So, you have your company Values – but now what?

How do you use your Values to drive an amazing company culture*?

If your Values are going to take hold in your organisation, they must be woven into all your people processes. It’s not enough to launch them at an ‘all hands call’ or create glossy videos and marketing materials. The value of Values isn’t that they’re represented by styled icons, look good on your website or in a document, or can be recited by rote. Their real value is that they guide the behaviours that set how you do business apart from others.

Here’s how to maximise the value of your Values, in five steps:

Step 1. Create a framework of behaviours that support your Values

Let’s kick off with an example value, Innovation.

What springs to mind when you see the value, Innovation? Being forward thinking. Looking for fresh ways to do things. Breaking new ground… These are good general ideas, but what is really important is to clearly define what you mean by Innovation in your organisation and give guidance (a framework) around the specific behaviours you expect to see. Behaviours such as being curious and open minded when problem solving, proactively staying up to date on new developments, or being flexible, adaptable and open to change.

Setting reasonable expectations for all your people across all levels of leadership – whether they are leading themself as a single contributor, leading a team directly or leading through others at a more senior leadership level – is essential.

Sharing examples of what the desired behaviours look like in practice is also important because it helps people to understand them further. In support of Innovation, you might want to encourage people to regularly talk to a colleague from a different area of the business, so they better understand others’ perspectives and become more open to alternative solutions.

Step 2. Weave your Values into everything

Look at the processes and interactions across the candidate and employee lifecycle where the desired behaviours need to be very present. For your Values to positively support your employer reputation they must be authentic – you must be consistent in what you do internally and what you say externally.

Start with your recruitment and selection process. Candidates deserve to know what’s expected of them when they join and whether their personal values align. You want people that can live with your expectations. You don’t want those that can’t. Be open about your Values from the outset and talk about them during your selection process – use a values-led interview.

Reiterate your Values and expectations with new employees during on-boarding. Measure how effectively they are being lived through your performance management process. Support their consistency through development opportunities. Demonstrate their importance through your performance process and reward and celebrate their impact with individuals and teams.

From the first interview to the last day of work, employees should be reminded about how the Values form the basis for every decision that is made, whether it’s a popular decision or not.

Step 3. Own your Values

Who owns your Values?

Everyone!

There are numerous methodologies proposed (and arguments put forward) about the best way to develop Values. They might have been created top down, bottom up or a via a mix of both. But – once you’ve agreed them – they are everyone’s to own. And everyone’s to call out.

If one of your Values is Transparency or Authenticity, then the expectation must be that anyone should be able to call out moments when any Value isn’t being role modelled – whoever they may be in the organisation. That’s the tough part. You have to be prepared to be called to account and to respond to criticism, if you are to be taken seriously, otherwise it’s better not to have Values in the first instance.

Coming up with Values and sticking to them requires real strength. They can cause pain and tough conversations, but assuming you’ve chosen the right Values for your organisation, they are there as a force for good and are your guide to ensure the right decisions are made for the benefit of your business and your customers, suppliers, partners and employees.

Step 4. Tell your story in the language of your Values

Make your Values part of your everyday language. Connect your successes and smaller day-to-day triumphs to them – where it’s authentic to do so – then communicate your Values-infused stories to everyone, internally and externally.

Remind people of the impact that living your Values brings to the business, departments, teams and individuals. Celebrate and reward those who demonstrate your Values, through awards at company gatherings and regular team meetings. Create stories around what was done, what was involved, and which Values were demonstrated. Involve people across functions, departments and teams, at all levels of seniority.

Tell stories that join you together through your Values.

Step 5. Stand by your Values

It’s vital to be clear about what isn’t acceptable as well as what is. It’s easy to praise success, but it’s equally important to act on behaviours that are not what you want. It can take real guts to stand by your Values, because it can mean making unpopular decisions. It can be uncomfortable and challenging to call out senior colleagues who are not walking the talk. But, it’s necessary.

Take the war in Ukraine. Businesses that didn’t pull their operations out of Russia quickly enough were called out by their customers and employees for not doing the right thing. In some cases, they were specially rebuked for not living their Values. These organisations ran the risk of perceived inauthenticity, and the pressure led to many being forced to close their operations. For businesses who did act fast, their employees and customers have witnessed what it means, in practice, to stand by your Values. Although profitability may have been affected in the short term, authentic behaviour has preserved reputation.

