When everyone’s working remotely, it’s critical make the most of time spent as a team. Here’s our advice for how to improve virtual meetings.
Conference and video calls have long been used to bring people from different offices, companies and even countries together. But with many full teams now working remotely, they are the only option for managers who want to have a meeting with their people. And that means it’s more important than ever to get them right. Here are eight principles to help you improve virtual meetings.
If you’re planning a meeting for team members who are used to being together, you need to give them the chance to catch up before you start the more formal meeting. Include it on the agenda, and make sure whoever is chairing the meeting draws a line under the chat when it’s time to get down to business.
We would also recommend setting up some specific social sessions for your team; here at Timewise, we have a daily Zoom coffee morning for anyone who is free to log in.
There are a number of reasons why video works better than audio for virtual meetings. It’s more like the real thing, and is definitely better in terms of natural conversation and team bonding. It also makes it easier to pick up on non-verbal clues that you would be able to spot in person, and to avoid people talking over each other.
And on a practical level, it helps put people in work mode, both mentally and physically (though some people may still choose to only be smart from the waist up).
There are so many platforms you can use for virtual meetings (unsurprisingly, they are experiencing a boom right now.) At Timewise, we tend to use Zoom; other options include Skype, WebEx, Google Hangouts and GoTo Meeting.
Whichever you choose, make sure everyone in the team is trained in how to use it before you meet, to avoid wasting half your available time faffing around with the tech.
It’s important that people take virtual meetings as seriously as they would face-to-face ones – and the best way to achieve this is to be clear about what you expect. For example, you might want to agree some practical points, such as that using laptops or phones for unrelated messaging is a no-no, or that headphones should be used for call clarity. You might also want to consider some wider principles, such as that everyone has to contribute, or that staying silent means you agree with what has been concluded.
It’s all too easy for virtual meetings to drift if someone isn’t keeping them on track. So have a clear structure in place, and give someone responsibility for chairing and keeping discussion focused.
As a rough guide, we’d recommend around 45 minutes for a productive session, including time at the end for wrapping up and agreeing next steps. This doesn’t have to include any social time you have decided to include to kick things off.
It can be difficult enough getting people to take their turn in a face-to-face meeting and it’s definitely hard to manage on a video call. You’ll need to identify a way to facilitate this, otherwise the meeting will become a cacophony of opinions.
Most platforms will have a function to support you; on Zoom, for example, there is a hand-raising option which allows the meeting chair to organise who responds and in what order.
Another thing to be mindful of is that introverted members of your team may more easily slip under the radar than they would face-to-face. If it’s your meeting, it’s up to you to make sure everyone is contributing.
So if your quieter team members don’t offer their opinions, make sure you actively seek them out, or ask if they have anything to add.
Finally, however clearly you may all have agreed any next steps, it’s worth putting them in writing. It’s easier for points to get missed when you’re meeting virtually and the tech can sometimes let you down.
By circulating a brief summary of what has been agreed and allocated next steps, you can be sure your virtual meeting has been time well spent.
For more advice on how to manage a virtual team, take a look at our practical guidelines for successful remote working.
Published March 2020
The word unprecedented is being overused right now, but it’s fair to say that things are changing at an unrecognisable pace.
In the two weeks since we posted our advice on setting up remote working, the workplace landscape has totally transformed. With schools and offices closed, and anyone who can do so working from home, organisations of all shapes and sizes are having to get used to remote working as a long-term reality.
For employers, many of whom may have had to hastily put some kind of remote working in place, the next step is to think strategically about how to make it work well in practice. From understanding what your employees’ current issues might be, to thinking through how to communicate with a remote team, here are our guidelines for making remote working a success during Covid-19.
Aside from making sure your IT systems are working seamlessly, the most critical success factor for remote working is communication. As you can’t physically read people’s moods, grab someone for an informal catch-up, or pull everyone together for a briefing, you need to create remote opportunities to do so.
How to address this:
It’s not business as usual right now, so it can’t be delivery as usual either. And while working from home can be highly productive in normal circumstances, that’s may not be the case for some of your employees right now.
The practical impact of school closures is that many remote employees have their children at home. They may not have a dedicated work desk, and may be juggling space and broadband capacity with their partner. So it’s important that leaders and managers understand the constraints their people are working under – and review priorities and objectives accordingly.
How to address this:
It goes without saying that stress is a real issue at the moment; it also takes more effort to keep an eye on staff wellbeing when everyone is working remotely. So it’s vital to put structures in place to make sure everyone is OK, and create guidelines to help them take care of themselves.
How to address this:
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be offering further advice and tools to help you manage the new workplace order. In the meantime, if you need any support from us, do get in touch.
