The impact of flexible working on team work Viewpoint careers advice blog

The impact of flexible working on team work Many modern workforces have become more flexible, agile and fluid. Many of us spend increasing amounts of time working from home or across different areas of the business. But what challenges does this present to a team’s dynamic? Can teamwork really be created through flexible working? The moment Yahoo!’s Marissa Mayer famously (or infamously) marked her arrival in 2013 by banning home working, there was significant change in mindset. Suddenly, incontrovertible benefits of flexible working â€" better productivity, engagement and wellbeing â€" were no longer sacrosanct. As her email to staff explained: “The best insights come from meeting new people and impromptu team meetings.” In other words, flexible working might be good for you, but not the business, in fact flexible working isn’t a benefit, it’s a risk. While some saw this as a return to old-fashioned fort building, other businesses have decided to follow suit. Earlier this year, IBM declared its marketers would now be required to co-work, because it claims their job is ‘an iterative’, one â€" that has to be “understood live, and responded to in real-time.” Its message is even clearer. True teamwork cannot be created through flexible working â€" not even at a technology giant. So, are both firms right? “There’s absolutely no doubt flexible working is now considered to have serious downsides that need consciously managing,” argues Dr Simon Hayward, CEO of leadership consultancy Cirrus. “Collaboration to achieve common outputs now seems king, and it’s obviously easier to create a community, a culture and a shared dialogue when people are in the same place.” The challenge flexible working poses to HR The problem is that this is creating growing tensions between employers and employees. Just as staff want more freedom about when and where they work, businesses seem to be reining this in. And it’s a predicament that isn’t going un-noticed by managers who need to arrive at a workable solution. “Having a flexible workforce is challenging,” admits Monika Komornikova, Group HR Manager at international property developer HB Reavis. Komornikova still has a preference for face-to-face, and says: “Not only must we avoid misunderstanding between employees and clients, we also feel personal interaction reinforces who we are as a business. It’s the culture we wish to foster â€" one that recognises expertise in others, and on-the-spot ideas.” As such, its new Slovakian HQ has been purposely designed with a central stairwell to encourage people bumping into each other. “That’s what we feel gets the best from teams,” she says. Aware that staff also want flexibility, one solution is that staff identify preparatory work that can be done flexibly or remotely. Only when projects reach a specific maturity point does the switch-over to face-to-face teams occur. According to Komornikova, this means staff still spend at least 20 per cent of their time in co-working teams. “Whatever the solution is, coming up with it is something that is essential,” argues Stuart Haydock, Organisational Psychologist at Bupa. “Because if we’re talking about the ‘risks’ of flexible working â€" then if anything the biggest risk is leadership ennui, that they think flexible working allows management to be taken away.” He argues that what is often forgotten is that flexibility actually needs more management: “This is not the checking-up-on-people type of management, rather reaching an understanding of what the employer and employee are jointly trying to achieve; the way we want to do things, how connected people need to feel to the ‘office’ and what individual responses this might entail.” When done well, flexible working can strengthen teams When done well, Dr Hayward even argues that having flexibility is a strengthening rather than weakening force. “If the culture of an organisation is about collaboration in the first place, where people are trusted and empowered to work in the interests of the organisation, then it’s possible to get to a place where culture influences mindset.” He adds: “When this happens, where people are located shouldn’t matter because it’s the mindset that’s collaborative, and it’s this that can still create a sense of collaboration in-tune with the organisational culture.” Peter Thomson, Director of WiseWork and author of Future Work, actually audits organisations in terms of how well flexible working sits within them. He goes further, suggesting that the more formalised flexibility becomes, the better the results all round. “One of the problems,” he argues, “is that flexible working still tends to be ad hoc; it might be offered to some, or by some managers, despite official policy.” He adds: “Instead it needs proactive fostering. What leaders need to remember is that employees experience culture differently to each other. Thinking you can create a culture by everyone sitting together is just management by accident. With well-organised flexible working, what you find is that staff instinctively know how much virtual contact with each other they need. Teamwork is something they consciously manage themselves. People actually work better because they’re more conscious about making their virtual team function.” How to successfully implement flexible working by creating a culture where people are comfortable to do