Voice At The Table

Has the D&I Agenda been forgotten? ‘Of course not!’ is the immediate answer one wants to give. But the reality is, people are focusing on other matters right now; no-one is spending; all but a few budgets have been suspended or cut. No-one is thinking about either Diversity or inclusion. Or are they?

Actually, Diversity & Inclusion is alive and kicking. Except, it has morphed into other ways of expression and focus. In fact, the virtual work place presents many opportunities to practise Inclusion in ways that aren’t necessarily obvious. The benefits of these new behaviours, however, are very similar: they improve our empathy, our listening skills, our compassion and relatedness to each other; they strip away corporate armour and reveal the human within us. All this is necessary in order to truly benefit from our diversity of thought.

If you want to bolster the practice of these new habits, I offer you a few of my thoughts on how to do this:

1. Create ‘Touch-In’ Pairs:

Ask members to ‘buddy up’, making the effort to pick someone with whom they aren’t already closely familiar. Ask the pairs to check in with each other daily on a video call. Each week, they must learn something new about each other and teach or share with each other something new. For instance, you might want to learn about people’s favourite dishes, books, films, holidays, hobbies. You might want to teach them how to cook a particular dish or how not to make the same mistake on Zoom that you just made and learned from, or share your latest favourite exercise app or virtual quiz.

At the end of the week – on an all-team call – let the pairs share what they’ve learned about each other and for themselves.

Mix up the pairs the following week.

Behaviours/Skills honed: empathy, listening, curiosity, creativity, relationship skills.

2. Practise a New Leadership Style

Never has it been safer to practise a new style of leadership. As we’re all in the same boat, there are no judgments being attached to anything we are doing that’s different from the norm. All bets of traditional behaviours and expectations are off! This is a great time to suggest and/or role-model ways in which we can lead from a place of trust, humility and empathy. Listening is becoming more important than ever, as it takes much more effort to properly ‘hear’ people when you’re not in the same room. As a leader, we’re listening not only for the cue for what we might say in response but to understand how others are feeling, what they’re experiencing and how successful you are at engaging them and keeping energy levels up. Are people spending too much time on video calls, tied to their laptops, on devices? Is this affecting their moods and wellbeing? Are there any tips you can pick up and share from team members on how to cope with disruptions, anxieties, mood swings, etc? Now more than ever leadership is defined by being able to call on your relationship skills and by down-playing the hierarchy.

Behaviours/Skills honed: relationship skills, listening, building trust, humility, vulnerability.

3. Maintain staff networks

Our communities are vital for our well-being. We are constantly establishing new ones and take comfort in connecting with existing ones. This should also extend to our staff networks.

It’s important not to forget about staff networks and to keep maintaining them. Staying connected now is critical, ensuring that the efforts that have been put into building a successful staff network aren’t lost while we enter a more virtual existence.

Encourage your colleagues to take part in already established employee networks and to form new ones.

As a network member, think of ways to host events and share information with other members. What can you offer to make use of new opportunities? Are there stories and experiences you can share? Is there an opportunity here to recruit new allies by broadcasting to the wider organisation? I know of one organisation whose women’s network is planning to sponsor sessions that benefit the entire global community of colleagues. What a great way to make use of your assets!

Behaviours/Skills honed: relationship skills, curiosity, creativity, visiblity.

What next?

I encourage you to think of Diversity and Inclusion in other, simpler ways. After all, it’s all about our human behaviours – our ability to see what isn’t in front of our eyes, to express an interest in each other in ways that we didn’t need to do before, to notice strengths and abilities that previously lied dormant. Perhaps, after all, our current situation is an opening to something that will make it easier to embed the agenda when we move on to our new normal – whatever that looks like.

Here’s hoping!

If you would like us to help you develop a framework of Inclusive Behaviours and show you how to  practise these ‘new’ habits, get in touch with me.

Already disconsolate about sharing your space with your partner, children, dog, cat? (Actually, the last three are definitely the easiest, as they don’t answer back!) Just how many distractions are there (suddenly) in your home/new office space? If, like us, you’re on the point of sounding off at some unlucky and unsuspecting family member/pet/virtual work colleague, we give you some valuable tips on how to stay focused and committed.