Employees, consumers and clients are ever more intolerant of inauthenticity. Constant vigilance is needed to ensure right action is taken. 

How talentsmoothie can help

We invite you to read about our recent work at Pulsant –  identifying, articulating and designing the Values and Employee Value Proposition (EVP) right for Pulsant employees and clients, and implementing them across all areas of the business.

“Throughout the process, the team provided strategic and hands-on support, as well as ‘heavy lifting’ and quality input to all touch points of the project. Our Values are now at the heart of all that we do and visible in every aspect of life at Pulsant. Talentsmoothie is a much-valued Partner in our People agenda.” Angela Paterson — Head of Talent, Pulsant

Click HERE to read our Case Study: Values and EVP at Pulsant

Whatever your Values challenge, talk to us. We can help.

*Included in our report Generation Z What They Want from Work (2022) are six questions to help you shape your Gen Z strategy. ‘How do you drive a culture based on Values?’ is the third of these. The full report is free to download here. Or read our blog post ‘How do you stand for something as an organisation?’ which tackled the first of the six questions.

justinejames@talentsmoothie.com
www.talentsmoothie.com

The post How do you drive a culture based on Values? appeared first on talentsmoothie.com.

We’ve just added a new Values and EVP Case Study to our website, with thanks to our client, Pulsant, for allowing us to share their story.

It’s exciting because this Values-led Pulsant—talentsmoothie project was born directly out of the pandemic and its impact on people. How have organisations responded, in practice, to unexpected shifts in their employees’ attitudes and behaviours?

This is your chance to find out.

A people-led opportunity

Pulsant experienced something very positive in the hiatus of the pandemic… and they asked talentsmoothie to help them capitalise on it.

Pulsant had noticed how their employees really came together to support each other through such a challenging period. Their leaders wanted to harness this spirit of ‘togetherness’ to create an aspirational employee experience and make Pulsant an even better place to work. 

A Values and EVP project

The project had the ideal starting point; the whole Leadership team was fully supportive and bought into the importance of putting people first. Our original brief was to look at the Pulsant Values and update them to be fit for purpose in the context of the new world of work; we were asked to marry these with a fresh articulation of their Employee Value Proposition (EVP) – the work environment that enables them to thrive and deliver their best for their customers, employees and suppliers.

A lasting relationship

We developed a great working relationship with the Pulsant team. From the initial ‘post-pandemic’ Values-led project, our role has become one of a longer-term trusted advisor. We continue to work with Pulsant to make sure they embed the Values across all aspects of the employee lifecycle which is the only way to effect lasting behavioural and cultural change.

A ‘People First’ journey

This is a really good example of how unexpected adversity can bring about inspiring Values-led transformation, if an organisation is alert, ‘listening’ to their people, and willing to draw on the expert support they need to make the right changes and make them last. We are delighted to be a part of Pulsant’s continuing ‘People First’ journey.

Find out more:

And, when you sense the time is right to review your organisation’s Values and EVP, talk to us. We can help.

justinejames@talentsmoothie.com
www.talentsmoothie.com

The post Creating a great Values-led workplace culture at Pulsant appeared first on talentsmoothie.com.

It’s time to stand for something*

In 2020, change happened. Yes, we were hit with the start of a global pandemic, but there was more… we experienced what seemed like a seismic shift in social activism. It was as if many of us woke up.

We started to take more notice of what was going on beyond our own worlds, perhaps because we were all at home, looking out, as events asked us to hold the mirror up to bias and inequities. We watched and engaged through our devices, or even broke Covid rules and took to the streets. We witnessed the change unfold in real time and we felt part of it. Somehow, despite the pandemic pushing us into isolation, we felt more connected to and concerned about the issues. 

What transpired from a business perspective was remarkable. People didn’t just react to tragedies, such as George Floyd’s death, from a personal perspective; they looked for and expected support from their employers – in another big shift.

Organisations were caught off guard, not knowing how to respond to being expected to make a stand, and were called out by employees when they didn’t.

Our latest Generation Z research suggests this isn’t a passing phase. Gen Zs want to work for businesses that are ethical and whose values align with their own. 80% of respondents said it’s important (Important and Very Important) that the organisation STANDS FOR SOMETHING and cares about the same things as they do. You might think, ‘This is nothing new, haven’t we always wanted this?!’ The difference now is it’s become a non-negotiable, a number one priority, whereas it’s previously been further down the list of what’s important.

