can lead to a feeling of burn-out and listlessness, which for any worker is going to impact on their state of mind and their output.

Coping in crisis

A further knock-on from this is people are beginning to get a little fed-up with the situation. Some staff have been furloughed, which has at least guaranteed income, if not their role remaining when the scheme ends. They are also stressed about the uncertainty surrounding their jobs and their incomes. Will their office even exist in October or beyond, as many companies are using this time to restructure and take stock? If you are concerned about the longevity of your role, you may have already started your job search in what has become a highly competitive market. August is traditionally a weak month in terms of job searching, as there are school holidays and other factors that slow productivity.

Collateral damage

Stress itself can cause fatigue. Now more than ever people are craving a mental holiday, whilst being largely stymied from travelling abroad. That battery recharge we’ve all become so accustomed to simply isn’t here. A myriad of worries can be exacerbated if you have further non-work concerns as well, such as personal issues or health matters. With remote working, for many it has been very difficult to separate your work and personal life, and that can prove stressful too. If sleep and rest have been disturbed as a result, stress can begin to cause more collateral damage. Not everyone has a wide family network, or even a partner, to communicate and discuss things with, and an employer has a responsibility towards their staff issues such as wellbeing and fatigue come into the frame.

Reassurance can help

This mental pressure is bound to be at the back of many employees’ minds, which is why it’s so important for management to keep in touch with their staff during these periods of remote working. As a manager, it will help if you can give them reassurances that their jobs will remain as the lockdown is eased. You may even be able to ask them back into the office now, to see them face to face. Find out how they are feeling and ask if there is anything you can do to ease their situation and anxiousness.  Sometimes a reassuring conversation is worth more than the highest praise to an employee’s morale. And good morale is something we all need at the moment, more than anything.

Where is your next job?

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Even in these uncertain times for business, people are planning for the future. If you were already looking for a career change before the lockdown, you may now be staying put or perhaps looking in a completely different sector. As the lockdown situation eases, companies are starting to look at how to enable their employees to return to their offices. It’s often nerve-wracking beginning a job hunt, but if you’re starting to look now, where exactly are you looking?

Transferable skills

Several of the criteria for looking for a new job have changed over the last few months. As we’ve discussed in earlier posts, some sectors have thrived during lockdown, while others will be considerably reshaped following the crisis. If you are working in a sector that you think might be affected, such as a company that is scaling back its operations and consequently its staff, it may be worth seeing which of your transferable skills can take you into an allied sector. Look at how your skills will prepare you for other roles. There are many talents such as leadership, planning and organisational skills that will be applicable across a range of sectors. The medium may change, but the message will be the same. Look beyond the confines of ‘an industry’ and see how you could fit into new roles.

A place of work

In many cases, people have come to appreciate their local area and have not missed the commute to work. Home working was already something many workers were pursuing before lockdown, but the current situation has led to it becoming widespread and the norm. As a result of this, location has sometimes decreased in importance. You could work for a company 10 miles away, 50 miles away or in another country just as easily as you could work for a firm just down the road.  What this has proved is that many roles can be completed from home without losing productivity levels.

Redrawing the map

It’s also interesting now that if one person from a household or relationship has to relocate for their job – or secures a job in a different geographical region – it does mean the person’s partner doesn’t necessarily have to change their jobs too. They can work remotely from a new location, or the person can work from their current location for their new employer. This level of flexibility adds a whole new dimension to the world of work and job seeking. Some managers prefer to have their teams in front of them, and some teams like to be managed in person, but in the future it’s more likely to be a combination of the two.

Island living

An interesting twist on this thinking is illustrated by the Barbados Welcome Stamp scheme. If you can work remotely, the beautiful island of Barbados in the Caribbean has found an interesting way of countering the economic challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is offering some great opportunities for anyone who can answer yes to the question: “Need a change of scenery? Can you work anywhere, as long as you have access to the Internet?” The island is offering a special visa for remote workers who want to work and live in Barbados. The new 12-month Barbados Welcome Stamp allows anyone who qualifies to be based in one of the world’s most beloved tourism destinations. With the tagline ‘Work from Paradise’ this novel initiative has redefined what it means to be ‘working remotely’. You really never know where your next job will take you.

