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Bronwyn Coulthart

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How to manage teams and culture in a hybrid work model

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How to manage teams and culture in a hybrid work model

Filed Under: Culture, Leadership

The pandemic certainly accelerated the change for businesses to adopt more flexible work arrangements. This giant world-wide experiment has led employers to see, if managed correctly, their employees can be just as productive working remotely as in the office. Employers have also found other benefits such as improved retention, attraction of talent and employees having more of a balanced work and home life.

With flexible and remote working being part of a ‘post-covid’ normal, many workplaces are putting in place a hybrid work model which allows their people to work both remotely and in the workplace on certain days. There are a range of these models emerging and being tested, especially in the technology industry such as Google, Facebook and Amazon. However, there isn’t a ‘one size fits all’ model and each business needs to update their policies and choose a model that fits around their employees and customer needs.

Although there are many advantages to a hybrid work model, there can be many challenges for managing teams. For some employees, they may feel disconnected, missing opportunities to understand the full picture of what is happening in the office as Managers may (not realising it) communicate with the onsite employees more often. It can also be difficult for those working remotely to build those important social relationships with their team members.

Many of these challenges can be overcome if preparation and planning is done to understand what might be the best hybrid work model and hybrid work teams are managed effectively.

Managing hybrid teams

It is essential for leaders to prepare their teams to work productively together in a hybrid work model and be proactively finding ways for the team to build positive working relationships ensuring fairness and equality for all employees. How can you do this? Here are some tips to consider when managing a hybrid work team:

– Change/update policy and procedures to support a hybrid work model. This will help with consistency and fairness.

– Agree a set of principles for how the team want to communicate with each other. The remote workers need to feel like they are being included. This might be a series of virtual meetings set up at the same time each week. There are also plenty of good communication tools such as Slack and Microsoft teams for internal group chats.

– Make sure each team member, no matter if they are in the office or working remotely, receive the same amount of support from their Manager. Offer regular one-on-one catch ups with both remote and onsite workers.

– All team members need to be clear on when each team member is working. A good way to do this is by a shared work calendar. You may also like to establish key hours for when everyone seems to be in the office together, to allow for some face-to-face interaction.

– From the start, set expectations and a process so the team know who is doing what tasks and by when. You may like to implement a weekly team meeting at the start of each week or a frequency that suits the team.

– Find ways to bring the whole team together face-to-face to allow them time to build the social relationships with their team members. This can also help increase morale.

– Ensure performance is managed fairly and measured more by the output rather than strictly by the hours someone is working. Any rewards and other benefits need to have options for remote workers.

– Make sure remote workers have access to the technology and support they need to effectively perform their role remotely.

If you are hiring new employees, you need to adjust your onboarding program to make sure it provides a positive experience for employees onsite or working from home. For example, you may choose to have a mix of onsite and offsite training or a virtual meet and greet their first day so they can meet all team members. Information and documents such as procedures and policies may also need to be able to be accessed and shared digitally.

Culture in hybrid work models

 

Many workplaces have seen culture shifts due to new flexible working arrangements, in particular, hybrid work models. Some of these shifts have been positive and others, with the sudden shift to remote work last year, have impacted even the strongest workplace cultures.

If you are planning on making flexible working arrangements permanent, leaders will need to work on strategies to build or maintain a positive workplace culture. With the right approach, a positive culture can still thrive in a hybrid work model.

It’s important to:

– Collect and be open to receiving feedback from your employees so you can look to improve the employee experience and why someone has chosen to still work remotely.

– Be sure to have channels for open communication and ensuring all team members are up to date with latest business decisions.

– Be proactive in making sure leaders are accessible and visible and your employees feel connected and engaged with their team as well as the company purpose.

– Continue to provide individual learning and development for each of your employees and adjust these to suit the individual’s flexible working arrangements.

– Provide training to Managers on how to engage and facilitate in a hybrid work model.

– Allow for opportunities for your employees to connect socially with their team and people in other areas of the business.

Maintaining culture isn’t easy. However, putting frameworks and measures in place will keep you on track to building a positive culture now and for the future.

It’s time to accept flexible working

2020 really showed businesses the possibility of offering more flexible working arrangements, where appropriate, which previously for some businesses was never going to happen.

There are so many ways businesses can make flexible work happen and there are many benefits to it. With many now facing hybrid workforces and some employees preferring to work from home, now is the time to review remote work policies with a new approach.

