The Minority Report – so you want to be a star in the corporate world?

How to excel in the workplace in a new hybrid working world

The pandemic has only accelerated the pace of workplace transformation and disruptive technology. What would have happened years into the future, in effect, happened overnight.

With most working from home during the pandemic, as we emerge into this new hybrid world there will be clear winners and losers, with most starting on a level playing field. So, how will you make sure to take the lead and not be left far behind?

-?Setup and optimal days

-?Maintain productivity and motivation

-?Communication is key

Setup and optimal days

You must adopt a Hybrid working mindset, and those quickest to adapt will be the first to succeed.

Optimal office & home days

Some will inevitably experience a culture shock when back in the office under hybrid working arrangements, the good news, everyone is in the same boat. The challenge lies in figuring out how to move seamlessly between working from home and the office.

Research commissioned by the majority of global firms, suggest the optimal split is 2 days in the office a week for a full-time employee. This has the benefits of connecting in person with colleagues along with the mental health wellbeing aspect, as well as the time and cost savings of working from home the other 3 days.

This obviously isn’t a one fit for all, and policies should consider factors such as caring responsibilities, commute, wellbeing etc to tailor each individual’s hybrid model. Communicate openly with your team members and allow them to understand your needs. Voicing your opinion can help shape the team’s hybrid model or at least design the policy around it.

Workspace

The office should now be seen as an anchor or connector for the team. A central place allowing fluid teamwork and interactive tasks to be carried out. The days of heading into the office to sit alone at your desk to work for 9 hours are over.

Workspaces in offices are primed to provide a place for optimal productivity. So how can you transition this into your home without the loss of productivity and motivation? The best place to start is to allocate yourself a quiet space, then consider the following factors:

·Equipment – Ergonomic & wireless equipment can alleviate much physical pain and hassle along with saving much needed space. Grab a laptop stand if your using a laptop.

·Lighting – setting up close to a window is especially impactful during winter months when lighting is limited and can have a direct impact on your wellbeing.

·Background – keep a neat and organised background in video calls or use one of the many virtual backgrounds available. Keeping your camera on is essential in all virtual interactions.

·Organisation – This is a must. Having a clean space directly impacts your productivity and every inch of space is gold dust, so a daily declutter is essential. Go paperless if possible.

Most responsible employers carry out a workspace assessment even whilst you work from home, sometimes it’s just a case of asking. They also provide some sort of desk, chair and other equipment required to carry out your role and tax relief is available for some equipment if purchased yourself.

Having a free and quite space available at home isn’t the case for everyone i.e., those with kids or living with others who also work from home. In this case I suggest making the most of the space you have, perhaps alternating the workspace with others working from home or optimising your home working days so that only one of you is home each workday.

Maintaining productivity and motivation

Productivity and motivation evidently took a hit during the pandemic. To counter this, decide which tasks are better suited to the home or office environment. Planning and organisation are crucial.

Productivity

High performing individuals thrive in pressured environments. How? This can be learnt, tips include:

·To do list – The night before, number your tasks and split into 3 groups. “Urgent – Do now”, “Non-Urgent - But due today” and “Non-Urgent – can be done if there’s time at end of day”.

·Golden hours - You are most energetic in the morning after a good night’s sleep. Use these 3-4 golden hours to do the heavy lifting. Block out time in your calendar or enable DND.

·Get dressed – No need to bring out the Zegna suit, jeans and a T work. The effect is tangible.

·Global mindset – Check and update your schedule, daily. Be aware of deadlines within different time zones. For projects, create check points with slack. Set reminders to chase.

·Technology – Utilise all the technology available. MS teams/Zoom, workflow automation and MS outlook are powerful tools. Speak to everyone about how they work to gain ideas.

Individual tasks

Tasks which can be completed from start to finish without requiring input from others, such as responding to emails or designing a solo presentation – can be done at home with periods of uninterrupted time. Projects that require focused writing, data entry or reviewing work, even in separate time zones can all be achieved effectively from home.

Certain meetings may also be suited for home days, ideally ones that are close ended, seeking to address an issue without the need for a lengthy follow up. These can be brief check-in’s or updates with a small group, or the weekly agenda for the team.

Alternatively, for those with a busy household, such as having kids around during the summer holidays, heading into the office when possible may be an option, to carry out some solo work.