“The company would need to have a good moral compass, so wouldn’t be doing anything that would support or help unethical practices or organisations. They would need to be, as a minimum, using green and renewable energy sources, and it would be great if they were actively doing something about the climate crisis.” Gen Z What They Want from Work, talentsmoothie 2022

Consumers are also on the same page. 52% of respondents to a Ford survey (Looking further with Ford: 2020 Trends) say that, beyond price and quality, they are attracted to brands that stand for something bigger than the products and services they sell, something which aligns with their own personal values. We are increasingly looking to businesses to respond to and solve social issues – never more than now. For example, related to the war in Ukraine, companies have come under extreme pressure to ‘do the right thing’ and pull out of Russia, facing backlash when they’ve delayed. Many consumers, if they are in a position to choose, will simply no longer buy from businesses whose stances on ethics, sustainability, inclusivity or fair treatment of employees (to name only a few) do not stand up to scrutiny.

Does your business take a clear view on or have a natural leaning towards a social cause? If the answer is ‘No’, now is the time to turn that into a confident ‘Yes’. It will help you become more competitive in attracting consumers of the products and services you offer as well as great employees. Here are our talentsmoothie thoughts on how to develop a strategy that enables your business to stand for something:

1. Start with your values

To be able to authentically stand for something, you have to be clear about your values. Are they meaningful both for the business and your employees? Do they help drive the right organisational culture? Have they become outdated or require a rethink? Then, once you’ve established them, you need to articulate them clearly and action them daily.

Values are your guide. Take Adidas, whose stated attitude (reflecting values) is, “Impossible is nothing” and “We are rebellious optimists driven by action to shape a future together and we see the world with possibilities where others see only the impossible”. This is clarity that can live and breathe in products, services, consumers, and at every level throughout the organisation.

When integrated fully and woven into all areas of your people strategy and ways of doing things, from attraction and selection through to exit, your values create the environment you need, both for a great Employee Experience and for your business to thrive.

2. Align with a cause

Link your values with what’s important to your business and your people; brainstorm the cause or causes you want to stand behind. You can’t stand for everything.

Get employee input. Get customer input. What do they CARE about? 

Establish your What, Why and Who: What will genuinely make a difference in your community, locally and further afield? Why will this work for your brand and your values? Who will it support? Then decide what your organisation’s unique, positive contribution is going to be – and what you are going to do about it.

Once you know the core issue or issues you support (and those that you don’t support), you can develop goals and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) around them. Create a clear narrative around cause and action – write (or re-write) your purpose and/or mission statement so that everyone can instantly know what you stand for.

Continuing the Adidas example, their stated purpose is “Through sport we have the power to change lives” with the subtext “We will always strive to expand the limits of human possibilities, to include and unite people in sport, and to create a more sustainable world.” Their mission statement sits alongside this “To be the best sports brand in the world”.

And as further food for thought… could you actively stand against something? Patagonia is a brand known for taking this approach over the years, challenging excessive consumption as part of its mission “We’re in business to save our home planet”. Consider whether a bold stance of that kind could fit better with your Why.

3. Be active – create a movement

If you really mean what you say you stand for and it is reflected in everything you do, you are on track to create a movement around your cause. It doesn’t have to be on a huge scale – you can make the difference you choose. Or aim high but start small and encourage others to help you grow.

Salesforce’s approach was to think big, educate, and invite people to join them on their journey. In January 2020, they announced a company goal to support and mobilise the conservation, restoration, and growth of 100 million trees by the end of 2030. They are on track – at time of writing they’ve planted 43,797,243 trees. Their website trees.saleforce.com leads with a tracker so you can see what’s been achieved and gives a range of ways, like becoming a “tree champion”, that you can get involved and be a part of the change. It’s a giant goal but through connecting with like-minds and creating a movement, everyone is invited to join in. They are a founding partner of 1t.org (“a platform for the trillion trees community”). Their other environmental projects reflect their sustainability priorities, and their product ‘Net Zero Cloud’ empowers both Salesforce and their customers “with a complete, actionable view of their carbon emissions data”. Their 2021 Sustainability Action Plan is published on their website for all to read and learn from.

Strive to be educational. The most interesting movements start by identifying a problem and helping us see what we can do about it. The outcome isn’t just about selling; it also gives back to the consumer in terms of new knowledge, including about what they can do.