Published March 2020
From the very beginnings of Timewise and its predecessor, Women Like Us, we have been driven by a clear social mission. It’s this: to ensure that everyone can find the flexibility they need in their careers, without reducing their value in the workplace.
Why does this matter? Because some groups of people, such as parents and carers, older workers or those with mental or physical health issues, struggle to work full-time. And unfortunately, there are still far fewer part-time and flexible roles available than people who want them. So while this is a business issue – with the ability to impact on strategic imperatives such as talent attraction and retention – it’s also a social one.
As the impact of the coronavirus continues to spread, companies are having to adapt to frequently changing guidelines. But one initial strategy is now pretty much standard practice among office-based businesses: moving to remote working.
As companies like Twitter realised early on, this allows you to protect your staff from potential infection, and minimise the spread of the virus, without affecting their ability to work. (It also offers a number of other business advantages, which we’ll explain at the end of this article.)
However, if you want to do it well, you need to have some core principles in place right from the start. Here are five things to think about when setting up remote working.
Remote working works best when managers value outputs more than inputs, and trust their employees to do their jobs when out of sight. So give your team the tools and priorities they need to do their job from home, then trust them to get on with it. If you don’t, that’s an HR issue, not a flexible working one.
A significant barrier to remote working is not having access to the right files and systems. You need to develop a solution that replicates their office desktop at home, whether on a company laptop or their home computer – and have the right IT support at the end of a phone.
Clearly, some tasks are more suited to remote working than others. So if you’re using it as a short-term solution to the coronavirus, it’s worth working out which of your priorities can be tackled most successfully at this time – and making sure your team are aware of what they are.
From Skype calls and Google hangouts to Slack and social media, there are a large number of tech solutions to enable you and your team to communicate with each other. In one company in Hong Kong which has moved to remote working due to coronavirus, teams have set up What’s App groups to mirror the informal office chat they’re missing out on.
When people are working from their kitchen tables, it’s all too easy for them to get caught up in a piece of work and let it spread into the evening. Support your employees’ work-life balance by encouraging them to formally switch off at the end of their working day.
By Emma Stewart MBE, Co-Founder, Timewise
There’s a month to go until the 2020 gender pay gap reporting deadline – and it would be good if we could see a shift in the right direction. It’s a very complex issue, and closing the gap is a complex process, so we weren’t totally surprised when last year’s figures indicated that it was barely budging. But surely, in the third year of reporting, we might expect to see more concrete change?
The problem is that the roots of the gender pay gap lie in age-old structures and systems that are still the norm in many workplaces – and in many families. Clearly, these kinds of barriers take time to overcome. But time isn’t enough; practical changes are needed too, which is why companies are being urged to include gender pay gap action plans as part of this year’s reporting.
I’d argue that if these action plans don’t refer to flexible working, they’re not worth the paper they’re written on. As we’ve explained elsewhere, of the four underlying reasons behind the gender pay gap, three can be tackled by flexible working. The lack of women in senior roles, the gendered allocation of caring responsibilities, and the over-representation of women in poorly paid and part-time roles, in low-paid sectors, can all be addressed by more, better part-time and flexible jobs.
We’re not alone in this view, either; the CIPD’s 2020 guide to gender pay gap reporting agrees that flexible working is an integral part of action planning. And the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee is on the record as saying that “Flexible working for all lies at the heart of addressing the gender pay gap.”
So it’s not a nice to have or an optional extra; companies who are serious about closing their gap need to take flexible working seriously. And because this kind of change won’t happen overnight, that work needs to start now.
On a positive note, it does feel that the penny has dropped, and that companies are increasingly aware of the role that flex can play in tackling the gender pay gap. We’re encouraged by the number of organisations who are coming to us for help with creating and implementing flexible working action plans.
But we’re also very clear that having a policy isn’t enough. Being ‘open to flexible working’, or ‘willing to discuss flexible working’ won’t really cut it, unless these statements are underpinned by a robust roadmap. One that includes building a leadership-driven flexible culture, designing properly flexible jobs that suit the business and its employees, and training HR and line managers on how to recruit and manage them.
And doing so won’t just help close your gender pay gap. By taking action on flexible working, you’ll address other business imperatives such as inclusion, talent attraction and retention, and maximising performance. You’ll also boost your employer reputation, which is critical in this era of skills shortages.
So if you’re working on your gender pay gap action plan right now, here are two things you can do. Firstly, make a commitment to addressing or improving flexible working and flexible recruitment. And secondly, come and talk to us about how to do it. We’d be happy to be referenced as part of your plan, if you’re keen to roll up your sleeves and work with us.
