Skip to main content
Tag

hybrid work

May 01

In ‘The Room’ where it happens: Setting the space for interpersonal communication

By Sponsor Insight

by Christy Shepard and Jan Frazier of Planning Plus, LLC

Before the recent days of remote and hybrid work models, work was conducted in very static and finite methods and places. The paradigm shifts from employer-driven to employee-driven decision making and work life integration has afforded today’s worker choices and options for work engagement, participation, and lifestyle.

Employers are competing for employees at record levels and remote and hybrid work models are very attractive to multiple generations of people. No longer do we need to be “in the room” where it happens, as we have access to people and information like never before. Technological tools have broken barriers and stigmas, allowing workplaces to build healthy and dynamic organizational cultures that support the goals of the business and people that work in them. But with information and decision making moving through organizations at the speed of light, how do we ensure we are still making “the room” for the necessary thought and decision making to effectively problem solve?

‘The Room Where it Happens’, sung by Hamilton’s Aaron Burr in the popular Broadway musical, expresses many of the downsides workers have faced in the great transition from work from ‘working from home.’ Recently we have been involved in several significant projects involving multiple people where the work was done via emailing, texting, phone calls, Zoom, etc. Rarely were all players “in the room” at the same time. This led to delays in creating consensus solutions and became quite inefficient. Email may be efficient, Zoom is a step above, but where is the “room” for creative thinking, brainstorming, back-and-forth discussions? We may get the work done, but is it the best work we could have done?

Well before the Internet, Zoom, and other technological tools we have today, in 1989 the textbook Organizational Behavior by Robert Kreitner and Angelo Kinicki was published (Richard D. Irwin, Inc.). Based on their research, a Contingency Model for Selecting Communication Media was created by Richard L. Daft and Robert H. Lengel. In this model, they compared the appropriate media to use for communication information based on the richness of the medium and the complexity of the problem or situation. Fast forward to 2023 and we recognize that their principles still hold true.

Richness of the medium refers to how a message may be received and the level of interaction that may follow. We know that emails, written reports, and other forms of mechanical communication are generally impersonal, may or may not be read, and may or may not elicit any observable responses. Communication that involves more face-to-face communication, whether in person or via Zoom, allows the speaker to observe nonverbal communication as well as receive immediate feedback.

Over the years, the original model by Daft and Lengel has been updated but its essence has not changed. The figure below illustrates the information richness of different information channels.

Principles of Management – Open Textbook (umn.edu).

As you think about communicating information with your team or throughout your organization, identify how complex the situation is and match it to a more appropriate forum for discussion.

In this post-COVID work world, employees have become quite comfortable working from home, and we have seen articles where in some cases productivity has not been affected. But productivity alone should not be the deciding factor. We continue to encourage our clients to bring folks into the workspace at least weekly, to allow for critical interpersonal communication and decision making to happen when everyone is in the room.

Oct 03

All leaders must adapt to the new world of work

By Sponsor Insight

Establishing an employee-centric work environment is a good business strategy

by Sara Johnson, director, executive education, clinical associate professor

The world of work is changing — and so are workers’ expectations. The call to leaders is clear: Adapt now or risk the organization’s future.

Adaptability is one of the keys to effective leadership. Those who adapt well know how to adjust their style when the situation calls for it. Another key is continual learning — being willing to find new ways to do things that will help you lead others and your organization while also improving worker satisfaction and organizational outcomes.

These elements of effective leadership are especially necessary in our current work environment. As employees around the world return to offices and worksites, leaders must recognize and act upon the reality of our new world of work. Not doing so means potentially losing good workers and watching organizations fail as a result. The price of this turnover can have a ripple effect on our communities and society, including economic impacts, hiring challenges, and an increased competition for quality workers.

Evidence of a workforce shift already is mounting. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 11.5 million workers quit their jobs between April and June of 2021. People are rethinking what is important to them and … well … it’s no longer “business as usual.”

According to Shahar Erez, CEO of the freelance talent platform Stoke, “The Great Resignation is propelled by three forces: the changing generation, the economic crisis, and the realization among employees that they can have a different social contract — spending more time with family when they work remote and skip the commute.”

In addition to those factors, workers say personal safety also is a consideration during the ongoing pandemic. As new strains of COVID-19 spread, working in a collective environment doesn’t feel safe to some.

Navigating a changing landscape

So, how does a leader adapt to navigate these new realities? Learning fast is necessary as is recognizing that what was once important to their workforce is no longer a priority. In the 2000s, many companies focused on fun — creating workspaces with recreational activities so that their employees could play and decompress at work. Fast forward to today and fun has fallen by the wayside.