Remote interviews – how to break through the barriers

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As the UK finally begins to ‘unlock’, people are tentatively venturing out. Meeting in person is beginning to be reintroduced, with family members able to reunite, albeit it socially-distanced. This is allowing people a certain degree of normality to return to their lives. However, in terms of a working environment, many companies are actively encouraging the ‘work from home’ ethic to continue. This is fine if you have become used to working from home, or sometimes worked from home as part of your job anyway. But what if you were in the course of looking for a new job, to transition into a new role in a new sector for example?

Preparation is everything

The landscape has changed immensely of how people are hired and inducted. Anyone applying for a job now is doing it remotely. It’s important then to think how to project your personality in a remote interview, to come across well. Somehow, you have to depict your personality, without being there in person. Play to your strengths and use your communication skills to convey your skillset. Before any remote interview, you need to give some thought to practicing and getting used to using remote video conferencing tools.

One answer could be a video CV. This is not a new concept and has been around for over a decade. However, in these present times, it might be a useful way of preparing for an interview, even if you don’t end up using the actual video CV. The more practice you get at this sort of media, the better you’ll become at it. It’s not appropriate for all sectors, but when it works it can be a useful tool.

Remember to be confident and plan what you need to say. This will stand you in good stead for the interview itself. Good preparation will allow you to get your personality across in a relaxed manner and perhaps most importantly, smile. Looking surly onscreen won’t ignite a potential employer’s enthusiasm. While a smiley countenance will always endear yourself to the viewer.

Remotely interesting

Once you have video CV you are satisfied with, you should also be more familiar with video conferencing and how to project yourself onscreen. You’ll have a better idea of what works and what doesn’t. How to present yourself, and how to sit and act. Your posture onscreen will say as much about you as it would in person. Make sure you choose where you are going to sit carefully and check that your laptop or computer is at the right height for you to appear on screen properly.  It’s also well worth making an effort in your appearance. You will feel more confident if you are dressed as though you were attending the interview in person. Think about what a potential employer might ask you and rehearse some responses. Don’t gesticulate too wildly when you speak either.

It’s employers that are having to get used to this ‘new normal’ too. For example, they might feel uncomfortable about hiring a senior person in their company without seeing them face-to-face. However, they are having to accept it as the new norm. Posts will become vacant and will need to be filled and some sectors have been relatively unaffected by the lockdown, in terms of productivity and access. It has also made many people aware of the possibilities of global communication and perhaps their new work opportunity won’t even be in the UK. With the endless possibilities of technology, if you have internet access and a computer screen, you can communicate across the world.

10 signs your team would benefit from coaching

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Times are changing

Change is an inevitable part of life, especially within the working environment. But the changes we have seen in 2020 have been unlike anything we’ve experienced in our working lives before. Even in this lockdown period, changes to work methods and practices can lead employees to start feeling unable to keep up. Working remotely, for example, can seem very alien to someone who is only used to an office environment.

With the uncertainty surrounding the shape of what work and workplaces will look like next year, career transition may be forced on many people. It’s important that companies monitor their staff to look for tell-tale signs in these insecure times, particularly with more senior members of staff, who can become lost or even left behind by the pace of change. Coaching can help them, especially in the current economic climate.

Noticing the signs

Changes in a staff member’s behaviour can be a key sign that they are not coping well with company adjustments.

Here are 10 signs which could indicate that your staff are not managing effectively with change:

  1. Frustration – with themselves and their colleagues
  2. Stress – anxiety and general unhappiness
  3. Isolation – lack of conversing and reduced sociability
  4. Unprepared – looking or feeling lost and out of their depth
  5. Increased periods of time off – through illness, or an unwillingness to be in work
  6. Boredom – a reduced enthusiasm for their job
  7. Disputes with colleagues – becoming resistant or more argumentative
  8. Lack of confidence – in themselves and their work
  9. Punctuality – issues with continual lateness
  10. Procrastinating – being unwilling or unable to complete their tasks.

Inevitably, how well employees are able to deal with changes can strongly affect the business. At Career Evolution, we understand how crucial it is to help staff throughout the company cope.

