Keep your team connected and working remotely · 2020. 11. 28. · When working from home, you often get the feeling of always being on and you may even experience lower levels of

Keep your team connected and healthy when working remotely31 March 2020

2© 2020 Deloitte Ireland LLP. All rights reserved.

01Key challenges with

remote working

04Q&A

Today’s Speakers and Discussion Topics

Physical and psychological well-

being

02Mobilising your

team

03

Discussion Topics

Shane Mohan

Shane MohanNational Government and

Public Services Head

Andrea FoucheSenior Manager

Organisation Transformation

SpeakersHost

Elsabe BuysSenior Consultant

Human Capital


IntroductionShane Mohan: National Government and Public Services Head


First case of COVID-19 confirmed in Ireland

1st death from COVID-19 in Ireland

Further measures put in place and restrictions extended until at least

April 19th

February 29th

March 11th

March 15th

March 24th

Government announces closure of all schools, colleges and childcare facilities until 29 March

March 12th

All pubs, including restaurant bars closed before St Patrick’s day

400,000Job losses

€3.7 billion in government costs

over 12 weeks

4.3% deficitin government budget

7.1% shrinkin Irish economy,

possibly leading to a recession

5 cruise ships impacted

>600 000 known cases worldwide Present in 181

countries

22 sovereign states with no cases

COVID-19 across the world Irish Timeline The impact on Ireland


How has this changed the way we work?

Where

When

How

Office Working remotely, predominantly from home

Standard work hours

Adjusting schedules to accommodate team, home, and client/customer situations

In person collaboration

Adopting technology solutions to enable seamless collaboration and teamwork


Key challengesShane Mohan: National Government and Public Services Head


Key challenges faced by our clients

“I have to be physically present to do my work, my customers expect me to be there”

“My team doesn’t have laptops to do their work on”

“Will my data be safe if I work on my home connection?”

“I can’t focus on work, because my kids are at home and need my attention”

“I don’t know how to manage a team which is working remotely”

“I feel completely isolated and alone at home, my colleagues were my main source of social interaction”

“I am scared that me or my family will catch the virus”

“Our processes are too manual, we can’t do it virtually”

“I like the way things are, I don’t want to work remotely”

“I feel people are not doing their jobs when I am not there to check on them”

“ There is no space at home for me to set up my office”

“I have never worked from home, I don’t know what is expected of me”


Deloitte’s approach to COVID-19

We believe that in a crisis, resilient leaders need to take the right actions to guide their organisation successfully.

Managing staff costs and engagement in the face of business interruptions

Equipping leaders to adjust and prioritise new behaviours

New ways of operating to adapt to the environment

Gaining control of the narrative and building confidence in the workforce

Helping individuals and teams adjust and remain productive in a virtual world

Workers Leadership Organisation structure & systems

Communication New ways of working

From a Talent & Strategy perspective, leaders are focussed on the following:


Mobilising your teamAndrea Fouche: Senior Manager – Organisation Transformation


Mobilising your team – get the basics right

Give them the tools

Internet connection

A computer

Chat and collaboration apps

Video capability

Secure access to work files

Pick the right software to enable your team to work remotely and ensure everyone has access and knows how to use it.

Proper space to work in

Use technology wisely


Mobilising your team – setting expectations

Set expectations for your team

Communicate any restrictions or changes to customers and tell them how you will meet their needs during this period.

Managers and leaders will have to be more flexible in how they expect employees to deliver

Manage customer expectationsAdjust your own expectations

Define what is possible

2 3

45

Set targets Define rules of engagement

Assign responsibilitiesTrack progress in real-timeMeasure success and review

1

6

Key tip: Focus on outcomes not time


Mobilising your team – stay connected through check-ins and meetings

Think about your audienceTip: Smaller audiences are better

Prepare for your meetingTip: Do a test run on the software

Be inclusiveTip: Give everyone a chance to speak

Make it interactiveTip: Establish interaction ground rules

Be presentTip: Switch on your video

CollaborateTip: Acknowledge difference perspectives

Well-being sense check

Get a remote buddy to check in with twice a week

Good news check-in at the end of the week

Weekly one-to-one check-ins between employee and manager

Daily team check-ins to share updates

Tips for effective virtual meetingsWeekly check-in list

Key to success: Fewer emails, more

face-time


Mobilising your team – stay connected on a social level

Online quiz Interactive coffee breaks

Virtual happy hour

Book club Team yoga Team building games

Bingo Photo competition Good news bulletins

Initiatives at Deloitte

Daily stand-up15-minute check in at the start of the day to share updates and get the day started

“QuaranTea”Managers invite 3-4 team members

for a social chat

“Quarantinis”Virtual team drinks scheduled in the calendar for Friday afternoons

Key tip: Be creative, do something

different.


Psychological and physical well-beingElsabe Buys: Senior Consultant – Human Capital


Psychological and physical well-being – practice healthy habits

Take breaks

Eat healthy and regularly

Get enough sleep

Exercise

Clear your head

Drink plenty of water

Eat every 2-3 hours

Make time for things you enjoy

Take a call while you walk

Use your commuting time to get outside

Take time away from screens

To-do list

Key tip: Make healthy habits a part of

your routine.