their job wherever, we get the best out of them That’s the theory, of course. So how do real firms, in the cold light of day, implement well-organised flexible working? Advertising giant MediaCom is one business that has recently been forced to think long and hard about having an office-led culture, while wanting staff to feel they can work wherever they want. Last year they introduced flexible working for all. “We’re not in business to ostracise or restrict some of the brightest people in the industry,” explains CEO Josh Krichefski. “I really believe that by creating a culture where people are comfortable to do their job wherever, we get the best out of them. “At the same time, I didn’t want it to undermine our culture either. We work in a creative business, which means collaboration is key. Being together and working together is important, but the ebb and flow of what we do means having individuals working alone is sometimes the best way of getting the job done. “That’s why it’s so important to give people flexibility to choose what suits them best. By putting people first, there’s a certain level of trust that comes from that â€" but I never have to worry whether people are missing important meetings, pitches or anything else. For me, a strong culture and trust are not mutually exclusive in the workplace.” According to Krichefski, most teams have weekly, face-to-face meetings. Reviews are always held in person and regular home workers have quarterly check-ins too. He argues the business hasn’t suffered with all these measures in place. In fact, quite the opposite, “Without our flexible working culture, we would not be able to employ some of the great people we do. Flexibility is now a deal breaker for more people than you might think.” Ensure that when staff do physically need to be together, it’s for ‘quality time’ Online gaming company Tombola has set these minimum hours in stone: “Our core office hours are 10am to 4pm â€" that’s when staff have to be in to liaise with different teams â€" for instance games programmers who have to meet the marketing team or the social media and the advertising teams,” says Marc Lightfoot, Recruitment Executive. “Outside these hours, staff can work when and where they like. We know staff find it very empowering. We don’t check up on people â€" they have targets to produce a set number of games quarterly. After that, people get on with work themselves. “The fact that we are hitting targets, producing excellent content, and have next to no staff turnover, proves you can get flexibility right.” Another solution firms are using is to establish satellite offices â€" either serviced offices, or their own, that form a bridge between home and head office, but still seek to cultivate distinct culture and values. Network Rail has recently opened its latest ‘agile workspace’ in Birmingham, which has room for up to 900 staff at any one time. According to Karen Bignell, Project Manager, Workplace Management at Network Rail, meeting in the middle is a great way of bringing employees together while allowing them to work as they wish. “We have our own ‘DNA’ for the building, which includes having what we call ‘departmental adjacencies’, that is specific parts of the building where people that are in the same department can go to stick together, so teams are still able to operate. We also have areas where people can just be by themselves. “What’s great is that anyone can drop in, if it’s the nearest location. I would say people actually bump into more people this way.” They may not realise it, but Tombola and Network Rail are demonstrating what Mark Batey, Senior Lecturer in Organisational Psychology at Alliance Manchester Business School, believes all businesses managing flexible workforces should really be doing â€" ensuring that when staff do physically need to be together, it’s for ‘quality time’. Batey says: “When people really need to be congregated, it’s up to line managers and leaders to ensure it’s for high-level, quality work, where being together actually counts. Coming to an office to check the details of a spreadsheet is not quality work. That has no value-building benefit, so should be done when and where staff want to do it.” The hard part, he accepts, is that this may require leaders to signpost their values better and be more explicit about expectations to those not always at the office. But he believes it’s a small price to pay for the productivity gains that are largely incontestable. “Values should be shouted proudly. What you don’t need to do is shout about how people need to do their job,” he claims. So are Mayer and IBM right to demand less flexibility? The debate will, of course, continue. But maybe Haydock has a better summary of how organisations should perceive flexibility. “It’s less about risks, maybe more about pitfalls,” he argues. “If flexibility is introduced, but it’s clearly a huge departure from the existing culture, that’s where it can be problematic. Steps need to be taken to get the cultural fit right first. Once there though, there’s no reason why pitfalls can’t be managed.” If you enjoyed reading this blog, herere some other Hays Journal articles and Viewpoint blogs that might be of interest to you: Is it possible to unite a remote workforce? How to lead from afar How to foster ownership mentality in your team Establishing an effective middle management tier Five ways to give staff a sense of purpose