Group tasks

The office being used as a connector will allow projects and assignments requiring collaboration, interaction, brainstorming or group creativity with many reliant people to be carried out effectively. Carrying out such tasks virtually, although not impossible, has been shown to not be as effective. People are slower to process non-verbal cues, which can lead to anxiety and fatigue amongst other things, hindering collaboration. The bottom line is people enjoy working collaboratively in person.

This doesn’t mean tasks on either list cannot be done in each workspace – it’s just more efficient to carry them out in this way. Having led virtual teams across time zones, I know which is preferred.

Motivation

Prioritising your wellbeing is the foundation to staying motivated and productive. Daily tips include:

·Goals – Affirm your goals each morning. Celebrate your progress to solidify your self-belief, but acknowledge you still have a way to go.

·Exercise – At the least, a quick walk during lunch or before/after work.

·Food/Drink– Consciously stay hydrated and use healthy meals to fuel your day.

·Breaks – Step away from your computer after every 1.5-2 hours. Check in with colleagues/family/friends. Book in a 15-30 min call if you must. Use the 20 20 20 rule.

·Downtime - Set office hours and a down time routine, which can be reading, getting fresh air, meditating, or spending time with family/friends. Anything that helps you relax.

·Sleep – Avoid screen time outside of office hours, which’ll help you get much needed rest.

Communication is Key

Your communication is not enough. In a Hybrid world you need to?overcommunicate.

Work

Use clear and specific language to communicate your expectations and requirements. Minimise jargon and vague words like “it, that, or he/she.” Always address the who, what, where, when, why and how, leaving no space for assumptions. There’s no expectation to write a novel for every update but write enough to eradicate ambiguity.

From the start, provide all contextual information and anticipate any questions. Simply put, provide all relevant sources of information, any relevant contacts and previous templates always help.

Vitally, a junior should “manage upwards”. Proactively inform your seniors of upcoming deadlines or work that may be sitting with them. Communicate what your focus is each week to provide transparency of your workload. Most importantly if you have any questions about a task no matter how menial it may seem, ask. The more questions you ask, the less assumptions you make, leading to a task completed as close to the given scope and ultimately reducing the seniors time reviewing it.

With clients, respond within 24 hours. Sooner if the request is urgent, but no later than 24 hours. If your response requires input from others who are lingering, cc in your senior and update the client.

Finally, with virtual meetings ALWAYS have your camera on and be ready. Who do you think will be remembered, you with the camera on or your mate hiding away and never contributing? No one cares what your hair looks like or where you are sitting, but they do want you present. Being able to see each other whilst talking is crucial and sticks in the memory.

Social

Make sure everyone knows you. Let me repeat. MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS YOU. That includes the cleaner, the receptionist, the cafeteria staff, security and those in other departments. Always smile, say hi and ask how they’re doing, even if you don’t know them.

Talk to them about their weekend plans, the weather, global events their families, literally anything. Ask open ended questions then listen and be prepared to share. Be warned, not everyone will warm to you and that’s normal. Think about it, do you like EVERYONE you’ve ever met? I didn’t think so.

With your immediate team, more proactive effort is required.

Other than the usual lunches together and chats by the coffee machine whilst in the office, I suggest booking in 10-20 minutes biweekly/monthly calls and labelling them as a “catch up”. The purpose of this call is critical to constructing your path to the top. Split the call into 3 segments:

·Small talk - Find out about the colleague, what they enjoy doing, where they are at in life. Also talk about your experiences and what’s going on in your life. Find relatable topics.

·Future projects – Provide a short update on current projects and find out of any new or different projects coming up to help expand your skillset and knowledge. If so, ask to join.

·Feedback – Speak of your aspirations of progressing and ask for tips to improve. ALWAYS end the call expressing your deep gratitude for their precious time being invested in you.

Remember this is a biweekly/monthly call. Book this in with one or two of your seniors that you work closely with i.e. your direct managers as well as one or two of the most senior individuals in your team i.e. the partner or MD. No need to ask permission from anyone other than the person you’re booking the call with. In fact, no need to tell anyone at all.

These regular calls will constantly keep you in the mind of your seniors, demonstrate proactivity and build rapport. You’ll also get the inside info on upcoming projects and will likely be considered for them before anyone else. This is how you set yourself apart from your peers.

Summary

At first, implementing the above advice may be awkward or difficult for some. This is normal and practice makes perfect. No one said being a superstar is easy. As we enter a new age, you decide where you want to be in the coming years, leading or following? Remember the key points below and you will have a head start for sure.

-Embrace your workspace and prime home/office days

-Maintain high levels of productivity and motivation

-OVERcommunicate