Digitize Series: Tips On How To Work Effectively From Home

Here at FlowForma, we’ve been working from home for a few weeks now, and we’ve learned a lot about the tools, structure and extra communication needed, to keep working towards achieving those all-important KPIs. 

Hear from FlowForma’s CEO, Olivia Bushe and Aoife Harte, Head of HR as they discuss what works for us, while working from home.

In this podcast you'll learn 

• Tips for building trust
• Methods of keeping lines of communication open
• Ideas on how to recreate office fun online
• Advise for keeping routine

Transcript

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spk_1:   0:00
Hi, everyone. I hope you're well. Um, thanks for joining our webinar top tips from heights where it is actively from home is part of our flow for him and digitized while when I theory, I'm need Lord on the head of marketing here after formal. But today I'm delighted to be joined with my colleagues, Sami, for harsh head of hate or on Olivia Bush CEO. Hi, ladies

spk_0:   0:24
heinie of I need

spk_1:   0:27
but here are flu form A, um we've been working from home for about six weeks night. We've learned a lot of the two roles the strong Scher, the extra keeping vacation, which is all necessary for achieving those all important KP eyes. I'm so over the next half fire we're gonna share with older is handy's, um some take for wearing fur po on what's working for us, and we're gonna cover for key areas. So their trust unification routine on full. So the first happened today is trust by no loss of our listeners and wanted faster culture of truth to empire, the remote teams to throw. And ladies, what do you recommend here on Olivia? I might ask you to kick that one off

spk_0:   1:17
so there are times when difficult decisions have to be made. But being clear on the reasons behind the decision making helps people except those decisions. There are times when difficult decisions have to be made but been clear on the reasons behind the decision making helps people except those decisions. So it's important how you present biggest messages. So I recommend taking some time to think about your communication. There should be no mixed messages on you should have care reasoning on Fox to present support your decision where possible. I feel this clear communication also reduce the stress levels on. It gives people a level of comfort. I think people really appreciate it if they know you're being honest with them. The end result that everyone's looking for is that everyone works together to a common gold on. There's a common understanding of where the company is going on. The goal is it's driving to make another part of achieving this come. Common understanding of goals is besetting care expectations of what you expect from your separate teams, performance wise. So agree the goals with your tames on the individuals in them. But the playwright laying off hard this is measured is important. So, you know, we got Agree them with your teams on the individuals. Andi, Um, everyone needs to be clear on higher. This is being measured. For example, me movinto lock dying. We agreed as a management team that the focus should be on 10 productivity. Really? Understood. This wasn't Business is normal. You know, people have Children at home. They may be managing home schooling or looking after an elderly permed. Every we wanted the team to stay focused on the things that mattered. So we implemented ways to help everyone keep focused on monitor performance rather than monitoring bums on seats, so to speak. Yeah. Olivia, I think this is a very important point. I, both employees on monitors, want to feel like they are being productive. Some of the things that we've put in place helps the employee feels safe that they know that management concede that they're performing even if they're not able to keep their regular hours. I'm Olivia. I think you've implemented some great initiatives to monitor performance. I, which will be useful to share yes,