A positive change

Through our expert coaching programme, designed to aid members of staff at all levels – including those at more advanced positions, such as senior managers and directors – our highly-qualified coaches will assist your staff to handle change effectively. This includes helping people before, during and after transition periods, offering bespoke support on a one-to-one and group basis.

Tailored specifically for how to best suit your employees’ needs, our coaching enables individuals to recognise their value, and most importantly, how they and their company can continue to succeed in the face of change.

Change for the better

The most effective method for your staff to deal with change is to embrace it as a positive element,  not as something to be feared and treated with scepticism and suspicion. Change is vital for businesses to adapt and survive in an uncertain environment, where many companies have already buckled under the pressure of not keeping up with the times. The other side of lockdown will be a testing time, economically and socially. Helping employees to take control of their changing role or situation, and formulate a plan for a future that will work for them, is the key to helping individuals thrive and prosper. It will aid both staff and the business forge ahead, and bring about positive change together.

The Human Touch

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Telling someone that they are being made redundant can unleash a great deal of emotion. After the initial shock, it can leave a person feeling scared and uncertain – or even angry. They’ve lost their security and need to find a way of rebuilding that assurance, both for themselves and their families. This is understandable, as it can be a daunting situation for anybody to be in – and a helping hand at the time can make all the difference.

Clearing the obstacles

In order to help employees cope during these windows of change, it’s important to look at redundancy on an emotional level, not just from a business perspective. Applying effort can help any employee adapt and ultimately, they will emerge from the experience with positives. Each individual reacts differently to change. Some resist, while others are more adaptable. It presents each individual with different obstacles and challenges. When this happens unexpectedly it can cause upsetting consequences. Providing an individual with a steadying hand, to comprehend what is next, can be very valuable.

Change for the better

Taking a holistic approach to this is beneficial. Some employees might not have updated their CVs in years, or considered obtaining further qualifications. It is important to make the time to find out what an employee wants to do next and establish what value-added skills they can offer. Do this before talking them through building a CV, interview practice and learning new skills, all of which can set them up to move on to their next role. As part of the career change, employees might take stock and decide to pursue a completely new career – something they have always dreamt about but have never had the chance to try. A bit of extra support to help them get there can make the world of difference.

Positive outcomes

Companies that look after employees facing redundancy until they define their new role will leave the employee with a good memory of the business and its practices. Just because it is the end of their employment, it doesn’t mean the relationships needs to end badly. It just takes a helping hand to ensure an employee knows they have that support in place to move forward.

Outplacement specialists such as Career Evolution can help make this difficult process easier.  They are run by industry experts, who are professional coaches and mentors. As a result, they have a great deal of experience and knowledge of how to approach employees who are undergoing periods of transition in their workplace, which are often not of their making.

Closing the loop

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Whatever the circumstances, keeping your staff informed should always be your first priority. Internal communications are the most vital link between managers and staff. This is particularly true during times of uncertainty and transition, such as during this prolonged lockdown period.

There are various types of internal communications that can be utilised to keep your staff engaged. For any changes or updates on the company, early engagement is essential. Presenting your message to all staff simultaneously and keeping them informed with a consistent voice and message throughout are vital in keeping them ‘in the loop’.

The art of conversation

Even in the digital age, there’s no substitute for conversation. Whether it’s during one-to-one or team meetings, or large-scale presentations, having an active dialogue is worth its weight in gold. In the present situation, such meetings can be carried out remotely, using platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Attaining the right balance between the various media is crucial, so that your important messages and news updates are not lost in a wall of noise.

A live and active spoken dialogue can also better ascertain the mood. It will help assess if more needs to be done to assure staff. After all, you can’t read someone’s body language and tone via an email. There really is no substitute for conversing, where matters can be resolved in ‘real time’, without the need for lengthy email trails. A quick chat can save time and get to the crux of the message, with little chance of misinterpretation.

Conveying the message

Internal communications are sometimes referred to as employee engagement, internal marketing and company communications. The channels used to communicate your messages to your audience, i.e. your staff, are varied. These days the most frequently used channel is electronic media – this works equally effectively if your staff are present in the office, working from home, or furloughed.

