Planners’ Picks — May 18, 2021

Planners’ Picks:

A collection of resources from CSN planning committee members worth mentioning

This week we have resources for hybrid work models, and communication with your staff about values, kindness, and more.

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The Future of Meetings is NOW

Before Covid-19 (BC), we typically preferred to meet face-to-face (F2F) and did our best to prepare for and facilitate effective meetings assuming that context. During the pandemic, nearly all of us were forced to work in the virtual format and found that though at times it wasn’t optimal, it was doable. As we all begin to return to the F2F context, it’s becoming apparent that many organizations will allow employees to work from home at least some of the time. This seems like a win-win arrangement that may save the organization money in terms of facilities costs, while at the same time reducing stress, time and money spent on transportation, and increasing employee freedoms.

As we move back into our workspaces in this time of transition, we believe more “Hybrid” gatherings (meetings, events and conferences where part of the group is F2F and part of it is virtual) will become commonplace. This is the future of meetings. And it is happening NOW. Some thoughts from the team at Journey of Collaboration on hybrid meetings of the future.

https://www.journeyofcollaboration.com/the-future-of-meetings-is-now/

What employees are saying about the future of remote work

Organizations may have announced a general intent to embrace hybrid virtual work going forward, but too few of them have shared details. Employees say the lack of specifics is leaving them anxious.

https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/what-employees-are-saying-about-the-future-of-remote-work

The Dos and Don’ts of Remote Work Etiquette

If you’ve shifted to remote work over the last year, you’ve undoubtedly had to recalibrate your approach to professional communications and relations. After a few months of adapting, the best etiquette and processes for interacting remotely with colleagues are becoming clear.

Core to these new best practices is empathy, which is central to kindness. Understanding your coworkers and their perspectives also helps foster an enjoyable workplace—even when it also happens to be your living room.

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/tips-for-working-remotely/

Don’t Underestimate the Power of Kindness at Work

Everybody wants to be happy. But how can we meet that sometimes elusive goal? This was a difficult question even before the global pandemic, but nowadays just thinking about it can seem futile. When life is measured by back-to-back Zoom meetings, even taking a shower can seem like a win.

The transformation of the workplace into scheduled online meetings has led to another source of deprivation: The removal of serendipitous encounters. For many people, hearing a colleague say, “Thank you so much” in the hallway, or a manager telling you “Great job” after a presentation were a highlight of office life. Now, these seem like traditions from another lifetime. Without water cooler interactions, casual lunches, and coffee breaks with colleagues, we don’t have the same opportunities for social connection as before. Without them, it can be much harder to find joy in our work. So, what can we do about it?

We offer a humble suggestion: Kindness. This past year, most management advice has focused on how to sustain productivity during the pandemic, yet the power of kindness has been largely overlooked. Practicing kindness by giving compliments and recognition has the power to transform our remote workplace.

https://hbr.org/2021/05/dont-underestimate-the-power-of-kindness-at-work

Want to Keep Your Best Employees From Leaving? Ask Them These 5 Questions

Leadership Coach Marcel Schwantes says the “stay interview” is here to stay. If you’re new to the idea, stay interviews, unlike the exit interview, are based on honest two-way conversations between manager and employee, where each side gets to listen, ask questions, and agree to follow up on ideas and action plans.

The real difference just might save your best people from abandoning ship. Stay interviews are intentionally used to get fresh insight into improving the work environment to retain those valued employees today — not after they have emotionally checked out and stopped caring.

https://www.inc.com/marcel-schwantes/want-to-keep-your-best-employees-from-leaving-ask-them-these-5-questions.html

Letting Go (Learning Delegation) with Robert Glazer

For managers, success is much less about the work they do and more about the performance of their team. Great managers lead others to do great work, rather than doing everything themselves.

Making this shift requires a change in muscle memory, and I find that most new managers inevitably fall into one of two traps. They may fail to delegate, jumping in to solve problems for their team, completing every task themselves and suffocating their team with micromanagement. Or, by contrast, they may delegate without setting proper expectations or providing clear instructions, then expect things to turn out exactly as they would have done it themselves. More from Robert in this week’s Friday Forward newsletter:

https://www.robertglazer.com/friday-forward/learning-delegation/

What Are Your Core Values?

In both of the recent book clubs CSN has led (Elevate and What Matters at Work) we’ve talked a lot about defining your core values as a road map for your decisions and actions in life and at work. Take this free Emotional Agility Values Identifier Quiz to help figure out your set of values. Knowing how yours relate to others in your care or above you can make all of the difference in how you communicate and interact with them.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/susanadavidphd_by-truly-seeing-your-team-members-and-knowing-activity-6788567946269646848-I_Bl

How to Make the Most of 1:1 Meetings with Your Boss

Everyone wants to have good meetings, especially the one-on-one meetings with their boss. Many people dread them, but those meetings are the foundation for success. It’s possible to not only excel in them but to come away from them feeling more productive and energized. Whether you meet with your boss weekly, quarterly, or even just once a year, here are some tips from author and leadership coach Lolly Daskal for making the most of that time and how to manage up.

https://www.lollydaskal.com/leadership/how-to-make-the-most-of-one-on-one-meetings-with-your-boss/

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Upcoming Events:

TOMORROW: Free Virtual Bucky’s Workout on May 19

Enjoy a free, energizing, lunchtime workout! Rec Well instructors will lead a free virtual workout on Wednesday, May 19, noon–12:50 p.m. UW-Madison staff, faculty, and students (including May grads) of all fitness levels are welcome and encouraged to join. The event is also a Well Wisconsin employer-sponsored activity.

https://recwell.wisc.edu/buckysworkout/

Managing Through the Muck: Handling Change and Transition on June 2

Presented by: CSN Planners

“All great changes are preceded by chaos.” Deepak Chopra

This quote sums up the last 14 months well for most of us! During this workshop, you will learn best practices on how to manage and cope with “muck” such as change, transition, stress, burnout, and how to help those around you, including the teams with whom you interact.

Change and transition could be something that excites people who love opportunities for growth, learning about new things, or who like to shift the status quo. However, in the last year, we have had to adapt, grow and learn in an ever-changing environment without much certainty or choice.

In this session, Campus Supervisors Network facilitators will reflect on the challenges and lessons learned from the changes of 2020 and focus on upcoming change such as returning to the office or workplace/space for some of us, and how to best navigate through it.

During this session we will offer breakouts on two different aspects of change:

  • Return to work on campus
  • Handling the stress of change outside of your control

We will also share articles and other resources around these concepts.

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

10:00 am-11:30 am

Online Zoom Meeting

Pre-register here: https://go.wisc.edu/s0h32e