spk_1:   3:41
or some of the things

spk_0:   3:42
that wave implemented are setting monthly KP icer targets, which we discuss with glee at a short company updated every Friday and way flying that this has resulted in everyone helping each other and working to gather as one large team because everyone is rewarded when ami off, the individual teams achieve their monthly targets. We've also implemented daily team couch shops with monitors every morning to set priorities for the day, and we have weekly Target or KP I updates from with the team monitor on myself to monitor progress. So all of these things are to create greater transparency on collaboration across the business. Also, as a company, we set quarterly objectives that have to be smart, so they have to be specific, so they have to target a specific area for improvement. They have to be measurable. So you know, we have to quantify our suggests, an indicator of progress on both parties. Need toe clearly understand what that is. They need to be assigned herbal. So with this best we specify who will do. They should be realistic so state what results could realistically be achieved. Give him the available resource is on time bind, so specify when the results can be achieved by So these air great Collaborative A by both parties the start of each quarter. We find it focuses everyone on the correct priorities from the team monitor darling. And everyone in our company has bought into this concept my as the normal. Of course, all of the above hardworking collaboration Light Land has to be recognized and rewarded. Anita has some from suggestions arrived that, yes, Olivia, actually, one of the ways that we infer former do this is by setting goals for each department monthly on When the department reaches a goal, the whole company is rewarded, so the rewards get better as the number of goals achieved in a given month increase. So we might start off with a 10 year old lunch voucher for one goal achieved. I up to leave early on a Friday of your choice if three goals are achieved. So some nice virtual rewards that we have set up our Kendall book, our Physical Book of your choice, a wellness gift. Ah, Amazon Vouchers, having a virtual lunch get together with a bear, a mystery gift box on virtual escape rooms. We have found that thes company rewards am with um, employees are more likely to reach out and help other departments. They do this not only because they're rewarded for every department success, but also as a result of trying to solve obstacles that other departments are facing. I personally love the Monte Rewards on. It's just another bonus stars. They have also significantly increased collaboration, which is so important for building trust.

spk_1:   6:51
Hang thief on Olivia. Yeah, I think the rewards are brilliant. Um, I know myself. I love to get in the Amazon Voyager, and I got some feedback from my team that I really appreciated us. I think Olivia has already spent her Amazon nature well involved. Something nice.

spk_0:   7:11
Yeah. I love the Amazon voiture. And there was one of the first things I spent. Nave.

spk_1:   7:16
What did you buy with Venture? Libyan?

spk_0:   7:19
I bought a jig. So with why I almost on the moisture give him what? We're spending a lot more climate, homeboy. I wanted something to occupy myself.

spk_1:   7:27
That's a great idea. Okay, time, ladies, move. Tim's are brilliant. So what we might do know is pop onto our night's topic today, which is communication the way gas communication has never been so important. I'm time fully in 2020. And there's lots of tools. I very to help both eso lady, letting her listeners are interested in some temped for communication on Olivia. I might start we used on okay.

spk_0:   7:55
Yeah, sure. Thanks. I guess the first tip I would give us that. I'd say it's important to use all the technology available to you to improve communication where you come. So where human contact is limited, What should? Very much As of the moment, we need to try to move those conversations that happen around the water cooler. Our meetings in the boardroom to virtual conversations were possible. For example, we've encouraged the use of video calls as a normal onda. We have had feedback from people that they find this method of communication much better than audio alone. It just means that people can see official expressions along with the audio tome, which could be helpful for communicating. It also makes people fay. You're physically nearer, and it also encourages people to get dressed for work, which is always a good thing. And we understand that some people might be a little uncomfortable with video at the beginning. That's it's new to a lot of people, and they may feel it's a little intrusive. But most of the tools that you use knife for videoconferencing allow you to blur or to usual, turned with back crimes. Um, that can't help but feel a little bit last interests of So I encourage you to do that. I am. There's various collaboration platforms like their, such as Microsoft Aims Sky are slack. I'm there all particularly beneficial at this time. If you can utilize these platforms to help you communicate correctly to employees, um, by a tames or another form of communication, perhaps they would have teams on their work foams. I am, I am. That's really useful because she can get the communication like quickly and then, in turn, you can implement the changes required to that's all highly beneficial. So, for example, you could quickly communicate anti government tea, and Schultz is the move to working from home M fire the teams up, but then in find that you need to be, um digitalize to then quickly enable employees to work from home, aren't implement any work changes such as moving to the three or four day week, so you need to be able to communicate quickly and then you actually need to be able to move to implement in the on digitizing as much as possible enables you to do that, unable to to be our trial as a company and respond quickly to change and market environments. So it's important to remove the barriers to productivity by implementing the tools nated such as Elektronik. Signatures are the removal of paper processes to digital to remind you the need for physical travel on the journey of paper from person to person. However, alongside these digital platforms, it's important to roll out a company wide strategic communications strategy on I know if I have some recommendations from the best way to do that. Yeah, Olivia, a communication strategy is very important, especially to ensure the teams keep working together. It could be a little bit harder to get the opportunity to talk across teams while working from home. So here, inflow for MMA, we try to facilitate cross departmental communication as much as possible. We have implemented a five minute up days each morning that everybody in the company completes in Microsoft teens. They're right in the chest to tell everyone where the hour what they're working on, any Commons they'd like to share on the joke of the day. It's just a nice way to get to know people across different teams. One of our colleagues just put up a beautiful photo off their bird last week, which loves to rest on top of her monitor at home these days. So it's a great space to see people's personalities commercial. I am. I've also had feedback from employees that the five minute updates is a great way for them to get their priorities organized for the day as well. We have also implemented are 15 minutes weekly check in with the whole company to review the monthly goals. As Olivia said earlier, it's normally on a Friday. Everyone in the company joins the coal on every department, gives an update on the status off their goals on any complications that they may be experiencing at the moment. And we also gave any company updates true this meeting, So new starts introduced themselves or any new company initiatives are announced here as well. Since implementing this, I find that there's a better understanding for staff off how the company operates at the hall which is extremely important to us as a small company. The other thing that we have implemented is ah, virtual coffee charge for 15 minutes at the end of lunch for people to catch up if they have the time. And we've had some great conversations on this coffee charge where people share advice their own experiences on obviously have a chat about the weather of love. Um, this gives us inflow form A on my space toe have a water cooler chat that we cannot have in the office anymore. Last week one of our staff was looking to set up broadband in his house, so there was a nice charts about the providers others were using on which broadband provider had the best performance. So it's important to have a space like this for staff to chat to each other about things other than work. Communication is key during this pandemic. On our main bull focused inflow, form A is on keeping communication lines as open as possible. On these are just a few things that we put in place to enable this

