Staying visible in a hybrid world
Hybrid working is here to stay, but we have to recognise that important changes need to be made in order to thrive in this new world. Working remotely gives employees greater flexibility and global connectivity. It also allows organisations to recruit more widely, enabling team members to join from almost anywhere. Many organisations have moved all their staff to hybrid working and downsized their offices, enabling colleagues to balance their work and life commitments more easily. The office for many people is now a tech platform, we can work from anywhere. What is there not to like?
All true, but of course any change brings new issues and hybrid working can result in many employees feeling less connected, with a sense of loss and lack of community within the workplace.
Collaboration can be the first thing impacted. Studies have shown two thirds of employees feel less connected at home; individuals feel like a ‘worker’ not a member of a ‘family’. If people begin to feel like workers rather than team members, there is evidence that it will impact negatively on morale and productivity.
When we spend less time working together face to face, we need to invest more time as leaders in our communication, checking in with colleagues both formally and informally. We need to be aware of proximity bias. Proximity bias describes how leaders tend to treat workers who are physically closer to them more favourably, and stems from the antiquated assumption that those who work remotely are less productive than those who work from the office. Proximity bias is not intentional, the mental short cut for managers can be that they make decisions on familiarity rather than objectives views. It can sometimes feel easier to evaluate the work of onsite employees and you can end up offering them more interesting projects because they are visible.
The opportunities for creating a more diverse workforce can suffer, people can feel a greater sense of exclusion; we have to be aware of how we communicate and engage with our employees and colleagues, to create a tangible sense of community where we all belong.
At Starfish we recognise that life is changing at speed, and we are here to help organisations in this unpredictable age by staying ahead of the curve and thinking creatively. We’ve recently run a series of webinars to help navigate the challenges that the new hybrid working world brings.
The visibility framework, recently shared by Victoria McLean CEO of City CV, in our webinar with Public Services People Managers’ Association (PPMA), gave us some interesting observations. Remote teams need consistent, inclusive interactions—but they need to be the right type, done in the correct way. This can be done in three ways.
- Social visibility,where you foster positive personal connections and building relationships in work time.
- Strategic visibility. Contributing ideas and advice on projects and having a say in business decisions.
- Supportive visibility. Building team members up by recognising and sharing their good work with others and creating equal opportunity situations.
What can we do as leaders to support visibility with our teams and colleagues?
- While virtual meetings allow greater attendance and flexibility, they can lack that social aspect. Some organisations now start their online meeting five minutes early to encourage social interactions.
- Encouraging staff to be more active on forums/team chats to connect beyond the transactional work discussions. Investing in our social dimension creates the glue for our teams and organisations.
- With strategic visibility, everyone should be given the same platform to contribute and give ideas whether they are working in the office or remotely. Leaders need to consciously recognise others and let everyone know about it, so that achievements and contributions can be acknowledged.
- Employees supporting colleagues has always been the key to a successful team. Being responsive and accessible is equally important wherever you are working.
- Communication and engagement is harder to get right across the different platforms, so it’s important to put the right training, support and measures in place. Our own definition of hybrid can be impacted by our different working habits. Our different environments, distractions and work-life balances all impact our view. You cannot ignore these experiences but working these into polices and expectations, can help with some of the challenges faced.
- In person inductions for new starters to provide more opportunities to learn and shadow.
- Requesting cameras are on in virtual meetings to encourage interaction and avoid distraction.
Hybrid working has shifted the focus for people and as leaders we need to invest in new approaches to ensure we are listening, communicating, and providing a work community which maximises potential. It is an ongoing process of connection, review, and response. No one has all the answers, and it is a constantly evolving leadership issue that needs focus and commitment. What is important is to recognise this, and put in place as much support throughout your organisations to support your team members to thrive.
Starfish | Building Cultural Capital in a Hybrid World
Hybrid working is here to stay within many of the sectors that Starfish Search work with. It gives employees greater flexibility and global connectivity. It also allows organisations to recruit more widely, enabling team members to join from almost anywhere. Many charities have moved all their staff to home working and downsized their offices in the process, enabling colleagues to balance their work and life commitments more easily. The office for many people is now a tech platform, and we can work from anywhere. What is there not to like?
All true, but of course any change brings new issues and hybrid working can result in many employees feeling less connected, with a sense of loss and lack of community within the workplace. If people begin to feel like workers rather than team members, there is evidence that it will impact negatively on morale and productivity. Ironically, the opportunities for creating a more diverse workforce can also result in a greater sense of exclusion if we don’t consider how we communicate and engage with our employees and colleagues, to create a tangible sense of community where we all belong.