It’s important that the message is consistent, regardless of whether you staff are working from home, or in the office. There shouldn’t need to be a context or explanation to make the message clear. With electronic messaging, there’s a certain flexibility, both to how the message is delivered and how the message is accessed. A digital message can be accessed a number of ways, from a computer or laptop, by phone, tablet or other devices. Tone of voice is the reader’s own, so it must be clear what the message is trying to convey.

Lines of communication

For office-based and remote working staff, the most direct way to keep all your staff in the loop is by email. This is especially useful if you have a large staff, with many different departments. Emails can be distributed easily, quickly accessed and are environmentally-friendly. Newsletters or bulletins can be issued electronically, and internal communications can be distributed efficiently via the company’s intranet. Some companies distribute both a physical newsletter and an electronic one, with the identical design being developed for both.  The response is instant too – the recipient can ping back a reply as quickly as they can type it.

Physical media

For your wider staff, who may not have readily available email access outside of their own personal accounts, physical media remains important too. These include, for example, posters, printed newsletter and other ‘desk drops’, which will still be essential in a post-lockdown working environment. These can keep staff informed of developments in the business and what the changes mean to them, reinforcing the message already presented in face-to-face communications and keeping your staff informed. Whatever your message, and however you transmit it, nothing beats the personal connection.

Top 10 Tips for increasing employee morale

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Even in normal times, morale is an essential part of how a company functions. But during this period of lockdown and remote working, employee morale is even more important. A happy and healthy workforce ensures the working environment – wherever that space may be – is a positive place. As you interact with your staff, on the phone or via video conferencing, you may notice signs of fading morale. Read our 10 top tips to boost morale and instil pride in your employees.

Appreciation

It’s always important to celebrate success. It might be a small achievement in the grand scheme of things, but it helps to ensure every employee’s success is appreciated. Even if it’s just by saying a simple ‘well done’.

A sense of community

Getting teams involved in local community projects or fundraising can help build teamwork skills and boost team morale. It will also build your reputation within the community and with your staff. While you can’t participate in such activities at the moment, you can plan ahead and look at future opportunities in your local area.

Enjoy it

Even working from home, employees spend a huge percentage of their time each week in work, so it’s important that they enjoy themselves. Make sure they are taking some time out for short breaks throughout the day, to change activity, clear their heads and focus on something else.

Smile

Smiling can be contagious. Even on the phone it’s important, as the tone of your voice reflects a cheerful demeanour. If you are communicating via video conference, a smile is pretty much your only way of demonstrating emotion and personality, as hand gestures and expression can be lost onscreen, while a lot of gesticulating can just look busy and confusing. Keep it simple and smile.

Please and thank you

Politeness is another important virtue that can be greatly appreciated at work. Show respect to your team by using ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ when speaking to them. Making a point of saying ‘thank you’ after a job has been completed can really make a difference to an individual’s sense of self-worth.

Office comforts

Make sure that an employee’s place of work is comfortable. For many people at the moment, this is literally a space in their home. We’ve had plenty of time to get used to this working arrangement and our ‘workspace’ will have become very familiar to us. It is important as employers to make sure our staff aren’t becoming jaded or complacent, and to identify and address issues if they arise.

Be flexible

Offering flexibility to employees as a gesture of appreciation is a cost-effective way of increasing motivation and decreasing stress levels. Home working is often seen by some employees as a sign of trust between employer and employee. Having been forced into making these adjustments to our working lives, perhaps going forward employees will enjoy more flexibility.

Value your team

Ask for ideas, listen to opinions and take on board any suggestions. This can really help make your team feel valued, which in turn will automatically boost morale. This aspect of communication is essential now more than ever.

Communication

Despite many offices not functioning as a physical office space at the moment, make sure you inform employees and keep them updated on any developments. Nothing can disrupt morale more than employees feeling like they are ‘out of the loop’ and in these uncertain times this is even more imperative.

Believe

Employees need to be aware that they are part of something bigger. The lockdown may have separated us physically, but employees need to be reminded that they are still a fundamental part of the business. If they share, believe and live by the company values, then this will have a positive onward effect, even in these unprecedented times.