Are your flexible working policies up to date? At Catie Paterson HR Business Consulting, we can help you set up new flexible working policies and strategies for effectively managing hybrid work teams. Get in touch with us today!

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Case Study: Managing an unfair dismissal as a result of COVID-19 slowdown

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Case Study: Managing an unfair dismissal as a result of COVID-19 slowdown

Filed Under: Advisory and compliance

Businesses are always having to adapt to changes from the economic and social environment, technological advancements and their customer’s needs. Many of these changes can be planned for and implemented when the business is ready. The pandemic changed a lot of these plans and some businesses were forced to pivot their operations and priorities or even temporarily close, no more so then in the building industry.

Significant events like COVID-19, have impacts on employee roles, responsibilities and conditions, however, at the same time, it hasn’t changed employer obligations no matter the severity of business issues.

In a recent case, a client in the building industry had an employee file an unfair dismissal claim citing constructive dismissal and redundancy. Due to the complexity of the dispute and changes to the business as a result of COVID-19 at that point in time, Catie Paterson HR Business Consulting was brought in to manage the unfair dismissal case to help the employer and employee resolve the dispute that was both fair and reasonable for both parties.

The lead up to the dispute

The employer owns and operates two business entities in the building industry. Before taking twelve months maternity leave the employee was engaged in a role, working three days per week and no weekends. When the employee was due to return to work from maternity leave, COVID-19 restrictions meant some of the builder’s operations were closed. There was a decline in sales which resulted in the employee not being able to return to their previous role.

The employer offered the employee an alternate role in their other ‘business entity’ for a period of four to six months until sales increased. The role offered was similar in status and the pay remained that same as the previous role with the other business entity. The hours of work would this time include working one weekend day.

The employee did not agree that the alternate role was of similar status and requested a further six-month extension of maternity leave in order to return to the original role. The employer did not agree to the maternity leave extension but agreed to the employee working three days per week and no weekends. The employee did not accept this and resigned from her role and filed an unfair dismissal citing constructive dismissal and redundancy.

The approach to the Unfair Dismissal Conciliation

According to Fair Work, a constructive dismissal is a forced resignation, meaning an employee has no real choice but to resign. A genuine redundancy is when an “employer no longer required the person’s job to be performed by anyone because of changes in the operational requirements of the employer’s enterprise.”

Catie Paterson HR Business Consulting approached the dispute by first reviewing and understanding the facts of the case by utilising prior knowledge and experience from other similar disputes, to determine if it was constructive dismissal and a genuine redundancy. With this concise process of review and consultation, Catie Paterson HR Business Consulting were able to gather the necessary documentation to justify the decisions that were made and that procedures were followed in compliance with Fair Work. This meant the client was well prepared for the unfair dismissal conciliation with the Fair Work Commission (FWC) and an agreed settlement could be reached, avoiding a full FWC hearing or conference.

The Result

During the conciliation it was found the situation was not constructive dismissal as the employee resigned on their own accord as a result of not wanting to accept/work in the alternate role offered with the other business entity. It was deemed that the employer did offer flexibility with changing the roster to working three days per week and no weekends.  Also, the original role was not made redundant as the employer required someone in the role for the future and within six months.

The importance of Human Resources (HR) policies, procedures and documentation

FWC conciliations and hearings can be very stressful for all parties involved and can be a very long, drawn out process if procedures, documentation and consultation requirements are not followed or complied with. As this case demonstrates it’s important to have workplace policies and procedures in place to help manage legal risk, provide that support framework for when decisions need to be made and required documentation.

It also shows how the complexity of the pandemic can affect a business and their employee’s roles, responsibilities and conditions but employer obligations still remain the same as before the pandemic.

Businesses going through significant changes should seek guidance from a Human Resources Consultant on any decisions that need to be made around their workforce to hopefully avoid FWC conciliations and hearings.

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Business update: Beginning my learning journey in Positive Psychology and Wellbeing

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Business update: Beginning my learning journey in Positive Psychology and Wellbeing

Filed Under: Leadership

People are the backbone to any business and I have made it my life’s mission to empower organisations to create a positive workplace culture and an environment for their people to thrive.

