ARE WE PRESSURING OUR PEOPLE (TO QUIT) WHEN WE SHOULD BE IMPROVING THE SYSTEM (TO PERFORM)

WORKING FROM HOME / WORK Most companies are prepared to accept some hybrid work as a permanent change (66% of firms feel it is inevitable and 73% of people want it) — and a minority embrace remote work as the main workplace as they imagine all real estate costs will soon be dropping from their traditional place on the ledger to the profit line. Thoughts How can we continue flexible working that makes use feel part of a community, rather than an isolated nomad. Perhaps A regular tribal gathering, rituals and routines that bind us, and choosing one or two methods of communication to connect us. Example instead of many, many confusing ways to connect (Email, Social Media, Video, Meetings) we select 1. What we use for urgent (WhatsApp?) 2. What we use to call for help (Chat?) 3. What we use to find information (IntraNet?) BOSSES ARE OUT OF TOUCH A report by Microsoft’s reveals business leaders are out of touch. High productivity is masking what’s really going on. If high productivity is leading to burn-out and resentment it isn't good. Moreover if the effort is due to fear of unemployment that isn't a good motivator or sustainable. Time spent in Microsoft Teams meetings has more than doubled (2.5x) globally. The average Teams meeting is up from 35 to 45 minutes year-over-year. The average Teams user is sending 45% more chats per week and 42% more chats per person after hours There was a 66% increase in the number of people working on documents. Thoughts How can we do to balance our efforts between work and welfare, about supporting people as well as getting jobs done. Perhaps coaching, mentoring and other caring initiatives (mindfullness, check-in, pastoral care) might help. Also switching the flow of information: receiving feedback, listening to ideas, help people feel engaged and valued. EMPLOYEES FEEL OVERWHELEMED The barrage of communications is unstructured and mostly unplanned, with 62% percent of Teams calls and meetings unscheduled or conducted ad hoc. And workers feel the pressure to keep up: Despite meeting and chat overload, 50% of people respond to Teams chats within five minutes or less, a response time that has not changed year-over-year. Fifty-four percent feel overworked. Thirty-nine percent feel exhausted. The workday has elongated by at least an hour. People do more work after hours and more work on weekends. Flexible working has become 24/7 working and down-sizing, contracting, and the gig-economy demand a 24/7 alert for work. Thoughts More than ever we need a focus on purpose rather than productivity, of value rather than volume. What can we do to reconnect with our reasons, motives and joy of working. THEY WANT TO QUIT 41% of employees are considering leaving their current employer this year. This year! And 46% say they’re likely to move because they can now work remotely. Most companies couldn’t deal with 10% of their workforce leaving in the same year and the second largest impact of a mass exodus would be higher costs to retain employees or higher cost to train new employees, or contract-hire people. Thoughts How can some of the interventions above help retain and recruit people? What can we offer to make work either a career (3-5 year) destination (training, qualification, experience, expertise ) or a great place to partner/contract (pay, brand, reputation, innovation). CONNECTIVITY HAS MADE US MORE SILOED Collaboration trends in Microsoft Teams and Outlook confirm that interactions with our immediate team, or close networks, increased with the move to remote work but our interactions outside of that team have diminished. Inevitably this created in-groups and out-groups strengthening bonds with those we interact with regularly at the expense of different people and diverse views. And that spells more competition (between teams) and less collaboration (for organisational goals) Thoughts What can we do to mix groups, encourage diversity, create new routes and channels, break-up patterns and routines in a way that keeps things exciting, alive, thoughtful, challenging, innovative and thinking without it becoming messy, chaotic and confusing. How can we introduce just enough 'chaos' to keep us vibrant, without overwhelming us? IS CRYING A GOOD TREND? Microsoft talks about authenticity in the workplace, about what percent was comfortable crying in front of their co-workers. Whilst mindfulness may have put us in better contact with our thoughts and feelings i do not feel a workplace that makes us cry is a good thing. Indeed it seems that the work ethic and culture is becoming toxic rather than supportive, and people have become the tools of productivity rather than the architects of it. Thoughts We should sweat our systems and our processes not our people. Machines should work 24/7 not people. Our people should be the architects and the mechanics, not the machines. Tim HJ Rogers MBA Management Consultant + Change Practitioner ICF Trained Coach IoD Business Mentor Mob 447797762051 Tim@AdaptConsultingCompany.com We deliver projects and change, and improve the confidence, capacity, drive and desire of the people we work with. FOLLOW AdaptConsultingCompany https://www.linkedin.com/company/adapt-consulting-company #People, #Process, #Projects, #Change, #Consulting, #Coaching, #Mentoring, #Training