spk_1:   13:42
from their stupor and tennis lady of bombs. If I think my little favorite is the quick jump in the morning. So without help, me gonna prioritize my tasks for the day. And it's great for collaboration. So I've even been looking at us that someone in a different team sees while I'm working on on the offer to help me Asians, you know what's good for a giggle? And with the jobs that people put all fumblings, they're going sometimes their body. But we still gonna laugh on sometimes for those types. And what I'm going to do now is just large and quick poll for the audience because I just like them. Teoh let us know. Watch hundreds they're facing right next. So let me just quickly launch this whole name and I'll get people and a few seconds toe to fill this fish so the whole is open. So we're just laughed in you, you know, can you let us know? You know, if your face on the these challenges well, working from home. So things like you know where you faced were broken processes. Are you Charles? Repair communication? No. Do you have a lock of digital platforms tees, or do you have an adequate devices? So just interesting to get people's and opinion on that. So I'll just give that to him a few more seconds. OK, so most people have poses, and so I'm just gonna close the pole on. Then I'm just gonna share these results so everyone can see. Um, Yes. So there's a clear winner there on your communication on visibility. So when If Alan, you would you like to make a quick comment on must?

spk_0:   15:16
Yes. Nay. Of um so I think this comes back to open an honest communication. Um, this is a very difficult time for companies on people in general. So monitors need to promote open an honest communication. Um, there will always be good on bad things that need to be communicated. So it's important that employees can feels comfortable sharing this information with their monitor. Um, employees should, wherever possible, communicates the good and bad things. There's loads of ways of doing this, whether it be on Microsoft teens email cha sh. Um but the important thing is they need to be communicating this on vice versa, that the manager is in constant communication with their employees, and this will definitely lead to an increase in visibility. Yeah, if it So I think it goes back to some of the points lead Touchstone before so awry. And you know, the trump spare and say I am on and you know, a She said open and honest communication. And I think the video calls. Do you help with that? On the quick communication is still my most want, you know, getting communications like, quickly and not leaving employees. I'm wondering what's going on, but just address and the issues Is Aziz quickly as possible.

