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You and your team have been working remotely, some employees and leaders thriving, others not so much. You have sprinted your way to operational and technology solutions, making sure your teams health is at the forefront. You may have downsized, or adjusted your teams hours and salaries. You may have seen a huge downturn in your volumes. Or a huge upswing in activity. You may have closed the doors completely. The change has been intense and immense – for everyone. So… now what? What do you do to prepare for the next scenario? The lifting of restrictions, the return to work? What does your Business Workforce Recovery Plan look like? Now is the time to start your planning, if you haven’t already. Have you recorded the positives out of #COVID-19 ways of working? What opportunities will you embrace out of this shift? What will you retain and what will you drop like a hot potato? Will you do a full “snapback” (ugh) or really take the time now to plan what your workforce, your workplace and your business priorities will resemble in the next phase of the “new normal”? What does your workforce composition look like coming out the other side? Will you retain a fully remote workforce or a combination? Will you embrace the #gig economy and adjust ratios of contractors to FTE? Where you have reduced staffing levels, how do you rebuild the tacit business knowledge you may have lost? Will you need to continue to reduce costs? How do you do that without looking just at your labour costs? How do you ensure business knowledge is retained if you do decide that labour reductions are the immediate solution? What else can give you immediate reductions in cost and drive longer-term efficiencies? What work practices need to change or adjust or be maintained to provide those short and longer-term efficiencies? Will you need to scale to support rapid growth? How do you do that whilst maintaining quality of service and/or products? What are the enablers of growth within your organisation? How does technology support your growth and how do you ensure a full uptake of new technology within your teams? What business activities can be automated? What are the key skills you need to maintain quality at speed? Has your business pivoted so quickly you need to backtrack to fill gaps? How do you continue to maintain the flexibility and agility you used during COVID-19 to pivot so quickly? What does that mean for your workforce now and in the future? What are the key skills required to maintain that flexibility? What does your vendor mix look like? Has your business offshored or outsourced and now needs to reintegrate? Or do you see the opportunity to move some tasks to lower cost locations, vendors or other teams within the business? How do you know what work forms part of your core business and needs to be retained to drive your competitive advantage? And what work can be moved or removed? What skills impact your strategy and what skills are impacted by your strategy? What mindset shifts do you need to work on with your teams? What coaching do your leaders need to continue working in an inclusive way? What gaps in behaviours have you seen? What positive shifts have taken place that you want to retain? What are the immediate critical skills you need to retain or rebuild? Are they thinking, achieving, relating or technical skills that have been the game-changers through COVID-19? What skills does your business need for recovery and beyond? One of the key takeaways from our most recent HR roundtable (register here to be included in the next one) was that all businesses should record what is working right now – when it is over, you won’t remember! Write it down, have your leadership team write it down, have your employees write it down! Successes and lessons learned – capture them while they are happening, so you have a frame of reference in your planning. What is working well? What should be retained? What is not working well? What should be shelved? Workforce recovery planning needs to start now so you are not scrambling to catch up when things shift again. Schedule a complimentary workforce assessment here to help you plan your plan! Our “Future of Work” handout from the first Sense / Humanitas / Optimal Roundtable last year is also a good place to start, but don't wait - you don't want to be slammed by the wave again! Author: Jude Mahony 26th April 2020 The Optimal Resourcing mapping of your future workforce approach includes: identification of critical roles and skills that fit your long-term strategy, an adaptable workforce composition plan, talent retention and acquisition strategies that ensure your team can continually evolve to meet the changing demands of your business. Contact us for more information