1. It’s obvious, but “get dressed”. It’s all too easy to slip into bad habits and work in your pyjamas because your colleagues can’t see what you’re wearing; but it could send the wrong signal to your nearest and dearest, who might think you’re having the day off and in the market for a bit of “social distraction”. Some suggest putting on your regular work clothes, although if that feels a bit too formal, smart casual is ok.
2. Set a timetable, prioritising your activities and organising the tasks that you have to get done over the course of the day.
3. Take a screen break – to boost productivity. If you don’t allow yourself time to rest and recuperate during the day, you may become burnt out by the afternoon. Be sure to take a full lunch break, and try to stay away from your computer during this time as well. You will feel rejuvenated when you return to your desk to tackle the full working day.
4. Try tuning in to your favourite playlist or podcast. Multiple professionals say playing music or an audiobook during the work day helps to increase their focus.
5. Limit your time on social media or before you know it, half-an-hour (or more) will have, unproductively, evaporated. Try a useful App called Stay Focusd, a Google Chrome extension, which restricts (you set the timer) the duration you can spend on Facebook, Twitter etc.
6. Schedule-in an exercise break. Our physical health is more at risk than we realise when working from home – even those who sit in an office cubicle still tend to walk a mile or so throughout the day, to their car, to get lunch etc. Exercise provides a brain boost; instead of reaching for a cup of coffee, a workout can get those endorphins flowing and deliver a natural burst of energy.
7. Set a regular time to close your laptop and switch off from the Internet; it is important to know when the working day starts and ends. This is the only way to prevent saturation and frustration, enabling you to keep working through your everyday routines with strength and motivation.

By Melissa Jackson

It’s a huge ask isn’t it? Being told to work from home for the foreseeable future? Love it or hate it, it’s the new “normal”, but how are people adapting/evolving/diversifying to accommodate the changes brought about by Coronavirus and the “obligation” to WFH? We asked a handful of people, in different roles, to share their experiences.

Mark Walley, CEO at STEP (The Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners), said: “Week one WFH was a novelty and there was great camaraderie as everyone adapted. Week two got tougher as the realities of the lockdown began to hit home, especially the mental wellbeing of our people as they wrestled the conflicting demands of partners, children, other family members, over-use of broadband, table space and, in some cases, the isolation that WFH brought. We have had practical and pragmatic discussions about flexing working times, with some agreeing with partners to split the day into two ‘shifts’ so each takes a turn with childcare whilst the other gets quiet time and space to work. Teams are meeting via video conference each day for a catch up, all line managers are checking in with team members regularly, social media groups have been established for the less ‘businessy’ stuff. There is a company-wide ‘water cooler’ video meeting twice a week that people can drop in to for a chat (we’ve talked gardening, TV, music, pets, anything but work really!). Team members are also taking turns circulating a daily song (you tube link), we are remembering to celebrate birthdays and even have a leavers lunch by video coming up!”

A press officer for a major charity organisation said: “I often work one day a week from home. The current situation has made me realise how different it is to work an occasional day (in a week) from home as opposed to full-time from home. It’s much more effort to keep communication going – you can’t just lean over the desk or round the side of a monitor to ask something. It’s also imperative that the technology works!  We do have one permanent home-worker in the team. This has made me think about how we can be more inclusive in future when things go back to normal. A very minor point: I’m not reading as much! I never thought I’d see the benefits of the Northern Line as ‘me time’!”

A BBC Radio producer said: “As there are thousands of BBC programme staff and only a few laptops for hire, there has been a big lag in their ability to make home-working work.  We have changed our programme content to minimise work, so no recording or editing.  I set up a rota for our team reducing our days in the building.  We use a lot of WhatsApp calls, emails, google docs.  The bits that don’t work is lack of kit – I have an iPad as my husband is working at home too and using our sole laptop.  Access to BBC online platforms has escalated beyond the capacity for the network to cope, so we are having to limit it. Teamwork remains, but obstacles mean it is more difficult and stressful. it’s not enjoyable!  Part of being in a team is bouncing ideas off each other, it’s also enjoyable to interact with your work family – most of the time – and a welcome break from the demands of home!”

James, who works for an investment management firm on the trading desk, said: “Working prior to the virus was always office based and also very collaborative. Some things have changed. I have become more ruthless about managing how I communicate with people. I have purged my Inbox and requested that a number of counter-parties take me off non-essential email lists, so now I only really get emails that are important. My team has become better at email communication. Emails are now better structured and clearer. We are also mindful of minimising email traffic so we only copy in people who need to be copied in. We use video conferencing too, which has been surprisingly effective. Indeed, we all feel the need to speak to colleagues regularly, even if there is no purpose behind the call, as we all miss the human interaction that the office encourages.”