Remote control

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All aspects of our working lives have been affected by the worldwide spread of coronavirus and the challenges the resultant lockdown has presented. Many people are working in places that are usually their homes, their ‘break from work’ spaces. Meaning that any associated stress and pressures of these times are centred on their own residences. This can become damaging for mental health and general wellbeing. Managers will have to adapt their management styles to consider new behaviours and conditions.

Home vs office

Self-discipline is very important in these uncertain times. Employees who possess the ability to self-manage will be a huge asset to managers, who themselves are having to evolve to meet the changing face of work. More people are still working from home and many will continue to do so – either by choice, trepidation, or necessity. Until there is a recognised protocol or an immunising vaccine, many workers will probably prefer to remain working from home.

Even if offices are spacious enough to accommodate a large workforce, it is aspects outside of workspaces that can impact employees’ decision-making on home versus office. Travel on public transport, for example, will be a big stumbling block for many people. Mixing with work colleagues and family outside the household is one thing. But sitting next to complete strangers and touching door handles, handrails and other equipment will not be acceptable to some commuters.

Managing the challenge

In this way, management styles will need to change and adapt. For one, the days of micro-management are over. Managers will need to manage and trust their teams to do their jobs, without being constantly observed and without supervision. A great deal of trust will be required on both sides. However, this is being seen as one of the positives that will need to come out of the current situation. Leadership is important in this period – listening, trust and collaboration will all form part of a manager’s role.

It’s also important to embrace technology to make communication easier and teamwork smoother. Whether it’s platforms such as WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams and Zoom, there are many remote collaboration tools out there. Some managers will find relinquishing this degree of control difficult. But coaching can help them understand their management style and adapt to new ways of working. Coaching sessions can be carried out over the internet, via video conferencing. The lockdown restrictions needn’t be seen as a barrier to this taking place. Coaching can help to identify areas where managers are needing to adapt their management style to suit the situation.

Testing times

Talking to someone else can enable managers to see the big picture. This overview can prove very helpful is assessing exactly where a business stands during lockdown. Are the staff happy, are their outputs being sustained, and are they delivering on deadlines without the day-to-day contact with colleagues and management? If the answer’s yes, then great. But if there is room for improvement, this will have to be addressed.

This is where self-discipline will prove invaluable. If you have been furloughed, then you will not be working anyway – but contact with management is still important and a weekly or bi-weekly connection should be retained. Of those who are still doing their jobs from home, some staff may be used to self-motivating. Others may struggle to find a format and routine that works for them. Similarly, adapting a  management style will come naturally to some, while for others talking to a coach will be beneficial. Even the most seasoned manager will have something to learn during these testing times that have become a learning curve for us all.

Together we’re stronger

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During this unprecedented period of uncertainty and disruption, it’s very important to bear in mind strong mental health and wellbeing in general. We all deal with change differently. However, the social and economic measures we have witnessed over the last few weeks are like nothing any of us have experienced before. There is no ‘right way’ to do things in these changing times, but throughout this crisis your health and wellbeing, and that of your team, is very important. There are several things to consider.

Stay connected

Although some people work from home regularly, for others this shift is a huge change and challenge. Make sure that workers who are now working from home have the technology to be able to perform their tasks. Most homes have some form of broadband or internet connection, but it shouldn’t be taken for granted. Not everyone needs or wants to have that level of connectivity at home. There was a flurry of activity in the immediate aftermath of the lockdown, as BT and other engineers visited homes to install internet connections to those home workers who didn’t have this capacity.

We’re in this together

It’s good to remember in these difficult times to be kind – to yourself and to each other. Some people might be struggling with the uncertainty and change surrounding this situation. They might need the support of others to help them through. People will be worried about their jobs and the shape of work after the lockdown is lifted. There is also the economic implications, depending on how long the situation lasts. They may need reassurance, or more reassurance than normal. Giving them the sense that ‘we’re in this together’ will provide a degree of security and assurance in insecure, unassured times.