Create employee and consumer experiences that support your cause and show the world that impact can be made one step at a time. Encourage people to follow you and engage with your cause – start a discussion, respond appropriately to external events, build a community around what you stand for, and keep communicating it clearly.

People want to see more action and fewer empty promises. In 2020 Nike flipped its tagline “Just do it” into “For once, don’t do it. Don’t pretend there’s not a problem in America. Don’t turn your back on racism.” And recognising that words alone don’t cut it, Nike’s Chief Executive, John Donahue, wrote to all employees recognising the need to “put our own house in order” and pledging 40 million dollars over four years to support the Black community in the USA. (https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/05/nike-ceo-note-to-workers-on-racism-must-get-our-own-house-in-order.html for the full letter) When it comes to how you state and live your values, purpose and mission, any hint of inauthenticity or opportunism can have a negative impact on your business. Be genuine in your choices and follow through on them, in practice, with sincere, consistent action.

How talentsmoothie can help

Whatever stage you’re at in this process, we bring the pragmatism, experience and expertise to guide you. Whether you need to review your values, establish new ones, or more consistently embed those you’ve already identified, we can help. We know how to integrate all aspects of the work needed so you can clarify, communicate and act on your purpose, mission and the things you care about. With our support, grow your confidence to boldly STAND FOR SOMETHING.

Talk to us!

*Included in our report Generation Z What They Want from Work (2022) are six questions to help you shape your Gen Z strategy. ‘How do you STAND FOR SOMETHING as an organisation?’ is the first of these. The full report is free to download here.

justinejames@talentsmoothie.com
www.talentsmoothie.com

The post How do you stand for something as an organisation? appeared first on talentsmoothie.com.

When you hear the word ‘feedback’, what is your first thought?

Perhaps, ‘Oh no, I’m going to be told what I’ve done wrong or need to do better.’

Or, ‘Great, I want to know how I’m doing and what I can improve!’

Or maybe, something in between.

Talentsmoothie tip

Our generational research, over the years, has discovered something interesting. The older generations Xers and Boomers are more likely to initially feel more negative towards the mention of feedback, whilst Ys and Zs will be more positive.

We think this is the reason that Ys and Zs who have Xer and Boomer managers, sometimes feel they don’t get enough feedback. It’s not that Boomers and Xers can’t give feedback well, it’s just that they don’t value it in the same way, and so, don’t prioritise it.

So, we have another question for you.

Are you making the most of great feedback to support, encourage and motivate your people during the C-19 Pandemic?

At talentsmoothie, we help businesses create work environments that enable all generations to thrive equally. We’re experts in helping organisations create motivational work experiences for their people, especially during times of change and transformation.

We LOVE giving and receiving feedback ourselves. It’s motivating!

So, we’re delighted to share some words received recently from our wonderful client, Save the Children, about working with us: 

“Justine has worked with Save the Children over several years, and over that time has built a really rounded understanding of who we are and the culture we’re trying to build. She has a thoughtful and kind approach, providing great counsel and interesting food for thought in every conversation, and is generous with both her time and expertise. We were especially grateful to Justine for her proactive offer of support during the COVID-19 Pandemic, where talentsmoothie’s ‘Check-in Survey’ and analysis enabled us to build a really rich understanding of how colleagues were coping in some really challenging times.”

Melissa Stewart – Save the Children, Strategic Engagement Lead
Vici Fendall – Save the Children, Senior Internal Communications and Engagement Manager

We’d love to help you in a similar way. We have some special C-19 offerings, including the ‘Check-In Survey’ mentioned in the testimonial, for you to explore.

Or download our printable PDF flyer containing the details.

Talk to us. We’re ready to support you.

The post Great feedback during C-19. Support, encourage, motivate your people. appeared first on talentsmoothie.com.

What about this?

Welcome to our second What about this? podcast about the Employee Experience in 2020: The Employee Experience through Covid – what’s worked, what’s next? In this episode Justine and Cathy are joined by special guest Ashley Hever, Talent Acquisition Director at Enterprise Holdings, to discuss what has contributed to a positive employee experience over the last five months, and emerging ideas about what’s required next for a bright future.

Listen to the podcast here, enjoy!

Developed for HR, Employer Brand, Talent and Resourcing professionals, and business leaders, the What about this? podcasts are a collaboration between Justine James, Managing Director at talentsmoothie, and Cathy Hyde, Client Partner at White Label, a recruitment marketing, digital media marketing and employer brand agency. If you’ve got a question you’d like us to cover in a future episode, get in touch and let us know.