A senior communications executive said: “We are lucky to be in a position where we can enact remote working, although it doesn’t come without challenges. We already utilised online meeting platforms for offsite meetings, so the format was already familiar. There is certainly an additional barrier to the human conversations when you are missing that face-to-face contact; the subtleties of body language and being able to read a room can be lost. On a team level, we need to overcommunicate, as for many, remote working is totally new – we need to work harder to ensure people feel part of a team.”

Founder and CEO of Zappi, an automated insights platform, Stephen Phillips, said: “I was dreading working from home – the distractions of wife and kids mostly – but also the lack of discipline and focus that being in an office gives me. I have adapted surprisingly well and now actually don’t mind it. I don’t have a desk at home (so have ordered one from Amazon) but otherwise seem to do what I normally do, which is sit in meeting all day, but now they are on Zoom. In fact, I am probably having even more meetings.

Being an international company, the meetings have in some ways got better. Before, you may have had four people in a room in London and then one on their phone from Boston and one in a conference room in Capetown. Having everyone on Zoom makes it much easier to manage the meeting and you get less of the London bias.

Finally, I have started all hands meetings on Fridays for 45 minutes where we highlight people from across the company, how they are coping and how business is going. It brings people together from across the company and people seem to be loving it. We even started last week doing formal Fridays so I wore a shirt and tie for the meeting.”

Rebecca Salsbury, Deputy Director of Platform, BBC (industry: tech/media) said: “Our experience so far has meant that we’re adjusting to, but not overwhelmed by, the changes. It’s still a little soon for us to know the impact on us and our productivity – but I have noticed a lovely upside: we are getting to know each other personally a bit more. After all, we’re getting a peek at each other’s home life (or at least our homes) every day! This is an added benefit at a time when we’re taking care to look after our own and our colleagues’ well-being. I’m personally refusing to refer to this time of the restrictions as ‘the new normal’. For me, the new normal will come later – after the restrictions are lifted, once we’ve had a chance to take stock. I’m certain that we won’t go back to the same way of working as before – it’s too soon to say how much different it’ll be, but based on my experience of the past few weeks, I know we’ll adapt – and I welcome a new and renewed flexibility.

Jemima, MD of a Leadership and Coaching company, said: “I have a morning team meeting and a 5pm meeting via Zoom every day. We plan work, discuss work in progress, debate and solve issues, and generally have an excellent communication exchange. I think it’s fair to say I have more effective communication (getting things done!) than the general office exchanges. Throughout the day I call or Zoom individuals or sub teams and we are in touch frequently. My team knows I have a ‘call me whenever you need’ policy – if I am busy, I will get back ASAP. I worry about one or two being socially isolated (young people living on their own) so I try to also have more light-hearted chats with them too – catching up on gossip, chit chat, anything non-work related.

A clear theme at the end of two weeks’ remote working is this. If you spend a lot of time on Zoom/Video calls it can get very intense. The pace of working is much more intense too. There is no escape from pressures of work (eg no wander outside at lunch to the sandwich shop, or sitting on tube or train on way home). However, we have the infrastructure and team spirit to put a huge effort in to adapt and make this work.”

By Cherron Inko-Tariah MBE

What started as an idea in 2016 has evolved into an annual celebration for the fourth year running. What are we talking about? The National Day for Staff Networks of course.

Also known as Networks Day, the national day for staff networks is all about celebration, inspiration and transformation. Many staff networks (employee/business resource groups, Diversity Groups etc.) provide employees from under-represented groups with valuable guidance and timely advice as they navigate their organisation’s culture and endeavour to offer their authentic best in the workplace. The national day for staff networks is a celebration of the expanding and diverse range of work across the public, private and voluntary sectors which continues to foster inclusive workplaces; thus making work better.

The theme for 2020 is #addingvalue. We have created a fantastic tool to help networks to assess their value by using the ‘Value Continuum’[1]. The Value Continuum toolkit is specifically designed for Staff Networks to think through things such as their Network Value Proposition[2]. As the UK steps into a new post economic climate, it will be even more important for staff networks to be organised, clear about their purpose and ready to employ tools fully capable of measuring impact and their added value.

Impact of COVID-19 – No one expected the arrival or impact that COVID-19 would have on our lives. The pandemic has meant that we have to think differently about what celebration looks like and what inclusion feels like when you are not sharing the same physical space with colleagues.

The crisis has knocked many off their equilibrium; people feel out of kilter and that’s when many will turn to a network to get reassurance, solace and encouragement. However, it’s crucial that those leading the network take time to look after themselves and maintain their health and energy. To support this, we have started the Networks Virtual Coffeeshop where we encourage leaders to take a break and participate in activities that will boost their wellbeing and self care.