Distance networking

It’s a good idea to reach out and network with people beyond your household and even your team. Many people will have a little more time to talk at the moment. This is a great opportunity to build your networks and develop relationships. Honesty is welcomed and for many the opportunity to share their frustrations and challenges – and solutions and triumphs (no matter how small) – is appreciated.

Still part of the team

It is also good to get other people’s opinions on things. If you’re used to working as part of a team and bouncing ideas off people in your office, then carrying out your job in isolation may seem very odd indeed. Working in the bubble of your own home, where professional and personal lives have clashed for so many people recently, can be challenging. For most workers these two entities – work and home – are two completely difference spaces.

Video conferencing

People are using all kinds of video conferencing tools at the moment, in a way they have never done before.  There are plenty of positives and negatives around using platforms like Zoom (other platforms are available). However, if you are nervous about using them, there are a few things to remember. IT issues are to be expected. People will forgive you, as the chances are, they are suffering the same niggling issues. A dog/child/cat/spouse might come in at an inopportune time and interrupt the call. Don’t worry, as above, people are willing to make allowances. You might find it advantageous to apologise for the potential disruption in advance. It breaks the ice and helps people relax. It can be a bit like the ‘housekeeping’ that is often done at the start of normal meetings. Don’t be too nervous about letting fellow workers ‘into’ your home space.

Whatever your situation and wherever your location, trying to make the best of the current circumstances will make is easier for everyone. Stay healthy, keep active, and this will positively impact on your wellbeing.

Adapting to the new normal

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Times change and we all need to adapt, but the pace is usually slower than a single week. With the implementation of the UK’s countrywide ‘lockdown’ at the end of March, the way most of us carry out our jobs has changed beyond all recognition in a very brief timespan. Thanks to the technology now available, remote working has become the new normal for many people. Dining tables have turned into desks and communications expanded to include virtual meetings and even remote networking.  Some people are prepared for this, as many staff now have the flexibility of working from home at least one day a week as part of their routine. But for others, it may be a considerable shock to the system.

Home, not alone

With so many aspects of our society closed, such as universities and schools, even those of us who are used to operating from home offices are finding their workspaces very different places. Partners, children, relatives and pets now also in the mix. As we’re all adapting to the ‘new normal’, there’s a few important points we all need to bear in mind. Some people like structure, while others benefit from the flexibility offered by home working. There’s no single answer, as each case is different.

Firstly, it might not always be possible to work our regular hours. Our normal working day might hinge on being able to drop our children off at a nursery or school. However, many of these establishments are not open, or are only taking in children of ‘essential workers’ at the moment. So, in addition to carrying out our jobs from home, we are also juggling childcare, which means they are at home too.

Shared responsibilities

As a result – and more people being in the house – you might be sharing the dining room table with your partner, or the study with your child. This isn’t always conducive to concentration and efficiency. Distractions may result in your productivity being affected. Try and find a way to strike a balance, dividing your time between your various responsibilities, to ensure everyone is, if not happy, then accommodated.

It’s crucial however that your home working environment is set up so you can find some time to concentrate and get some work done. This may mean changing your daily routine to incorporate more flexibility. A good way of doing this is getting up earlier, or working later, in the day than you would normally do. Many workers already adapt their hours to avoid rush hour traffic, drop children at school or nursery, or to help care for elderly relatives. Lessons learned from these examples can be useful at this challenging time.

Thought for the day

It’s also useful to set yourself some basic goals each day. In this way, you can retain a modicum of structure. Give some thought to setting yourself SMART (specific, realistic, achievable, measurable, timely) goals for each working day. Using these guidelines, it’s not about the number of hours you work, but rather the quality of the work you produce that becomes important. It also gives you benchmarks for what’s achievable, so be realistic. If you find you’re not hitting your targets, perhaps you’re being too ambitious – or not working hard enough!

It’s important too, to try and give your day structure. If it’s possible to work a ‘normal day’ do so, with regular breaks and a set start and finish time. This is obviously the ideal, but there will be many factors, some beyond your control, that will impact how productive you can be. Basically, find what works for you and be prepared to be adaptable. If one way doesn’t work, then try mixing things up a bit the next day. It’s a learning curve, with no ‘right answer’, but eventually we’ll each find our own ‘new normal’.