Other ways talentsmoothie can help

We don’t have all the answers, but, by contributing what we know, we hope we can help you make good decisions for your organisation and your people over the months ahead.

Our focus is on helping organisations understand what’s important to their employees and how that might have changed. We’re reviewing Employee Value Propositions to make sure they will create the culture required for success in the ‘next normal’.  We’re also supporting individuals with coaching and, in some cases, outplacement support, and we’ve reduced our prices in order to help as many people as we can. Please talk to us about how we could help you.

Or, download our printable PDF flyer containing details of some of our C-19 offerings.

justinejames@talentsmoothie.com
www.talentsmoothie.com

The post <i>What about this?</i> Podcast series, Episode 2: Covid and the Employee Experience appeared first on talentsmoothie.com.

What about this?

Welcome to our What about this? podcast series about the Employee Experience in 2020. We’re excited for this new venture and to share it with you! Our aim is to provide you with current, easily digestible and useful content that you can listen to wherever you are. We’ll be discussing relevant ideas to help you manage during these uncertain times.

Episode 1 tackles a topic on our clients’ minds as we all emerge from lockdown, Office v homeworking – what’s the optimal mix? You might also like to read our related research-based blog post, Planning the next ‘normal’, where will we work post C-19?

Listen to the podcast here, enjoy!

Developed for HR, Employer Brand, Talent and Resourcing professionals, and business leaders, the What about this? podcasts are a collaboration between Justine James, Managing Director at talentsmoothie, and Cathy Hyde, Client Partner at White Label, a recruitment marketing, digital media marketing and employer brand agency. If you’ve got a question you’d like us to cover in a future episode, get in touch and let us know.

Other ways talentsmoothie can help

We don’t have all the answers, but, by contributing what we know, we hope we can help you make good decisions for your organisation and your people over the months ahead.

Our focus is on helping organisations understand what’s important to their employees and how that might have changed. We’re reviewing Employee Value Propositions to make sure they will create the culture required for success in the ‘next normal’.  We’re also supporting individuals with coaching and, in some cases, outplacement support, and we’ve reduced our prices in order to help as many people as we can. Please talk to us about how we could help you.

Or, download our printable PDF flyer containing details of some of our C-19 offerings.

justinejames@talentsmoothie.com
www.talentsmoothie.com

The post <i>What about this?</i> Podcast series, Episode 1: Office v homeworking – the optimal mix? appeared first on talentsmoothie.com.

Home versus office working

In the UK we’ve just experienced a dramatic switch to home working – from 12% working from home before the Pandemic, to over 40% now. There are plenty of commentators telling us that everything has changed and that working from home, where it is possible, is the next ‘normal’. You might have seen this recent article in The Guardian, The office is obsolete. And that’s a good thing.

But will this really be true? Talentsmoothie research suggests otherwise.

It is, of course, unlikely that companies will return to exactly what they did before C-19. There is an opportunity to learn from the massive work-from-home experiment that so many of us have been living. Every organisation should reflect on their experience and what has been learned, both positive and negative. It’s most likely that what comes next will be some kind of hybrid with the way we worked pre-Covid.

Any organisations previously nervous to allow working from home – because of technology security concerns, productivity concerns, or just not being comfortable with the concept – have had the opportunity to see that it can have real benefits. Myths have been quashed, and leaders may be more open to it as a more frequent way of working as a result.

So, what do employees want?

First, we need to understand how working from home was for everyone and what the best solution moving forward could be. Here are some of our learnings from employees we’ve surveyed, HR Directors we’ve spoken to and our own generational research.

The case for more home working

1. Productivity: Working from home doesn’t appear to negatively impact productivity – people felt that they could be really focused and productive, and that they were trusted to get their work done. Yes, the situation right now, where people are juggling work with other caring responsibilities, is not particularly easy, but under more normal circumstances the majority of people, we spoke to, felt working from home did not hamper their ability to get the job done and, in many cases, improved it.

2. Inclusion: For some, the use of technology (audio or video) for meetings was a real positive. Where they might not have felt confident to speak up in a face-to-face meeting, an online meeting felt more inclusive and empowering and easier to contribute to. It’s actually harder to talk over people online, making it easier for introverts to take part. Building on this, observational research at the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University, Ontario suggests introverts do their best work without threat of interruption, and so remote working can aid their productivity as well as their wellbeing. (Extroverts on the other hand are more likely to suffer, as one of their assets is their ability to communicate with people face-to-face.)