The coffeeshop publicises webinars, podcasts, interviews as well as offer practical tools like our COVID-19 infographic, tips and guides to equip networks so that they can adapt and navigate the new ways of working.

In addition, we have our senior networks champions campaign on social media sharing their thoughts on why networks are important and we have created a social media toolkit.

On Networks Day itself, on 13^th May, we are planning a number of online activities throughout the day including the hosting the biggest networks virtual lunch and learn!

We are delighted to have sponsors like Bank of America, Peabody, Reed Business Information and The Power of Staff Networks. We are also working in partnership with Voice At The Table who are offering spaces for network leaders and senior sponsors on their various webinars and podcasts. The support of our sponsors and partners means that we can continue empowering networks to be influential and effective. More now than ever, networks need to encourage collaboration, support aligned activity and further inspire the voice of network members. This is how they add value and that is worth celebrating. We hope you will show your support.

www.networksday.co.uk

@day4networks

#makingworkbetter #addingvalue

[1] © National Day for Staff Networks Campaign CIC

[2] The rewards and benefits received by the organisation as a result of the Network activities

You could not write a better fiction than the one we’re living now.  A “foreign” virus spreading like wildfire across the globe.  People panicking and running for the hills – but not before plundering the shops clear of loo rolls; opportunists buying up precious stock to sell on e-Bay to the highest bidder; companies having to embrace remote working, whatever their state of preparedness; governments yielding war-time-like power, confining us to house arrest.
So that’s the bad and the ugly.  Where, you say, is the good?

For weeks we’ve been bombarded by social media rants about action, inaction, people’s fears and reactions. I suppose people are still processing what’s happening. What impresses me, however, is how communities are coming together to help. Every neighbourhood has seen a number of community WhatsApp groups spring up with the aim of helping those in self-isolation and worse. Food banks are staying open, offering relief. Messages of hope and a new way of life are flooding our devices. We are finally seeing the human side of the pandemic – and it is remarkable.

In playing our part, we consulted our own experts, trainers and coaches and asked them to share their advice on how not to get disheartened about the inconveniences, the worries about others, the economy and the future. I have captured their thoughts below:

• Focus on what positive change could come from this time of challenge – as a society realising what matters, being less greedy, re-finding real community.
• Consider how we are all in this together, whilst some will be more adversely affected in terms of health and finances, nobody is 100% immune.
• Use the time for activities and to spend time with those we love that is usually hard to do in our busy lives.
• Massive global traumas have happened before and the world is still turning.
• My mindfulness practice stops me getting overwhelmed, it calms me (Headspace is now offering free ‘Weather the Storm’ meditations).
• Worrying won’t change anything, but it will change how we feel, so let’s focus on the positive.  Start a list of all of the pleasant surprises or other benefits that have come from this situation. Increased community spirit, trying sweet potatoes instead of white ones, having time to play board games in the week.
• Stay connected – in times like these it’s natural to want to cocoon yourself – get out there and talk to people
• Reframe the situation. It occurred to me during a coaching session that all norms are gone. So, if you have new boundaries, habits or patterns you want to establish, this is the best time to give them a go.
• Limit your exposure to social media (SM) and news channels. SM is a great way to stay connected but is currently the main source of anxiety!  Restrict yourself to an hour or so per day.
• People are talking about using this time for self-improvement, to “become the best person they can be”, or to be home-schooling supremo. But if that’s not where your head is right now, that’s absolutely fine too. These are worrying times. So – ignore the “self-actualisers”.  Do what YOU need to do, to feel safe and well.  If that means watching Friends re-runs in your PJs, do it.
• Maintaining a ‘stiff upper lip’ is all very well, but give yourself space to feel whatever you’re feeling.  Suppressed feelings – fear, sadness, anger – have a habit of popping up and causing havoc when you (and your family) least expect them to.  Let them wash over you, remind yourself that the feelings will pass, then move on.

And finally, one of the coaches offered this quote by Laura Kelly Fanucci:

When this is over, may we never again take for granted

A handshake with a stranger

Full shelves at the store

Conversations with the neighbours

A crowded theatre

Friday night out

The taste of communion

A routine check-up

The school rush each morning

Coffee with a friend

The stadium roaring

Each deep breath

A boring Tuesday

Life itself.

When this ends, may we find that we have become more like the people we wanted to be

We were called to be

We hoped to be

And may we stay better for each other because of the worst.