I can’t wait to see a real shift in the gender pay gap numbers. Let’s start working towards that right now.
Published March 2020
The news that there are now over 1 million part-time employees at senior or management level is definitely worth celebrating. It’s not just a big number, it’s an indication of a real shift in attitudes and culture. Especially compared to the bad old days, when this kind of flexing only really went on under the radar.
It was the secrecy attached to part-time leadership that led to the launch of the Timewise Power 50 in 2012. We knew people were doing it, but they were doing so very quietly, so we set out to create some noise. And now, eight years on, many senior part-timers are loud and proud.
So is our work done? Should we raise a glass to what we’ve achieved, and move on? You won’t be surprised to hear that my answer is no.
While it’s great that so many senior part-time requests have been accommodated, what happens when the individuals involved want to find their next promotion? The data suggests they are likely to struggle; as we revealed in this year’s Flexible Jobs Index, only 15% of jobs are currently advertised as having any flexibility at all.
What this means is that these senior flexers are in danger of having no flexible next step, or having to trade their hard-won flexibility away to keep climbing. It’s almost like a game of musical chairs; sure, you can grab your bit of flex, but you won’t necessarily get to keep it if you go for a promotion.
If we’re going to keep moving forwards, we can’t just settle for helping people find a way to make their current job flexible. We also want them to be able to take their arrangement to the next one, and the one after that, and the one after that. And that means we need to make flexible recruitment into the next big thing.
How? Well, experience has shown us that what gets measured gets changed. For example, a focus on the gender split at board level has resulted in women holding one third of board roles at FTSE 100 companies. And following the legislation requiring companies to track their gender pay gap, things are starting to move in this area too.
It’s reasonable to assume, then, that a similar requirement for companies to track flexible hires and promotions would help speed up the pace of change. And while this would need to be tackled at governmental level, we all have a part to play.
So if you’re hiring flexibly already, that’s brilliant. Keep doing it, and do it more. Shout about it on your website and highlight it when you’re briefing recruitment agencies. Be upfront on your ads that you’re happy to discuss flexible options (having first made sure the roles you’re offering can work on that basis).
If you’re not, it’s definitely time to get started – and we can help. Do get in touch with the team, so we can support you as you take your next step.
Published February 2020
By Claire Campbell, Programme Director, Timewise
Like most NHS trusts, Royal Free London is coping with a perfect storm of pressures. The retention of staff, particularly nurses, is proving challenging all over the country, and is particularly hard in the capital, where living costs are high. Budget constraints are exacerbating the problem, forcing trusts to try and limit the use of costly agency staff. And at a societal level, an ageing workforce and the growing number of people who are juggling or facing caring responsibilities means that filling all the necessary posts is only going to get harder.
So, with the interim NHS People Plan highlighting the need to “significantly increase flexible working through a combination of technology and a change in people practices,” Royal Free London sought an organisation with the credibility and experience to help them develop a more flexible culture. As Michelle Hickson, one of the trust’s HR Business Partners, explains:
“We had been following Timewise’s work with local authorities and were struck by the depth of their knowledge and credibility. We were also keen to benefit from both their nursing-specific experience and their cross-sector expertise. So we felt they were the right partner to help us future-proof our organisation through flexible working.”
The Timewise Accreditation Programme provides a clear framework for change, taking the organisation on a journey from understanding their current approach to identifying their future vision for flexible working to creating their improvement plan in five steps. Originally designed for local authorities, the new version, which Royal Free London piloted with us, is tailored to the specific needs of NHS Trusts.
The team set up a working group which included representatives from across their sites and disciplines, including clinical and non-clinical staff. They met regularly to keep up the momentum as they worked through each step of the process, identifying quick wins and long-term challenges that would lead to meaningful change. And they used their findings and our experience to present a credible case to the leadership team.
According to Michelle, the step-by-step nature of the programme was a definite plus. “The framework Timewise provided allowed us to break down what we needed to do into manageable chunks and tackle each one in a structured way, with the space to explore all the issues and design workable solutions.”
And at every stage, they were supported by the Timewise team. We provided them with an external perspective on their current position, provided models and tools to structure their approach and used examples of best practice to ensure the improvement plan includes actions which will work. By partnering with the HR team throughout, we also ensured that the learning and skills will be embedded in the organisation.
Through our diagnostic work, the team identified that, while there were already some examples of good practice, they tended to be local rather than part of an organisational approach. It also became clear that having a formal policy and responding to requests wasn’t enough; that a more proactive approach, backed up by a clear offer for different staff groups, plus a vision and strategy, was needed.