spk_1:   16:37
Okay, kind ladies. Thanks for everyone for participating in the poll. That was the world will do you no is. Well, job to our next topic, which is regime. So I'm sure our listeners aren't missing the daily commute. But I suppose the routine of regular IRAs and breaks his hide Iraq, and and so, ladies, you might share some of your top 10 3 Perfect involved a routine Olivia wouldn't start. We used. That's okay.

spk_0:   17:04
Yeah. So I gas named. My first tip would be to keep your normal retain as much as possible. So if you usually get up at seven. Am, do that. It's normal. Have your breakfast in your cup of tea. Not in front of your knocked up get ready for the day. So get Justin be ready for that video call. I m I think personally that it helps me to dress for important meetings in the same way that it would if I was going to the into the office. So, you know, on the days that I have a board maiden or something important that you would get a bit more dressed up, you bet more corporate as I wait if I was in the office, and that helps me to focus on getting the correct headspace. Next thing, I would recommend us to set yourself daily goals. So I spoke with a car like recently who didn't feel that they were being productively working from home as the day has just landed together, and I'm sure that happens for lots of us. So sometimes you don't know what day or what are it is at the end of the day, they just didn't feel like they had achieved anything. And when we were chatting the three it became a perm that this person used to make less so in their normal retained on the minds of the officer made lists. Um, and they'd stop doing that while you were working from home. Just got rid of the retain, but manta. At the end of the day, they no longer felt the sense of achievement. They hade when that that they used to have when the checked off the list. So a simple fix was, you know, implementing their daily to do lists again, prioritizing them at the start of the day and checking them off once completed. So it just highlights that structure is especially important at a time like this, when lots of other changes are happening. Terror dearly retain. So it's good to keep structure there as much as possible. The only thing I would suggest is that you leave the TV off because it's very easily to get distracted. And I'm not yea, perhaps have background music or listen to the radio if you live in your own and you're not used to the silence, Um, that's a good thing today. I I do that I have the really a warm and, you know, it's just background noise and background um, music, and it can give you about a company. The only thing I would suggest is that you monitor your kids. So for those of us safe kept kids at home, you know, our partners or spices at home set the expectations among everyone. So set the expectations for home school. Um, give them tasks to do. Put a movie on, you know, give people advance warning off important calls. So they know is to keep the noise Stein on to Levy alone for that period. So I warned everyone today that I am on a web. More foreign are so they need to keep quiet. Um, so you know, it's important. Just demonic the expectations for the wishy share home West. Everyone has important work today, and you need to work together to make sure it gets dumb on the gang. Communication is kayyal not, um the last thing I would suggest is having a workspace with a door, if possible, and so you can close it. Um, unkind of, you know, this is your work area. Are if he can't? Do you got to create a temporary workspace? No. E first going to expound them. Not a little bit more. Yeah. So there's a few things I'd like to do to keep routine. Um, we've been forced, unfortunately, into working remotely, which can easily take over your personal space some time. So I think it's important to create. Spend some time creating routines that you can adopt to aid. Ah, healthy work life balance. It's important to, um, keep regular breaks while working from home. This happens naturally in the office when you go get a coffee and have a chat in the canteen, or you walk over to someone's desk and have a chat. Sh so I try to do focused work for 20 minutes, lots like the parietal measures on. Then I take a 10 minute a time to myself to either get a coffee or have a cold with one of my teammates. All right, my physio actually said to me before, Lock down that sitting in the same position for more than 20 minutes can actually cause issues with your muscles, so it's good to switch up your position every 20 minutes or so. Also, as Olivia mentioned, it's important. Set aside a space that you can dedicate to be your office space. Ideally, it would be a separate room from your living space, but if you're unable to do this, you should allocate a section of the table that you used to work. I have seen some people have moved desks, chairs to their kitchen table to define their works base For me personally, I need to focus on trying to keep work separate from home. So when I finish at the end of the day, I find it's very important to shut down my computer at the actor Doing this. I'm closing my fires, helps me, acknowledged the fact that I am finished for the day. On that the next few hours is my own personal time. So they're just some of the ways that I try to keep my routine

spk_1:   22:11
kindly, for I currently love the studying the daily goals, so I'm But like Chiang Glitz Prison, I'm taking things off the end of the day and sometimes that I really like way to finish your work for the day. And then you can treat yourself with a Byron Child Lynn origin and tonic or whatever it is that you like for a treat option and oh Mestel, we want to talk about we freeze in office for so I know that some people might be insane Friday beers or the whole antics So and ladies are might get you to Sherry. Sometimes you have very recreation form at home on the Libya, I think is going to start ish. But, um, on the topic of keeping morale over to you, Olivia.