In a recent article in the Harvard Business Review, “Future-Proofing Your Organization,” the authors note that what matters to employees now is having their work connect to a meaningful purpose. They also value inclusiveness and autonomy. Workers want to be trusted to do their jobs — on their terms, and leaders need to understand how to balance their employees’ personal needs with the company’s ongoing business strategy.

For years, we have said that a good business strategy includes a focus on customers. Customer-centric business practices have been put in place to achieve this strategic goal. It is now time to use employee-centric business practices that will meet the needs and demands of your workforce; a
workforce that will now choose where to work based on how autonomously and meaningfully they can work.

Leaders, my advice to you is this: Quickly make the shift to being more employee centric. While it may force you into uncharted waters, adapting will help the future success of your organization, those you serve, and your employees as we navigate this new world of work.

Dec 06

6 leading nonprofit trends to look out for in 2022

By Feature

Philanthropic researcher, educator predicts a year focused on equity, smaller donor pools, innovation, mission and new HR policies

by Shari Finnell, editor/writer, Not-for-profit News

As local nonprofit teams plan for another calendar year, the agenda most likely will include strategies for embracing change, innovation and sustainability in numerous areas, according to Amir Pasic, Eugene R. Tempel Dean of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.

With the pandemic and social protests representing some of the most disruptive events in the nation’s history, nonprofits are being forced to regroup on how to carry out their mission and operations, Pasic noted. “Almost all of our lives were turned upside down in many ways,” Pasic said. “The nonprofit philanthropic sector was no exception.”

Pasic pointed out six trends that nonprofits will likely need to address as they move into a new year.

1. Integrating equity as a long-term solution. While conversations and news around racial equity may not be as intense at the height of social justice protests, it will remain at the forefront of agendas of nonprofits, Pasic said. 

“When you had the kind of material, economic consequences of COVID, and then afterwards the killing of George Floyd and other black citizens, you saw the rise of racial reckoning and that becoming a global phenomenon. Equity and inclusion became major topics,” he said. “The fervor might have dissipated a bit, but I think those priorities are going to be there permanently for the nonprofit sector because so many of us became aware of the fact that our institutions and practices have been exclusionary.”

With the growing awareness around racial equity, Pasic added, it will have a “differential impact on nonprofits, depending on where they stand.”

2. Relying on a smaller pool of donors, mostly wealthy. Another trend that emerged during the pandemic is a shrinking pool of donors, Pasic said. “One of areas of research that has been interesting but somewhat worrisome is that giving continued to grow, but it came from a smaller number of donors,” Pasic said. “There was pretty strong evidence that donations are coming from a smaller number of wealthier people. We will be looking to determine if that trend will continue.”

Pasic said that nonprofits will need to make further adjustments if that trend remains. They will need to understand the best strategies for engaging a smaller number of donors until they can expand their donor base. “They need to ask, ‘How do you balance that with planning for a future where you’re trying to replenish those donors over time?’,” Pasic said

3. Rethinking employee work schedules. Another concern related to equity emerged during the pandemic when some employees easily transitioned to working online, while others faced downsizing or layoffs because they jobs demanded an in-person presence,according to Pasic.

Human resource leaders will need to explore ways to adopt hybrid work models while addressing the needs of all employees. “It looks like there’s going to be all kinds of different combinations of people working remotely,” he said.  

4. Offering a mix of in-person and online volunteer/giving opportunities. During the pandemic, a significant number of nonprofits offered volunteers ways to continue to support the mission remotely, Pasic said. “More people started giving online, engaging online and trying to figure out who they can help online,” he said. “At the same time, we saw an upsurge in neighbors helping their neighbors. We saw people knocking on the doors of neighbors they may never have met before to see if they could help by shopping for groceries.

“I think we’re going to see more of this type of decision-making in the future,” he added. “People will continue to figure out what it is that they can do remotely and when they have to travel.”

5. Remind your team of your mission. With many nonprofit organizations undergoing unprecedented changes in adjusting to challenges, it’s important to take the time to focus on the mission, Pasic said.

“In times of difficulty, it’s important to remind yourself why you exist. What is your mission?” he said. “Revive that purpose. It’s not only a time to remind yourself of what that is, but for those who are your champions. It can sometimes be forgotten when we’re all scrambling to make it through the day, but I think that that sense of mission can be rejuvenated and give you some energy to start the next day.”