The work also highlighted the need for robust evidence and examples to ensure leadership buy-in, and for guidance to support line managers in implementing it successfully. It reinforced their view that different teams would need different solutions, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
The team then pulled all their learning into an improvement plan, with specific objectives including:
Their long term objective is to increase the % of staff who report in the staff survey that they are satisfied with their access to flexible working from 50% in 2019 to 65% by December 2021.
As a result of their clear and actionable improvement plan, and senior level commitment to implementing it, Royal Free London were formally accredited in November 2019. They are keen to be advocates of the value of flexible working, and believe that being the first Timewise Accredited Trust is a clear demonstration of their commitment.
They are also clear about the benefits of working with Timewise. As Michelle explains: “We believe that flexible working should underpin all our people priorities, and will help deliver an empowered workforce and a high trust culture. Working with Timewise has allowed us to create a strong business case and implement a clear action plan, with buy-in from throughout our organisation, which we are confident will deliver real change.”
Published February 2020
By Melissa Jamieson, CEO, Timewise
There’s no question that attitudes to flexible working have undergone a seismic shift as a result of the pandemic, and working practices are being transformed as a result. An IOD survey from April 2021 showed that over 60% of organisations plan to adopt hybrid working even after restrictions ease, and employee demand for flexible working is higher than ever, with more than 71% of UK workers saying they want flexible options to remain after the crisis has passed.
And yet, despite all the focus on new ways of working, attitudes towards flexible recruitment don’t seem to be adapting to match. The 2020 Timewise Flexible Jobs Index revealed that, even after the shift towards homeworking following the first lockdown, just 22% of jobs were being advertised as being flexible in some way.
So there’s a real opportunity here for forward-looking employers to offer potential candidates the flexibility they want – and reap the rewards.
If the success of a business rests on its people, attracting a talented, diverse pool of candidates is critical. And with demand as high as it is now, offering these opportunities up front clearly makes sense. Not only will it help put you at the top of candidates’ wish lists, it will also deliver a more committed, more inclusive workforce, and help close your gender pay gap.
And on a more macro level, flexible recruitment plays a vital role in enhancing your employer brand. By openly offering flexible working to candidates, you’ll send a clear message that you are an employer who prioritises employee wellbeing. You’ll show you understand what work-life balance actually means. You’ll also encourage candidates to believe that, if they join your company, they can bring their whole selves to work.
The knock-on effect of all of this is that the best candidates won’t just apply to work for you; they’ll actively seek you out. And with skills shortages on the rise, not to mention a growing sense that a ‘Great Resignation’ is coming, that kind of brand positioning will give you a real edge in the battle for talent.
So, how do you embed flexible recruitment into your organisation, and make sure everyone knows about it? Here are the four initial steps you should take:
Train managers to design and recruit for properly flexible roles
Employees are quick to see through ‘flexwashing’ – that is, implying that you’re up for flexible working without adapting your roles to make it viable. So make sure the jobs you’re advertising are designed so that they can genuinely be done on a flexible basis, and train up HR and line managers in interviewing and supporting your new recruits. If you need support with this, our consultancy team can help.
Make sure external teams are properly briefed
If you’re using a recruitment agency to help you in your talent search, it’s critical that they are on board with your thinking. They need to be clear that you are not just willing, but proactive about recruiting flexibly; otherwise all your hard work will be undermined. So:
Partner with flexible recruitment experts
An easy way to make sure your recruitment partners mirror your approach is to work with a flexible-focused jobs site, such as Timewise Jobs. As well as providing access to 90,000 high-calibre candidates, our team can help you phrase your position on flexible working in the most appealing way. And of course, posting your job on Timewise Jobs sends a clear message that you are an inclusive, flexible employer.
Speak out about your approach
Finally, once your flexible recruitment strategy is in place, and working, speak out about what you’re doing. Share stories about flexible workers on your website. Write up case studies of successful flexible recruitment campaigns and publish them on LinkedIn. Sponsor awards or campaigns, such as the Timewise Power 50.
Again, this is something the Timewise Jobs team can help with. As well as boosting your presence on our site with traditional display ads, we can help you build a microsite which links to your company profile, create a content strategy and deliver an email campaign. These elements all work together to ensure that your brand story is well put-together and clearly communicated.
As a candidate recently said to one of the Timewise Jobs team: “I’m hugely ambitious, but I also need to work flexibly, so I make sure I do my research before I start job hunting. If a potential employer isn’t openly mentioning a commitment to flexible working, I probably won’t be right for them – or them for me – so I tend to steer clear.”