7.30am

Get up early and do some exercise

8.55am

Set up your workspace

9.00am

Block time in your calendar for major tasks

11.00am

Give yourself a break – eat a healthy snack and stretch

1.00pm

Have lunch with your family/housemates

3.00pm

Have a virtual check-in/coffee with your colleagues

5.30pm

Finish at your normal working time

5.35pm

Switch your laptop off and leave your working space

Psychological and physical well-being – structure your day to include healthy habits

06.00pm

Do something fun to unwind (think bigger than

Netflix)

08:30

Get dressed for work and have breakfast

10.00pm

Go to bed at a reasonable time


Psychological and physical well-being – set boundaries

Set working limits

Minimise distractions

Stick to a schedule

Switch off and unplug

Reflect on achievements

Considerations

Turn off notifications on your email and your phone to avoid distraction if you are trying to focus on a task

Set boundaries with how you schedule calls. Allow for 10-15 minutes between calls to debrief and rest before jumping onto the next one.


Check

Psychological and physical well-being – time management

Don’t multi-task

Focus on outcomes rather than watching the clock

Start with a to-do list

Track your time to find your productivity sweet-spot

Create a routine and schedule down-time

Try the Pomodoro method

25 25 305 255 255

Work Rest

Plan Repeat


Q&A


Q&A Responses

Do you have any advice for the management of probation of very new staff

who may not be fully trained in during this period, especially when the

training is mostly on the job?

Do teams who are new to remote working tend to increase productivity or

do they burn out?

What issues do you anticipate will arise in staff returning to office

after a potentially extended period of working from home when this

crisis ends?

Are you communicating with staff often regarding COVID-19 and the

ongoing developments? It is possible to over-communicate as well,

so I’m wondering what your approach is?

How do you manage employees that are task-driven rather than

working on their own initiatives? It is hard to keep giving them tasks

every day to keep them working when you have your own work to do.

It can be quite challenging to manage new employees in this time. Look for different ways to deliver parts of your normal induction by using technology. Perhaps you already have some elements in video format or e-learning which you can share. As a manager, you will have to amplify your engagement to ensure that the employee remains engaged. Set up virtual coffees for the employee with other team members to ensure that they start to feel connected to the rest of the team. Assign a buddy to the individual to assist them throughout this period. The buddy can interact with the employee on a social level while also helping with some of the on-the-job training to take pressure off the manager.

As a manager, it is very important to set expectations for the new hire and to discuss what will be possible during this time from a work perspective. Set objectives for the probationary period that are SMART and have regular (every 2 weeks) performance check-ins during the probation period. Be clear and upfront on how you will manage their work, how often you will check-in and what you will do to support them. As a manager you also need to accept that some things will not be possible and share that with the individual to eliminate any uncertainty. The key to success is communication, setting expectations and creating connections with the team to help the individual settle in for the long run.

There is definitely a risk of burn out with people who are new to remote working. When working from home, you often get the feeling of always being on and you may even experience lower levels of work-life balance, as the boundary between work and home life can become completely blurred. There is also a risk of burnout due to the increased amount of virtual meetings and calls when working remotely. Employees tend to spend their working hours on calls and have to then catch up on their work after hours. This is a challenge faced by new remote workers and those who have been working remotely in the past.

Leaders can assist their team by sharing some of the advice from the webinar. Encourage your team to structure their day to include healthy habits and to set boundaries that will allow them to focus while working. Also encourage them to switch off at the end of the day and respect that boundary by not contacting them after-hours. Make an effort to understand their unique situation and have an open discussion about what is possible.

As a leader you can help them be more productive by giving them the right tools and setting clear expectations upfront. If they are clear on what you expect from them they will focus their attention where needed and not waste time on tasks which don’t add value. Make sure that you connect with them regularly to check if they are coping with the new ways of working and ask them what you can do to make them more productive.

When staff return from remote working, we anticipate that there will be a period of adjustment to get used to ways of working. Change management and focused communication will be critical in this time and leaders and managers will have to be clear on their expectations in terms of attendance, ways of working and objectives. There is also a possibility that the content of some roles may have changed since before COVID-19. It is important to collaborate with employees and discuss how this role will be performed when back to business as usual.

We also anticipate that some employees may want to make use of remote working arrangements and have more flexibility upon their return. You will therefore have to think about the level of flexibility you will have with regards to this and how this will enable your business and talent strategy going forward.

Deloitte’s approach is to communicate as often as possible. In stressful situations people often focus on the worst case scenario, especially when there is a lack of information. Our approach is to own the narrative by sharing the facts and being transparent about the influence it may have on us and our teams. We do this through various channels including newsletters, emails, virtual team meetings and one-to-one conversations.

We also provide information on support systems you can use in this time or ways to keep active and healthy during this time. We have an active COVID-19 resource centre on our intranet to support our team.

A key element that works well with task-driven individuals is to do a daily morning check-in of 15 minutes. In this session, you can ask the team member to give a quick update on what has been completed the day before and share your expectations for the day ahead.

You can also consider a push and pull model. While you can assign tasks in the morning session, it might be a good idea to ask these individuals to propose what they think they could do outside of the assigned tasks and how they could further add value. They can then provide feedback on how they went the extra mile in the morning check-in.


Contact information

Andrea Fouche

Senior Manager

Organisation Transformation

Email: [email protected]

Shane Mohan

National Government and

Public Services Head


Elsabe Buys

Senior Consultant

Human Capital


Documents

Keep your team connected and working remotely · 2020. 11. 28. · When working from home, you often get the feeling of always being on and you may even experience lower levels of