In the world of Human Resources (HR), each new year comes with a new innovation or trend and I’m always excited to welcome positive change if it’s going to improve the employee experience. One of my personal goals is to always keep learning and an area that is becoming extremely important is positive psychology and wellbeing. In March, I will embark on completing a Diploma of Positive Psychology and Wellbeing with the Langley Group Institute.

What is positive psychology and how does it benefit a workplace?

 According to Psychology Today Australia, “positive psychology is a branch of psychology focused on the character strengths and behaviours that allow individuals to build a life of meaning and purpose—to move beyond surviving to flourishing.”

One thing that became clear to me as we all went through the difficulties and challenges of the pandemic and workplace stress continues to increase, focusing on the positives for both an individual and business wellbeing is essential. According to a recent study, ‘Resetting Normal: Defining the New Era of Work,’ by The Adecco Group, found, “28% of respondents said their mental wellbeing had worsened due to the pandemic, with only 1 in 10 rating their managers highly on their ability to support their emotional health.”

To increase individual, business and collective wellbeing

By completing this course, I will be able to support my clients with a range of positive psychology activities, tools, and strategies to help their people and business flourish.

Workplaces that look for ways to maximise and apply an individual employee’s key strengths and abilities will see higher rates of retention and productivity. Leaders who invest time in getting to know their people, value their contribution and their overall wellbeing will foster a culture of innovation and engagement.

Work plays a significant role in our everyday life and our overall wellbeing. We want our people to feel like they want to come to work. Making work purposeful and meaningful and they feel satisfied they are accomplishing something, will build teams that are highly motivated and driven to achieve positive outcomes for not only themselves but for the business.

My learning journey begins

Over the next few weeks, I’m incredibly excited about taking these next steps in my learning journey and hearing about the latest research of positive psychology, wellbeing and neuroscience. Creating workplaces for people to grow, ensuring diversity and fairness and an overall positive workplace culture is something I’m passionate about and I’m looking forward to sharing with you some of the key learnings.

My aim is for leaders to see their employees as ‘people’ who all have their own strengths and abilities and interests.

Over the coming weeks, I look forward to sharing with you more of my key learnings from my course.

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Tips for returning your staff back to the workplace

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The Path to CPC: A World of Hotel Management, Hospitality and HR

Filed Under: Advisory and compliance

Here’s why a small business had to pay a redundancy based on full time hours and not part time hours which resulted in a difference of tens of thousands of dollars.

The impacts of the pandemic can be felt across many industries far and wide. One of the biggest industries that has really been hit hard is the events industry. Due to heavy Government restrictions of gatherings, all events where no longer able to go ahead which forced many small event businesses to temporary close or completely close with no longer being able to sustain the extended restrictions of Melbourne’s lockdown.

A small event-based business, who had been decimated by the pandemic and no longer in operation had to make redundancies. As a result of one employee not having an Employment Agreement and the process not being followed the business had to pay a redundancy based on full time hours and not part time hours which resulted in a significant difference of more than tens of thousands of dollars for the pay-out.

The lesson for other businesses is to make sure all your employees have written documentation, that it’s up to date with their current position and employment and signed by the employee.

Background

The employee was originally employed by the event-based business on a full-time basis and also received a significant salary increase over the past twelve months. During this time, the employee went on maternity leave and returned on a part-time basis.

Throughout their employment there was no signed Employment Agreement in place for either their full time or part time employment and no regular hours were discussed and confirmed in writing. The only form of documentation was a letter provided to the employee regarding their increase in salary.

With the unfortunate closure of the business, the business had to make redundancies which the relevant consultation requirements set out by the Fair Work Ombudsman were also not followed correctly.

The result

As there was no signed Employment Agreement in place, the administrative processes not correctly followed internally and the relevant consultation requirements set out by the Fair Work Ombudsman not followed, the business were required to pay the employee’s redundancy based on full time hours and not part time hours. This resulted in a significant pay-out to the employee at a substantial difference of more than tens of thousands of dollars.

Tips to prevent this happening to your business

  • No matter how big or small the business, it’s critical to have a good and solid administrative procedure that makes sure Employment Agreements are followed up on and signed. A signed Employment Agreement needs to be in place regardless of your relationship or if they are a ‘nice person.’
  • Any updates to the Employment Agreement should be made in writing and confirmed by employee by counter-signing the Employee Agreement.
  • The signed Employee Agreement must also be for your employee’s current employment and position.
  • It’s important to follow the Fair Work Ombudsman employment processes, procedures, policies and the law.
  • Seek professional advice if you are unsure about the redundancy process or need help to set up administrative processes and procedures for managing Employee Agreements.