The end goal of recruiting flexibly is that the best available candidates will seek you out and want to work with you. So don’t just sign up for flexible recruitment; prioritise it, and shout about it.
Published June 2021
By Emma Stewart, Co-Founder Timewise
Does flexible working improve productivity? That’s the question I was invited to consider by wellbeing specialists Carnegie Trust UK, for their collection of essays, Can Good Work Solve the Productivity Puzzle?
The short answer is yes, from what we know, but we need to know more. I’ll explain why below; if you’re interested in the longer answer, it’s chapter 15 in the collection.
So what do we know? Well, there is some (limited) data on the link between flex and productivity. A 2014 survey by BT found that the productivity of flexible workers increased by 30%. Similarly, a YouGov survey from 2015 suggested that 30% of office workers felt their productivity increased when they worked remotely. And in a study of flexible workers undertaken by Cranfield University[1], over 90% of managers said the quantity and quality of work improved or stayed the same.
Additionally, there is an argument for flexible working having an indirect impact on productivity, due to its direct effect on other workplaces issues. Flexible working has been shown to boost talent attraction, retention and progression, and drive inclusion and diversity. It also delivers better work life balance, with the knock on effect of supporting mental and physical health and wellbeing.
It’s therefore not a huge leap to assume that if you’re working fewer days a week, or in a job that fits with your life, you are likely to be more engaged. Or that working from home, with fewer interruptions, can increase your output. Or that hanging on to experienced, knowledgeable staff will help the whole team succeed.
Certainly, these assumptions have contributed to increased interest, and trials of, the four-day working week. A key early example of this, Perpetual Guardian in New Zealand, ran a pilot which they say revealed a 20% increase in productivity. And a number of companies in the UK have followed suit.
However, as I’ve explained in detail elsewhere, introducing a four-day working week isn’t just a schedule tweak. In frontline and shift-based sectors, such as teaching, retail or manufacturing, it is hugely complicated to introduce – or only possible to do so at a prohibitively high cost to the business.
So if the four-day working week isn’t the answer, what is? I believe there are two big steps we need to take if we’re to use flexible working to solve the productivity puzzle:
At Timewise, we’re already on this journey. We’ve led a number of research projects exploring innovative flexible options, in complex sectors such as nursing, teaching and retail. Right now, we’re piloting flexible working in the construction industry, and investigating the role that flexibility can play in supporting returners and older workers.
But to really embed this work, we need more social partnerships between business sector bodies and agents for change, backed by government and industry investments. That’s the way to take productivity to the next level, whilst delivering a happier, healthier workforce.
Published January 2020
[1] Cranfield University/Working Families 2008: “Flexible Working and Performance”
By Karen Mattison, Co-Founder, Timewise
As flexible working becomes more widespread, most forward-looking leaders are on board with the big-ticket issues, like the value of flexible hiring or the need to create roles with flexibility built in. But less well-known, perhaps, is the impact that smaller, personal actions can have.
I was reminded of one of these recently, when a 2017 article about leaving loudly popped up on the Timewise Instagram feed. The article focused on Robbert Rietbrook, then CEO of PepsiCo Australia and New Zealand, and his belief that bosses should model the behaviour they want to see. Or, as he puts it, “If you are younger or more junior, you need to be able to see your leaders go home, to be comfortable to leave”. Based on my experience, and the conversations I’ve had, he’s spot on.
When a company’s leaders are focused on time spent at a desk rather than work done or objectives achieved, it leads to an unhealthy workplace culture. One in which people leave jackets on chairs to give the impression they’re working late. In which working parents feel they have to sneak out down the back stairs at 5pm (despite having started early to compensate). It can even cause people to struggle in when they’re unwell, which can affect their long term mental and physical health.
In contrast, if you’re a leader who chooses to leave loudly, you’ll send a clear message about your views on work-life balance:
It may seem like a tiny shift; but the impact is anything but. Leaving loudly helps create a positive working environment in which your staff are trusted and supported to work in the way that suits them best, with a sustainable work-life balance.
From a straight business-case perspective, this will have a positive effect on issues such as retention, productivity and absenteeism. From a human one, it will ensure you’re creating a culture in which your team know that they are valued and are able to thrive.
And it’s not just about hometime; there are other small changes that can help set the right tone. For example, making it clear on your signature that you don’t expect an instant response to out-of-hours emails will reinforce the fact that you value your employees’ free time.
So yes, let’s tackle the big stuff, like being proactive about offering part-time or flexible working arrangements and championing those who do so. Let’s make sure we create properly flexible roles that allow people to balance their work and home lives successfully. But let’s also leave loudly, and show by example that balancing work and life really is OK.
Published December 2019