What has become very clear over the course of the last few weeks, is that the skills of the future and our future workforce is here with a vengeance. If you’ve been lucky (!?!) enough to hear me on my soapbox, then you would have heard me say that the future of work is now and has always been now. Skills have always changed, the demands of our world and environment have forced us to continually change how we work, where we work and what work is undertaken. The workforce has always changed, adapted and adjusted to suit the conditions, and so have we, to stay relevant and employable. We may not have always been in front of the curve, but we haven’t been far behind (sometimes running to catch up as some of us are now!). We have tried our hardest to be a step ahead, but that hasn’t always been possible with the rate of change of technology and global conditions. The world of work I entered a few moons ago, is very different to the world of work of yesterday and the world of work of today, is hugely different again. Changes in technology have been vast in my work lifetime and will continue to grow and evolve with machine learning and artificial intelligence. The fear that computers are taking our jobs is a very real fear for some (notably HR – not CEO’s), but data out of the US suggests that there is actually only one specific job that has disappeared completely due to technology (read about that here). There are definitely jobs that have changed due to technology, and roles that will continue to change due to technology, but one thing is obvious right at this point in time – there are a huge number of roles that are more relevant than ever and will not be impacted severely by technology. Tasks have definitely disappeared or changed (most for the better), but remember, jobs are made up of tasks which can, and do, flex across different jobs. Those tasks require specific skills to undertake and those skills are adapting and adjusting as the tasks move across jobs, teams and in some cases, locations; or the tasks change with technological improvements. The skills of the future, as defined by WEF in 2016, are not necessarily technical skills, but personal or transferrable skills. (I really dislike the term “soft-skills” and the connotations that go with it. These skills are actually the super-power skills that are transferrable across industries, across locations, across roles and should not be understated). Those WEF top 10 transferrable skills for 2020: complex problem solving, critical thinking, creativity, people management, coordinating with others, emotional intelligence, judgment and decision making, service orientation, negotiation, cognitive flexibility They are similar to the top 10 skills from 2015, with a change in their priority and the addition of emotional intelligence and cognitive flexibility. Let’s be honest, in this COVID-19 world, the top three transferrable skills are clearly required to navigate the constantly changing demands, information overload and understanding how to work and socialise in this new (virtual) reality. Also critical is the ability to apply your emotional intelligence (EI) and resilience to this situation. Though EI is not in the top three, it is a new addition to the top 10 from 2015 and is seen as a key requirement in this Fourth Industrial Revolution – even more essential in this rapidly changing environment. The jobs that are in high demand are roles that have always been in high demand and require: 1. those top three transferrable skills: complex problem solving, critical thinking, and creativity which are absolute pre-requisites for any care-giver roles (medical and non-medical), leadership positions, hospitality, retail, logistics – pretty much any business related positions that need a different lens applied to how to stay in business, how to stay relevant and how to stay economically viable. 2. emotional intelligence to be able to respond, not react, to what can be an anxiety filled new reality for individuals and teams; and EI for your own self-awareness and ability to remain calm and rational during a storm of emotionally charged interactions. Our front-line workers are showing their amazing technical skills, AND their well-developed emotional intelligence when dealing with a world upended. All of these in-demand jobs require stores of resilience, emotional intelligence and superior cognitive abilities to be able to remain calm and collected in pressure-cooker situations. (Huge hats off.) Some of these roles will change in the future (maybe automation of warehousing akin to the movie “Storks”), as tasks change with technology, but what won’t change are those transferrable super-power skills. We have seen a change in hiring attitudes already where redeployment of employees from airlines into retail chains has been solely reliant on transferrable skills (eg Jetstar to Woolies for instance - customer service skills are key) with no or limited reliance on technical capabilities. The future of work and the skills of the future are here and now, and being used adeptly and creatively! Technology, social and emotional skills are the skills that will continue to accelerate. Tasks will continue to need to be undertaken. How, where and by who those tasks are completed and what specific skills are required, will need some essential, targeted workforce planning. If you are struggling to understand how you can improve your transferrable skills and keep up with the changes, have a look at some of our online emotional intelligence assessments and courses, and technology specific learning packages here. For support with workforce planning and understanding your critical roles, skills and behavioural requirements, contact us here. We can help you to benchmark your key skills across different roles and build your workforce to suit. For those in genuine hardship, please reach out – we are happy to help, no matter your financial circumstances. Author: Jude Mahony 4th April 2020