Reading List Hump Day Job Search

Perusing List Hump Day Job Search 4 Flares 4 Flares Simply needed to fly in and share with you what Ive been perusing this week. Every one of these blog entries are totally the hotness for your pursuit of employment. Look at this snappy understanding rundown and make a point to tail them on Twitter too. As @PenelopeTrunk does so regularly, she expounds on an unfathomably close to home story and afterward integrates it with continue exhortation. Here is Resume Advice You Never Hear. Another most loved site of mine, @GlassDoorDotCom, carries you 3 Ways To Uncover a Hidden Job. @CollegeCandy checks in to enable new graduates to adapt monetarily to I Need More Money, Honey. My companions at @Gulpfish have been composing a sweet Interview Preparation Blog Series. Here is Part 5 of their arrangement, and its on Knowing your Resume. The Under Cover Recruiter (@undercoverrec) talks about introductory letters in 6 Mistakes You Shouldnt Put On Your Cover Letter. Quite a while most loved and companion of mine, @YouTern, composes 3 Simple Tips to a Successful Virtual Internship. In conclusion, Im sharing a post from @TimsStrategy that examines 10 Reasons Why People Get Fired. That is it for todays understanding rundown! Possibly Ill beginning sharing a greater amount of these every week!

What the In-Crowd Wont Tell You About Writing Summaries for Your Resume

What the In-Crowd Won't Tell You About Writing Summaries for Your Resume Type of Writing Summaries for Your Resume If you do choose to push ahead with a resume synopsis articulation, make certain to deal with it as your own private feature reel. Your absolute first draft ought not be your last draft. To close, a specialist outline is a significant part you ought to remember for your resume. Indisputably the most gainful rundowns target one vocation objective. Key Pieces of Writing Summaries for Your Resume You have to have five target explanations. Focusing Other Qualifications at whatever point you have no proper work understanding to feature, you should pressure other pertinent capabilities. You might need to take a gander at a capabilities synopsis which we laid out in a week ago's postbut if just you have to have a summaryhere are various guides to enable you to start. An official outline is a short proclamation on your resume that rapidly sums up what makes you the suitable poss ibility for the activity. Resume destinations are every once in a while thought to be the old schooltype of resume. Regardless of whether you're watching out for a section level employment or bigger professional success, you in all likelihood as of now see how significant your resume can be in your inquiry to find the perfect occupation. On the other side, practical resumes are customarily utilized by new alumni or the individuals who have less understanding however need to snatch the work opportunity. Picking Good Writing Summaries for Your Resume Summaries are utilized at whatever point you have various encounters. The outline centers basically around what's being offered to the business. LinkedIn synopses are completely extraordinary.

Ung Resume Writing Help - What Does It Mean?

Ung Resume Writing Help - What Does It Mean?Ung resume writing help is something that I personally seek out whenever my resume is stuck in the 'do not move' phase. While these last-minute rejections are somewhat demoralizing, I also realize that there are sometimes mistakes made during the preliminary stages of a resume.As an executive recruiter, I receive an extraordinary number of resumes in my inbox at any given time for both in-person and phone-based interviews. After carefully reading over each resume, I will often request help with the most troublesome ones, especially when they seem to be stuck in the 'do not move' phase. However, sometimes the answers I receive don't quite make sense and I need to get down to the core of the problem.In the past, I have relied heavily on the resumes I receive from recruiters in my role as an employment and human resources professional. The resumes I am most familiar with include those from top-tier management companies, as well as those sent f rom hiring managers at smaller companies. I have noticed certain common issues among the resumes that come from larger corporations. It seems that managers are having trouble picking the best candidates.First, I have noticed that the resumes often lack real industry experience for the job. The resumes often contain little or no relevant work experience. This can lead to the hiring manager to make certain hiring decisions based upon a cursory review of the resume. In the world of resume writing, this can cause a lot of problems, especially when the hiring manager or recruiter begins to lose faith in the candidate.Next, I have noticed that applicants are often so excited about their applications that they don't realize that they are providing a poor review of themselves. I am always wary of applicants who are extremely excited about their resumes, however. Those are the types of applicants who are best suited for a short-term internship at the company they are applyingto. These are th e applicants who, once hired, become the new employees and will be able to provide the employer with the valuable in-person work experience needed.When it comes to resumes with little in-person experience, the applicant often focuses too much on an application that doesn't really convey the things they are good at. Often, these are the applications that feature young job seekers who fail to convey their knowledge of specific businesses. The employers often mistake this for a lack of real ability and they simply look past these applications and the applicant's accomplishments. For these reasons, I always look at resumes before sending them off for any sort of evaluation or interview. I may do this when the resumes are mailed, or in the case of email resumes, I may even take the time to send them myself.Finally, I have found that many job applicants seem to feel that they should be evaluated based upon only what they have done in the past. This causes an applicant to overlook their un ique skills that may be necessary to succeed in the position that they are trying to fill. This can be a difficult thing to manage during the period between submitting the resume and receiving it in the mail, but it is possible to set aside time for this task.These last few tips all come back to the same idea - you must approach your resume with a long tail of in-depth information rather than just a very specific job description. You must never underestimate the importance of preparation when it comes to the objective of completing a resume. Ung resume writing help is crucial to this process and is something that you will never be able to master until you take the time to prepare your own resumes and even consider using resume templates.