3. Connection: Having video on and thus seeing people in their own homes has really connected people. They’ve seen another side of their colleagues, which has brought them together, and that’s been a positive. It seems to have a levelling affect. We feel we are connecting with another human being, rather that someone in a position or a role. 

4. Networks: Online working has encouraged people to reach out to more people within and outside of their organisation and to make new connections. This is totally natural for the younger generations but perhaps less so for the Xers and Boomers. It encourages and supports a shift, from the traditional hierarchical structures we see in many organisations today towards a more networked structure, which we know is a  preference of Gen Ys (born between 1980 and 1994) and Gen Zs (born 1995 onwards). Understanding your company’s natural network and how things get done will further support a change in how organisations structure themselves; it will help to inform the right balance between office space and homeworking in the future.

5. Wellbeing: From a wellbeing perspective, some employees find it easier to switch off when they work from home and they set themselves better rules; when in the office it’s easier to work late. There’s also the saved time on the commute – although there are some who find the commute a great opportunity to decompress before arriving home! Reduced travel might also contribute to the ‘wellbeing’ of the environment, of course.

These five points give some compelling reasons to reduce time in the office and continue to trust employees to work from home.

However, it seems that ‘the office’ is definitely not dead.

The case for maintaining at least some office space

There are some good reasons to maintain office space going forward, even if you decide to reduce the amount you have. Employees told us:

• How important incidental conversations with colleagues are for their sanity, either for idea generation or just to have a chat about things beyond a work focus. These are harder to replicate online.  All our research tells us that face-to-face is still the preferred method of communication for all generations, and that includes Gen Z.
• Working in the office helps with setting boundaries between work and home, which, for some, can be hard to achieve when working from home.
• The routine and discipline of going to the office can be important too for mental health.
• Others were just struggling with the space they have at home – it isn’t conducive to working productively, for them, either because they literally don’t have enough room, or they don’t have the right equipment to create a comfortable working environment. 

As well as this, our Generational research over the last twelve years has shown that the preference for where people work is a mix between home and the office, with a slight preference for more time in the office than at home.

In our recent Gen Z survey, (the results of which we are yet to publish) on the topic of preferred mix of work location, 40% of respondents said their preference would be to work 30% from home and 70% in the office. Only 4% said they would like to work 100% at home, and 14% said they’d like to be 100% in the office. 

This follows a similar pattern to that from our Gen Y research in 2008 where the most popular response (37%) was for 30% home and 70% office. Our Baby Boomer research (seven years ago) showed the same preference for 30% home 70% office work mix. It’s possible the Covid experience could have pushed this preference more towards home working but it’s clear a blended mix is important. The exact mix will differ from one individual to the next.

How to transition as smoothly as possible

Whatever the right blend turns out to be for your business, we leave you with our talentsmoothie tips to help you make a successful transition to the next work normal: 

• Don’t rush to go straight back to what you did before – look at what your business and employees need, and decide on the best combination of home/office-working. From our research, we’d suggest this should be somewhere around 30% home, 70% office, or even 50/50. Most people aren’t ready to switch to 100% home working yet.
• Keep employee motivation high during this transition period. Now is your opportunity to remove any culture of presenteeism. Embrace the technology and trust and empower people to get the job done. Being trusted at work always features highly during any employee research we conduct, and it continues to be important for the new generation entering the work place now. In our most recent survey, Gen Zs said that the most essential pre-requisite for a good manager was ‘being trusted to do the job’; they put it above things like ‘supporting my wellbeing’ and ‘being supported to develop my career’, although these were also important.   
• Continue to encourage and coach managers to manage the outcome and not the process, as this fosters the culture of trust, empowerment and accountability that we know works for so many people.
• Move from a one size fits all, to adopt a more individualistic approach where possible, showing an understanding of personal circumstance and requirements. Talent will have the opportunity to work flexibly somewhere – if you don’t offer it, other organisations will.
• Get the mix right, so that you can maximise face-to-face premium time (particularly important for extroverts) as well as give the opportunity to work from home (great for introverts) where there are less distractions. But, make sure working from home does not mean back-to-back Zoom calls – to offer space that allows teams to be as productive as possible is the way forward.   
• Consider using technology to understand your natural networks i.e. who is networking with whom to get things done. This information will help inform how the organisation should be structured, to optimise ways of working that will deliver business success and create the best Employee Experience.