After my last post, many people reached out for support on remote working and how to keep connected through what are increasingly anxious times. Flexible work arrangement discussions have offered a distraction from the anxiety of how to deal with the spread of COVID-19, ensuring social distancing and protecting the vulnerable in our community. Remote working also brings it’s own anxiety, especially for those who are not used to working without being surrounded by others, and also to leaders who are not used to managing remote teams. If you have never worked remotely (even if you have, it is worth a reminder), there are some tips that will make it more enjoyable for you, as well as ensuring you are keeping connected and hopefully removing some of the associated anxiety. Those colleagues who attended our most recent Roundtable at Norton Rose Fulbright (hosted by Sense Recruitment, facilitated by Bianca Starcevich and myself) will know that #loneliness was one of the top trending topics for HR for 2020. Even more relevant now with the lockdowns in some countries and potential for more isolation through this pandemic. Though isolation and loneliness do not go hand-in-hand (let’s face it, you can be lonely in the middle of a crowd), finding strategies on how to ensure self-isolation or quarantine does not lead to loneliness, and maintaining your ongoing mental wellness, is critical. To help you stay healthy, connected and engaged we have put together our top tips for remote working. Let’s start with you as an employee Set up regular check-ins with your manager. These don’t need to be formal, but do need to be regular to give you both a chance to debrief on work and personal circumstances. Make a list of colleagues you interact with the most during your normal day and week. Develop an engagement and communication plan with their input. How will you keep in contact? Will it be by phone, email, Facetime, Skype, Slack, Teams, instant message or video? How often will you touch base? A few times a day, once a day, once a week? More or less often than normal? I would err on the side of more often, where possible. Will it be a formal “these are our priorities for the day” or an informal “hey, did you see that cat meme on FB?” Whatever works for you and for them! Use video wherever possible. Remember how easy it is to misconstrue context of emails, instant messages and texts without the benefit of body language to convey meaning! Maintain a routine. Getup at your normal time, get ready for the “office” in your usual way. Yes, it can be tempting just to stay in your PJ’s and uggboots, but try to find a balance between sleepwear and suits! Dress appropriately – especially for those video calls! (We’ve all heard the nightmare stories of the person who only had their underwear on during a video call and didn’t realise their camera was panning as they stretched….) Take regular breaks. Unless you are lucky enough to have a full office setup at home, you are more than likely working from a less than ideal non-ergonomic workstation (ie laptop on your lap or dining table!) There are a number of checklists you can review for your home working situation, however having a regular break, standing up, stretching can give your body a bit of relief. Find somewhere within your home you can use as your “home office”. A quiet, dedicated spot away from distractions is ideal. If that’s not feasible, use your headphones to try and remove any noise from others around you. Don’t forget, if you are wearing noise-cancelling headphones especially, you will be louder when you speak! Be mindful of others as well. Use phone calls as an opportunity to stand up and stretch your legs. You don’t need to purchase a full sit-to-stand desk, but having a routine in place to stand and stretch whenever the phone rings is good practice, especially for your informal catch-ups when you are maintaining relationships! If your hours need to change because of your environment, let your leader know. Flexible work arrangements may not work for some businesses – you may need to be at your desk from 8am to 4pm, if that isn’t possible, talk to your leader. As a leader Place as much importance on relationships as tasks! Do not become so focussed on ensuring people are “doing” that you forget they are human and will need to continue to interact with their colleagues and family/friends. Remember that your team will add value whether they are in the office or working remotely. It is not just about presentee-ism. Don’t add layers of decision making. You do not need to be the decision maker for every minute detail just to ease your anxiety – you will become the bottleneck and will actually de-value the work being undertaken as well as erode the engagement of your team. Be very clear on your expectations (don’t wait until your team is remote – this should already have happened, but if it hasn’t, now is your opportunity to step up as a leader). Be clear, outcomes focussed and provide consistent feedback. Do not forget about feedback loops – positive and not so positive! Keep in regular contact. Not just to check on the tasks being undertaken – build relationships, ask about your team member. Ask about their family, their pet, their favourite coffee, their living arrangements, their extended family. Build relationships. If you haven’t already, now is a perfect opportunity. Trust your team to be adults. No-one comes to work to do a bad job (well… 99.9% of people don’t…), and if that workplace has moved to their home environment, they are more likely to be far more productive (Google it…) Be realistic on the hours your team are working and available. Just because they have dropped an hour and a half in commute time each way, doesn’t mean