6. Embrace innovation as an ongoing pursuit. “The pandemic has shown us that there’s no reason to keep doing the way we’ve been doing,” Pasic said. “A sense of innovation and possibilities are some of the positive things that came out of the pandemic. When we know our mission, then we can think of innovative and interesting ways to pursue that. We need to take some of the things we learned during the pandemic and apply it to the future.” 

Sep 27

Digital conveniences in a remote work environment

By Sponsor Insight

by Dave Voris, vice president, regional treasury management officer, Horizon Bank

The pandemic continues to provide organizations and their employees the opportunity to rethink whether they should return to a five-day work week in the office versus spending more time in a virtual environment.

In LinkedIn’s year-end roundup of workplace trends to watch in 2021, Harvard Business School’s Ashley Whillans predicted that companies will need to accommodate employees who have adjusted to a new routine: ” Employees will demand greater flexibility and organizations will require it. Companies may let employees work from home two or more days per week, with some opting for three days in office, two days remote, and then two days off — a 3-2-2 workweek.”

To support this new hybrid work schedule, the latest in basic banking systems will allow employees to manage finances without being tied to the office. First, digital conveniences such as online banking have provided remote capabilities for years. Treasurers can safely log into their accounts via smartphone or laptops to review balances, to view history of posted transactions, to transfer funds between accounts, to submit any stop payments, or to approve any fraud suspects that surfaced as a result of Positive Pay service.

Also, since many not-for-profits continue receive checks from donors, employees can easily deposit them into a bank account using mobile check deposit through an app. This process is very efficient for organizations that receive a relatively low volume of checks.

For not-for-profit organizations that use “Donate Here” buttons on their websites, donors can safely make one-time or repeat donations via credit card without the not-for-profit organization needing to be in direct contact with the donor. In addition, other not-for-profit organizations accept credit cards at events, despite the continued presence of the pandemic. Such mobile credit card acceptance can be easily facilitated with an app downloaded on the smart phone and supported by a handheld “card swipe” device that is about the size of your palm. All of these techniques are readily available, and very affordable, using standard banking technology.

Disbursements must be mentioned within this context of remotely working. In other words, can you pay bills without being in the office to write checks? Many organizations are adopting business bill payment systems that can be accessed via the bank’s smart phone or via the client’s laptop. These systems allow the treasurer to define payees, schedule payments, select between sending a paper check or an Automated Clearing House (ACH) transaction, and approve such payments even with dual control between two separate people.

In addition, these processes — which typically are 50 cents to 75 cents per payment — are typically less expensive than what several industry articles have suggested over the years as a total cost for sending a paper check — approximately $1.50. That paper check cost includes an assumption about the costs of envelope, paper check, postage, bank charges, and reconciliation time.

These are numerous examples that demonstrate various digital techniques about how receipts, disbursements, and information reporting can be managed within a virtual environment without the need for the treasurer to be in attendance at the office.

So, the answer is yes, not-for-profit organizations are efficiently able to conduct banking as more organizations in a remote work environment with these digital banking conveniences.

Jun 21

Developing a successful hybrid-work model

By Sponsor Insight

By Cody Lents, Partner and Change Manager at COVI, Inc.

Empower employees with choice
As vaccinations trend up and restrictions trend down, a significant number of workers are set to return to the office in coming months. Your extroverted employees are undoubtedly excited. However, their introverted counterparts may not share the same enthusiasm. So, how can you maximize morale and culture to enable the best performance out of both groups?: A thoughtfully-designed hybrid Work-from-Home (WFH) model that prioritizes both the needs of your organization’s employees and processes.

Lay the groundwork for success
The first critical step in transitioning into a hybrid WFH model is developing and communicating processes that level the playing field for both in-house and remote workers. Set clear expectations about your organization’s internal communications, cyber insurance, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy, etc., to ensure that remote workers don’t feel left behind compared to their in-person colleagues.

While remote work can be an opportunity to cut “traditional” office costs, leverage it as an opportunity to invest in your workforce. Consider using what your organization saves on overhead to provide your employees with a stipend to make working remotely more comfortable. This allows employees to outfit themselves at home with equipment like an ergonomic chair, an extra monitor, noise-canceling headphones, etc.

At the office, consider re-developing your organization’s layout to better accommodate a hybrid approach: dedicated “open-space” plans for those in and out of the office, private offices for focused work, and spaces specifically designed to encourage collaboration/socialization both face-to-face and virtually.