How talentsmoothie can help

We’d like to share our knowledge and expertise during this period. Please check back for our blog posts and for our new podcast series What about this? going live mid June.  ( UPDATE 17th June 2020, our first podcast is now available, do take a look: What about this? Podcast series, Episode 1: Office v homeworking – the optimal mix? )

We don’t have all the answers, but, by contributing what we know, we hope we can help you make good decisions for your organisation and your people over the months ahead. Our focus is on helping organisations understand what’s important to their employees and how that might have changed. We’re reviewing Employee Value Propositions to make sure they will create the culture required for success in the ‘next normal’.  We’re also supporting individuals with coaching and, in some cases, outplacement support, and we’ve reduced our prices in order to help as many people as we can. Please talk to us about how we could help you.

Or, download our printable PDF flyer containing details of some of our C-19 offerings.

justinejames@talentsmoothie.com
www.talentsmoothie.com

The post Planning the next ‘normal’, where will we work post C-19? appeared first on talentsmoothie.com.

How are you?

A simple question, but one that today conjures more complex answers than ever. The current situation is impacting us all in such different and unexpected ways. As well as the distress caused by the disease itself, there are so many unplanned consequences that we will be exploring and trying to fully understand for months, and possibly years, to come.

There’s never been a more important time to do the right thing for your employees, but it’s also most certainly never been harder. How you act now will set the tone for your relationship with your people in the longer term.

The impact of the C-19 virus is complex. There are intrinsic and extrinsic consequences. We have identified a number of ways we can support you to help your employees across your business, at organisational, team and individual levels.

‘Check-in’ Survey
(offered in exchange for a charitable donation to Mind)

We have designed a ‘plug and play’ survey to help you understand:

• How your employees are coping in their new work paradigm, whether they continue to work or are furloughed
• How to support your employees as you come out of lockdown

The survey questions focus on intrinsic and extrinsic needs. They will help you clarify how your employees are coping, what is going well for them, and what support they would welcome – both now and as you transition out of lockdown. There are two survey options: one focuses on employees who continue to work, but mainly from home, and the other on those that have been furloughed.

How it works

We will provide a survey link for you to send to your employees from our survey platform. The survey can be sent to a particular team, business unit or all employees, it’s up to you. We will analyse the responses and provide you with a short report including our observations and recommendations.

If you prefer to use your own survey platform, we will provide you with the survey questions. We can still analyse the responses if you share the results with us.

We are motivated to support as many people as we can through this challenging time, which is why we are waiving our fees for this service, in lieu of a donation to the charity Mind. Mind provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They are currently facing increased demand for their help and we’d like to contribute to their financial resources. We know budgets are tight, so we are asking you only for the contribution that you can manage, however big or small.

Survey recommendations webinar

There is the option for a follow-up Q&A with senior teams to discuss the survey results and our recommendations about how to continue to manage remote teams or transition out of lockdown – nominal fee of £75 per hour.

Coaching support

We have a cadre of excellent coaches at talentsmoothie. They are here to help you offer confidential coaching to your people now, at a time when they may need that additional layer of support. We are temporarily offering our coaches for a much-reduced fee; their services can be purchased by the hour as you need them.

Individual coaching

‘It’s good to talk’ – some employees, whether still working or currently furloughed, could be struggling. Some might welcome a confidential conversation with someone who is trained to listen without judgment. Our coaches can help them think through new possibilities, solve difficult issues and face the future with less fear. As always, the coaching content will be based on goals agreed with each individual. In our experience, topics may vary but are likely to include areas such as managing change, uncertainty, resilience, managing difficult people and/or situations, and health and wellbeing.

Coaching support for teams

Our coaches can support any of your teams that are struggling to manage the changing way they need to work together. We can help them support each other and maintain their focus on what they need to achieve.

We usually sell our coaching services in packages – but we want to help as many people as we can. We are temporarily offering our qualified coaches for £75 per hour of coaching, with no minimum purchase required.

Our coaches can support any of your teams that might be struggling to manage the changing way they need to work together to continue to support each other and maintain focus on what they need to achieve.

We hope we can help you, and in doing so also help the great charity Mind.

We’re ready, just contact us and we can get started together.

Or download our printable PDF flyer containing details of these offerings.

justinejames@talentsmoothie.com
www.talentsmoothie.com

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