These minor administrative tasks of signed Employment Agreements can seem insignificant and can be put to the side and sometimes forgotten about. As this case shows not following up and updating Employment Agreements when current employment and positions have changed can have significant consequences down the track. This case also emphasised the importance of understanding your obligations to consult with your employees when there have been substantial business changes.

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Tips for returning your staff back to the workplace

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Tips for returning your staff back to the workplace

Filed Under: Leadership, Media Appearances

2020 has been a year like no other with the seriousness of the pandemic causing major shutdowns of businesses, employees being stood down, schools being closed and people unable to see loved ones for months.

One of the biggest challenges and in some cases an ‘eye opener’ for businesses was having employees all working from home. For some employees the pandemic has made them realise they can efficiently perform their role easily from home without the hassles of commuting to the office. For others, their home environments haven’t been conducive to working from home and need to return to the office as quickly as possible.

Now with the Victorian Government announcing there will be a staged return to the office, businesses have the challenging task of planning the transition of their employees back to the office.

It’s understandable you may have employees feeling nervous about potentially returning. However, others might be feeling ‘zoomed fatigued,’ missing the social interactions and building relationships with their colleagues and finding it hard to ‘switch’ off from work with it right there in their living room.

The transition needs to be well planned, a gradual process making sure to follow Government capacity and density restrictions and keeping the lines of communication open with employees. Employees will need time to adjust back as the work environment will be very different to when they left it.

Here are four key areas to consider when planning to transition your staff back to the office:

Health and safety

A comprehensive COVID safe plan needs to be in place to prevent any introduction of COVID-19. This needs to include health and safety processes to respond quickly to new outbreaks/infections, protocols to identify and track employees and their contacts if there is a confirmed or suspected case, guidelines for sanitation and physical distancing, personal protective equipment (PPE) required to be worn in the office space, and compliance of Government regulations and requirements. Office layout and maximum capacities for meeting rooms and lunch/breakout rooms will also need to be considered and comply with the Government regulations.

Businesses also need to consider how they will manage visitors to the office and have a process in place for employees returning to the office to provide a confirmation that they are well before entering.

Ways of working

To comply with capacity and density restrictions and to limit in-person interactions, businesses will need to evaluate the actual jobs to identify who needs to be in the office and who can continue to work from home. Businesses may need to consider staggered starting times or split times between remote and office shifts. It’s also important to have adequate systems in place to manage teams who have a mixture of people still working from home and at the office.

Team preferences

Alongside evaluating the actual jobs, businesses need to assess the mental health and wellbeing of individuals, their personal situation, transportation to and from the office and who is most at risk if there was a confirmed case of COVID-19.

Open and transparent communication

It’s important for leaders in the business to make sure they are consistently communicating about workplace changes and allow plenty of time for employees to be prepared to return to the office. Providing opportunities for open communication is vital so you can keep track of how employees are feeling about the changes and they know they can openly express any concerns or fears.

The approach to transitioning your employees will need to be well planned, gradual and there must be some allowance of flexibility as each employee’s circumstances will be different. Communication is the key in making sure everyone understands the health and safety measures and what is expected of them when entering the office.

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Media: Interview for Blackbelt Leader on Ticker TV on Growing Leaders

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Media: Interview for Blackbelt Leader on Ticker TV on Growing Leaders

Filed Under: Leadership, Media Appearances

Catie had the privilege to be invited to appear on ticker TV’s Black Belt Leader hosted by highly regarded expert in people leadership, Karen Gately from Corporate Dojo.

Black Belt Leader shares advice and stories to help leaders with challenging people management issues and takes a look into leadership skills great leaders need to positively influence others.

On the show we discussed:

What it takes to grow the leadership capabilities needed to inspire and influence people to be at their best.

What senior leaders need to do to support those they appoint to a management role to succeed.

Some of the biggest gaps in people management capabilities at the moment.

Are effective leaders born or can they be developed?

Ways senior leaders can support technical people to effectively step into a people management role.

Thank you, Karen and ticker, for having Catie on the show and also for the mention of the new Quick Start onboarding program launching soon!

Click the link below to watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB_Zut9-mZQ

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