Invest in your infrastructure
The next critical step in transitioning your organization to a hybrid approach is ensuring your infrastructure is capable of handling the needs of employees working in different spaces. Now may be the time to upgrade your organization’s software to the enterprise level so that you can take advantage of security, communication and collaboration features.

Migrating your organization’s servers to the cloud is another way to streamline efficiency for your remote workforce. This makes it easier for your employees to collaborate and share files via a centralized location in which they can upload/save their work to.

Don’t compromise on security
With employees using a mixture of personal and company devices, it’s imperative that your organization communicates a clear security policy to ensure the safety of your data. The following three steps are a great start to a more secure digital infrastructure:

  • Determining what endpoint protection your remote workers need will aid in virus prevention. Windows Defender is a great antivirus software included in Windows 10, however, it does not meet the compliancy and security minimums of today’s security landscape.
  • Implementing two-factor authentication [2FA] is a secure way to ensure that only admins and users are allowed into accounts that would otherwise be vulnerable to cyber attacks.
  • Utilizing a virtual environment that allows devices to connect to a secure server or service, as opposed to a user’s internet connection, allows your organization to keep information encrypted, private, and safe.

Questions?
Now is the perfect time for a comprehensive technology assessment to prepare for the new-normal in our evolved workspaces. If you want to discuss what an assessment entails or if you need assistance implementing a hybrid-work approach for your organization, reach out to COVI at cody@gocovi.com for help. COVI is an Information Technology (IT) agency specializing in productivity, security, support and strategy services, located in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Apr 12

What’s next?: Make the most of a hybrid work model through strategic planning

By Feature

Local research team reveals the challenges of building an effective plan post-COVID-19, and how to overcome them

by Shari Finnell

As organizations shift their focus to a return to “normal” after COVID-19 restrictions, many leaders are realizing that they must prepare for an entirely new normal — one that accommodates employees’ desire to introduce more flexible work-from-home policies as permanent options.

Leaders can use this unprecedented crossroads to lead their organizations to a more productive environment — with the right planning, according to Sam Julka, president and founder of Doris, a company commissioned to research how remote and in-person working models impact productivity.

Sam Julka,
president and founder of Doris

Doris, which recently released a comprehensive planning guide, “Hello, Hybrid: Your Workplace Playbook:,” captured data and insights from 16 organizations throughout the Midwest to determine the different factors that contributed to work productivity under a hybrid model.

“We studied that concept very deeply,” said Julka, during a recent interview with Charitable Advisors. “We learned there were multiple definitions of the word ‘productivity.’ We also learned through this study that the hybrid work model was going to be where many organizations wind up.”

Organizations that successfully implement hybrid work models can reap numerous benefits, including higher employee retention and optimal recruiting outcomes, Julka said. However, the transition may be difficult. When compared with fully remote and fully in-person work models, hybrid models will be the most challenging to execute well for numerous reasons, Julka said.

For example, the research revealed numerous complexities beyond determining if employees will all work in the office on specified days. Teams will need to figure out policies and protocols around factors like ensuring that employees take PTO; whether it’s acceptable to send and respond to emails beyond normal work hours, managing employees’ work hours to ensure they are avoiding burnout, and assessing career advancement opportunities — whether an employee chooses to work from home or fully in the office, Julka said during the interview.

“The playbook is really meant to help any organization, specifically a leadership team that’s trying to figure out their path forward,” she said. “Instead of writing a research paper, which is what we most often do, we ended up creating a tool to make it as helpful as possible for various organizations.”

Julka noted that the playbook will guide teams through comprehensive planning and deep conversations around their hybrid model, taking into consideration scenarios that are unique to their workplace.

“I don’t think that leadership teams are going to be able to read five white papers, and then just all of sudden have the answers. There won’t be a silver bullet that everyone will be able to follow,” Julka said.

“If you’re going to do a hybrid model, you have to do a very good job of thinking deeply about what your model may look like,” she added. “There will be rigor involved in trying to figure this out, and it will be harder than it was when we all just sort of dropped the pencil at our desk in March of 2020. It will be harder as we start to figure out how to come back effectively.”

Julka also said it is important to anticipate some failure points in all the variables as organizations adapt to a new way of working. It also is critical to recognize that the foundation of a healthy hybrid model is trust and accountability among the workforce,” she said.

“If an organization is thinking about a hybrid model, our recommendation would be to have some pretty serious conversations about what it means to trust your workforce, trust your leaders and how you’re going to all hold each other accountable for what’s going to happen,” Julka said.

To hear the full interview with Sam Julka of Doris, click below.