We heard from three leaders at our webinar (link) who shared some fascinating examples of the work they are doing to encourage a greater sense of culture and community. Communication is once again critically important – to ensure that employees feel heard and providing opportunities for everyone, even those who are natural introverts, to participate in the discussion.
When we spend less time working together face to face, we need to invest more time as leaders in our communication, checking in with colleagues both formally and informally. We need to be aware of proximity bias, a situation where those who are more visible are more valued and, decisions can then be made on familiarity rather than evidence. If we have people working flexibly to manage their time and commitments, then the tools for communication such as instant messaging can be detrimental and flexible working becomes constantly working. Also, there is emerging evidence that remote workers will be promoted less often than those more visible in the workplace.
As leaders we need to consciously recognise others and let everyone know about it, so that achievements and contributions can be acknowledged. Investing in our social dimension creates the glue for our teams and organisations.
For any organisation, cultural capital is about the sense of us, our community linked to our purpose and understanding the centrality of people to the business. Hybrid working has shifted the focus for people and as leaders we need to invest in new approaches to ensure we are listening, communicating, and providing a work community which maximises potential. It is an ongoing process of connection, review, and response. No one has all the answers, and it is a constantly evolving leadership issue that needs focus and commitment.
At Starfish we recognise that life is changing at speed, and we are here to navigate this unpredictable age by staying ahead of the curve and thinking creatively for our clients. Starfish was created to change the world through human talent – and we know that the right change must be driven by the right people. If you would like a confidential conversation about our services, please contact Hilary.Clifford@starfishsearch.co.uk
Top Talent: Communications and Marketing
Residents’ expectations as to how public services communicate with them have never been higher. As ever, local government is rising to the challenge, striving to find better and more interesting ways to communicate with their communities. High quality social media, new digital channels, interactive and proactive comms and brand marketing are all high on the agenda for comms teams up and down the country.
In this feature, we celebrate these communications and marketing professionals who have been recognised as rising stars by their organisations for their creativity, innovation and desire to connect with their communities.
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Starfish has recently joined This is Me which is a business led mental health campaign.
At Starfish we are committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of our colleagues and have a range of benefits and initiatives in place to ensure that everyone can be their best in the workplace. In support of our philosophy, Starfish is proud to announce that we have joined This is Me, part of the Lord Mayor’s Appeal. This is Me is a business led mental health campaign that aims to change attitudes towards mental health through open conversations and education.
Joining This is Me will give all Starfish colleagues access to 3 tools; The Green Ribbon Campaign (a visible commitment to help end the stigma around mental health), This is Me Storytelling which supports the sharing of colleague lived experiences, and Wellbeing in the Workplace learning resources which ensure that colleagues have the skills to support one another at work. Starfish colleagues will have the opportunity to take part in a number of wellbeing events this year as we seek to connect regularly and grow our business in a fun and sustainable way.
To find out more here
Taking the next steps for success
London Borough of Merton appoints new Executive Directors
Merton-Roles-for-LIThe post pandemic board – a new collaborative endeavour
IR35 reforms – the U turn nobody saw coming
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Talent 20 – Customer Experience and Digital
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Webinar – City CV & Starfish Present ‘Get Board Ready: Launching your NED Portfolio Career’
Date & Time: Wed, Sep 28, 2022 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM BST
URL: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/955181353581911566
Playing an active role in the success of another organisation can be hugely beneficial to your executive career. Whether you’re currently seeking a new challenge, launching or diversifying your portfolio career, or contemplating a staged route to retirement, this could be a great time to explore Non-Executive Director roles. We firmly believe you are never too young to start thinking about being a NED.
As a Non-Executive Director, you’ll have an opportunity to help steer an organisation in the right direction, helping them to be profitable, perform to an optimum level and have a strategic plan for the future. It’s not about running the organisation but making sure it’s well run. Protecting its reputation and credibility. Enabling its future growth. Facilitating success and supporting the board. This leads to positive gains all round. One NED described the decision to join a board as “one of the more purposeful things I have done in my life.”
Making it on to the shortlist for a top Non-Executive Director (NED) role is a demanding process and your CV is usually the initial ‘make-or-break’ component. Your reader will bestow just a few seconds of attention to your CV before making their first screening decision, so you need a strategic Non-Executive Director CV that positions your strengths and experience as a perfect match with your target role.
In this one hour masterclass, you will learn tips and strategies from Victoria McLean, CEO of City CV and Director at the Hanover Group, a career industry expert, award-winning Board CV writer and coach, who has helped over 30,000 candidates secure their dream role.
Gain a unique and in-depth perspective on:
- Challenges and benefits of a NED portfolio career
- What a NED role involves – how it looks in reality
- How to position yourself for a NED post. Why me?
- How to create the perfect NED CV
- How to build your NED ‘brand’
- And much more…
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