they will now work 15 hour days instead of 12! Be flexible on those hours. Working from home can have a different structure to it. Especially when you have others within the household also doing the same! Be understanding but also set guidelines. You need your team to be mentally well, which means allowing some flex for the circumstances they may be finding themselves in. Lead by example. Don’t be available every second of the day. You need to show your team that it is ok to take a break, exercise, eat! If you are online and answering emails, calls, texts from 5am to midnight, you are not doing anyone (especially yourself) any favours. REMEMBER, people leave managers… Be a strong, supportive leader who respects and cares for their team. Respond don’t react… Use this opportunity for your own self-development. Build your emotional intelligence, without the physical cues you are used to! This is an anxious time for everyone. Build your empathy, resilience and trust in your team. They need you more than ever to be their guide, supporter and anchor. Offer employee assistance programmes if they are available, provide other alternatives if they are not. Use them yourself if you need to. Remember to focus on what you can control, and as a leader, if you find yourself without the support you are giving your team, we are a phone, Zoom or Skype call away! See our original LinkedIn post here Author: Jude Mahony 22nd March 2020

Attitudes towards remote working reminds me of the onset of ATM’s – until we were forced to use them, we didn’t want to… but where would you be now if you had to wait until 10am on a weekday for the bank to open so you could get some cash? Very annoyed – that’s where you would be. Like any change, remote working is resisted. Fear is what drives most change resistance. What does that mean for me? What will I lose? For many leaders the fear of losing control by not being able to physically see or touch (not literally we hope!) their employees can be confronting. Presentee-ism is real. It is generational, but also has an underlying behavioural / psychological piece. “I know I’m in control and my people are productive when I can see my team are here in front of me”. How much data is there that shows remote workers are more productive, more engaged and (usually!) working longer hours than their counterparts who are sitting at a desk from 9 till 5? Truckloads! Don’t believe me? Google “are remote workers more productive” and you will be drowned in articles and research reports on productivity and engagement that support the remote and flexible working scenarios. And yet there are still a large number of organisations that don’t support remote work. Or they do, but only in emergencies… Well guess what? COVID-19 is an emergency not seen in this capacity, this industrial revolution, this scale, this environment before and it is going to push many businesses and individuals to test their long-held beliefs. It will FORCE remote working and, I hope, create the step-change in our culture that is needed. I am a firm believer that many, if not most, work activities can be done from anywhere given the right tools and behaviours. There are clearly activities that need to be location-specific (it's a bit hard for me to get my daily coffee from a virtual assistant… but then... they can order it for me via UberEats... someone still needs to make it if I’m not going to do that myself and the delivery driver / rider clearly can’t be virtual!) Coffee aside, in most organisations there are activities that are not location-dependent and can be done from anywhere. Let's look at Italy who are in complete lock-down. There are clearly tasks that cannot be undertaken during that lockdown, but there are also many businesses that are still working through this challenge and will continue to work through via other means - virtual meetings, remote access to name a couple. This won’t be the last lockdown that occurs – it may not be a whole country again, but it will certainly (and is already) specific regions, towns and businesses. What are you doing as an organisation to prepare for this? Reviewing the work of your teams, understanding your value propositions (what do you need to deliver to your customer!) and how that value proposition is undertaken (what the experts call “Value Chain Mapping”) is a great first step in identifying the work that is actually required to deliver your products or services to your customers. From there you can understand the activities or work-tasks that need to be completed and it quickly becomes clear what can be done remotely and what is dependent on being in a specific location. Global nomads are on the rise, the gig economy is booming, the silver economy is here. The workforce is liquid – it is constantly moving from role to role, career to career. The work is specialised, outcomes based, cross functional, networked, collaborative - teams are agile and self-managed. The future of work is here, are you ready? I firmly believe there is a much bigger wave coming and it’s going to forever change the composition of your workforce, your work and your workplace! COVID-19 may be the catalyst, but this wave has been building for a long time. Digital first workforces and workplaces are the norm. You don’t need to be a first mover in this space, but you do need to keep up. How do you make sure you don’t miss the wave and find yourself upside down swallowing seawater or slammed into the sand? Author: Jude Mahony 12th March 2020