…

So, let us relish the good, know that the bad will pass and stave off the ugly. Stay well, look after yourselves and loved ones and remember what it means to be human.

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By Melissa Jackson

So, it’s official… we are in the grip of a global pandemic that, within the space of a few months, has changed everything we take for granted, including work. The uncertainty and fear seem as contagious as the Corona virus itself, with cities becoming ghost-towns and offices devoid of people. How will we cope?

When my husband relayed to me last week that his company had advised everyone to work from home, I thought it sounded like a sensible precaution, but maybe a bit of an over-reaction.

Then, as the week progressed, and more of our friends were told to stay away from the office, I realised the health experts weren’t scaremongering. Their anxieties were real.

My son’s school was closed for a day for a deep-clean, after a member of staff tested positive for Covid-19. The emerging climate of fear was palpable – no-one was really sure where we were heading. There was a real sense of doom and foreboding.

One of my friends, who runs her own business, was concerned about having to lay-off staff. Another friend, who runs a small high-street café said he’d had just one customer all day and had decided to shut-up shop, fearing that he may never return. We are hearing the word “unprecedented” a lot, which always sends jitters through the financial markets and the economy and our spines.

For most, remote working is something you do once or twice a week as a supposedly liberating (from the shackles of commuting) perk, but it can be, as its name suggests “remote” and isolating if continued long-term. My friend, Mark, who works once a week from the comfort of his south London pad, said he’d go stir crazy if he had to make a habit of it because he’d miss the social interaction with his colleagues – hang on in there Mark because here we are in a temporary (but unknown duration) lockdown, with no choice but to stay at home, possibly juggling child-care and domestic “stuff” while trying to appear professional… without the opportunity to “go out” and grab some head space – AKA “a coffee”. Oh, the luxury!

It’s going to be a challenging experiment in resilience to test the patience of Gordon Ramsay and likely to result in an “unprecedented” amount of self-control around the ones we (usually) love to spend time with.

Already, WhatsApp support groups have sprung-up to help friends/work colleagues keep in touch, feel valued and billow out moral support.

Some are having “virtual coffee breaks” where colleagues who’d normally be in the office, link up via Skype or alternative video conference system, down tools and do what they’d normally do… have a chat and a catch-up.

It’s these small semblances of routine – that we take for granted – that we’ll miss the most, but it is only temporary and in this age of social media, thank God, we can all stay in touch with ease. So, my advice is to keep talking, keep checking-in with one another, be it work colleagues, loved ones or family. We’ll all get through this together and just consider this… in 20 years’ time we’ll have some great “remember when…” stories to share with our grandchildren, just like those toe-curling ones our grandparents shared with us!

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As companies are forced to change their working practices to save the human race, drastic measures have meant the office has re-located to the home, which is a testing time as people juggle life, families and the demands of a job all under one roof – or on the flip-side, possible social isolation. We offer you tips on how to survive. Who knows? You might learn to love it.

1. 1. Put some structure in place. Start the day the same way as you would if you were going into the office: shower, get dressed, eat breakfast etc. to put you in a work mindset.
   2. Choose your work location wisely. Don’t use areas associated with leisure time, like the sofa or your bedroom, or you will not separate the two. Opt for a certain table or chair that’s “your work space” and stick with it.
   3. Plan your top three objectives for the day before you start working, write them down and keep them nearby.
   4. Make it difficult for yourself to be distracted by social media; this will increase your productivity. Some people remove all social network links from their browser to avoid the temptation of checking them.
   5. Work in solid blocks of two hours; you need 30 minutes to get immersed in a task. During this time, cancel notifications from email and messaging apps. and mute your phone.
   6. Use headphones with noise cancellation – especially when other members of the family are     around or sharing the same space. Or if you are sharing workspace with a partner, define the space that you each have to work in.
   7. Fight isolation – check-in with your work colleagues by phone or video link and choose video conferencing for meetings of 30 minutes or longer.
   8. Pause – take five-minute breathers between calls. This will improve your overall focus. Also, ensure you take five-minute breaks every hour and do something other than work… walk around your home or check on your spouse or children or try using a yoga or fitness app.
   9. Get out of the house every day, even if it’s just to go and grab lunch or go and eat in a park or go for a run or a drive. Make time to have a complete break from your desk.
   10. Make sure you know when to step away from the (work) computer… it’s all too easy for working hours to take over personal time when working from home and before you know it the day is over, which is the fast track to burnout.

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