spk_0:   22:53
Yeah. So, just before, laddie, Fickett ended the really fun things, I guess. You know, I just want to take a step back and think, Ah, bite. Why we do this. So as a leader in an organization, part of your job is to monitor the people. So you need to think about the things you're you're going today to keep your team motivated while working remotely. So that's a little bit different from we're used to. And but it's your job as a leader to Monte and morale momentum on meaning to help people stay focused. So only babe in Tanana Man TEM, can the business continue to be productive on an order to maintain momentum? You must win 10 morale. So after we went into lock down as a company and we started to work from home, one of the first things we did will send everyone a work from home treat. We had discussion among the team and we decided that we would send everyone their favorite Bree, whether that was take or for your hot chocolate. Um, then we're able to order and send these online on an H. One way included a small gift card that said this was just a small token to give some comfort while you were working from home on that it was especially important to look after your well being at this time. So it was just an acknowledgement that we need that These were very different times for everyone when we got great feedback from the company and everyone was very appreciative, and it definitely helped lift the mood on also was a great topic before or coffee chops in the middle of the day. Um, we've also tried to think off various virtual rewards for hitting the KP eyes on the target. So we still have the monthly KP ice and targets Roman during this time. But obviously the rewards need to be a little bit different, cause we comfortable going for dinner together. So as beings mentioned before, we have the Amazon fighters, which I personally loved, and I think everyone can get. Find some but anonymous in that they like, um, way san tight Easter E cards. We've got mystery gift boxes, and all of that could be sent to their home. And I know that FIFA has lots of other ideas on this topic. Yes, Olivia. I have a few ideas that we've implemented and try and keep up the social aspect of work as well to try and encourage people to get together and have a laugh. And we've had the virtual drinks Nice where we had a bear or a wine or a cocktail on the charts. We actually did the M orgy quiz that was floating around to get everyone involved. As with some of the virtual offense, I find there can be awkward silences. So by doing the quiz just really got everyone engaged trying to come up with answers, which was grace way off getting the conversation to flow. And we're also setting up a virtual quids where we're splitting the company into teams of five on. They have to come up with their own quiz questions on itself, marking. So, to be honest, very little to organize on this on. It gets teams collaborating and chatting outside of work things, which is something you want to facilitate at this time. It's a very stressful time at the moment, so I think it's important to encourage people to have a laugh on the quiz. And drinks are just some ways that we've been trying to promote a bit of office fun at this time.

spk_1:   26:17
FIFA. So we've got a lot of questions. Ka mein. What we can do is we can answer, and those post well mannered, if I might just pulled one question to you, is the latest question like a maid if you've given quick answers. So this question is from Lauren, and she's just saying that I'm you know, she's worrying about it. I'm keeping her manager over. Today's on her tasks on her workload. And, you know, would you have money and find something to do that effectively?

spk_0:   26:49
Yes. So I think, um, she just needs to One of the ways that I've actually been doing it is putting into my calendar what I'm actually working on on. I shared their staying with my team Onda, also with my manager so they can see that you are actively working track the day we have implemented KP I. So it's quite easy to see that our employees are working. So if there's an e k p eyes that she could implement for her team, that would be a great way for her monitor to see her productivity bus again. Communication email. I'm just keeping your manager updated with the amount of work that you're doing. Should be enough to see that you are being put up

spk_1:   27:35
gration Fine, though, and we come to the end of our weapon. Er, we'd like to thank our presenters today. Them and everyone who attended I participated in the polls on the questions everyone for attending and stay safe on will follow. Quite seen with the recording. Thanks, everyone. My name. Thanks. Bye Bye. I