21st Century Work Life and leading remote teams
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Maya and Pilar discuss some of the ways in which remote workers are networking. And very special guest Matt Ballantine shares his experiment “100 coffees”. Recorded on 21 March 2024. To get in touch, head over to https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us Maya shares a recent event she ran as part of Remote Work Europe https://www.remoteworkeurope.eu, with Ali Meehan on “speed networking”. Someone else organising networking-type events is Lisette Sutherland from Collaboration Superpowers, who is running virtual coworking sessions: https://www.collaborationsuperpowers.com/workshops/schedule/?type=1112 Maybe this kind of event is something organisations could run, instead of assuming the best way for people to connect is through face to face social events? 12.25MINS Special guest Matt Ballantine tells us about his relationship building experiment: 100 coffees. Read about it here: https://mmitii.mattballantine.com/category/projects/100-coffees/ Connect with Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattballantine/ Listen to his previous episode on this show: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/collaboration-in-organisations Listen to the WB40 podcast, or even, book a coffee time with Matt: https://calendly.com/matt-ballantine 27.15MINS What about online communities? Belonging to a public group and a private one, and a free one versus a paid one, are very different experiences. Remote Work Europe has a public, open group on Facebook, and a private community, over at https://www.remoteworkeurope.eu/connected Communities and relationships can exist both online and off: we mention Social Now as a conference about the digital workspace https://socialnow.org: 16th and 17th May in Lisbon, and also the online community Asynco. And relationship building can be synchronous or asynchronous. Virtual Team Talk, https://virtualteamtalk.com set up back in the day by Pilar and Lisette, is still around! 43.15MINS And Social Media? How’s it going over on LinkedIn? If you want to become active on the platform, join the RWE challenge: https://www.linkedin.com/events/levelupyourlinkedinspring2024-a7175914652218834945/comments/ Or, you might want to join Alison Jones’ Book Proposal Challenge. And being part of a challenge itself is a great way of meeting new people with whom you have something in common! 52.30MINS In the absence of people, can generative AI bots help? A cheeky transition into some resources we have around generative AI: Maya has created the course: Generative AI Secrets For Remote Work Search Success And Pilar is now blogging about her artistic projects with and without genAI over at Spiralling Creativity, where her latest post ponders on whether genAI is a Clown .
In today’s episode, tech journalist Jennifer Riggins talks about the impact of generative AI on the world of software development, focusing on the challenges faced by DevSecOps teams in keeping up with the accelerated pace of code creation enabled by GenAI tools. She raises important questions about the potential risks posed by generative AI, such as the introduction of vulnerabilities and intellectual property issues, and emphasises the need for organizations to establish clear AI governance policies to mitigate these risks. You can read the full summary and show notes (created by GenAI) here: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/ai-developers Connect with Jen on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/jkriggins/ Read the article: Will Generative AI Kill DevsecOps? Read Jen’s other article: The AI governance policy engineering managers needed yesterday Check out the State of OpenCon 24 sessions on YouTube. You can also check out Pilar's post on her Spiralling Creativity blog, describing her recent experience with GenAI creating this episode's show notes. https://spirallingcreativity.substack.com/p/gen-ai-helpful-assistant-or-clown If you enjoy listening to the 21st Century Work Life podcast, you might also enjoy Management Café - look for it wherever you are listening to this.
Today’s guest is Linda Redell, Head of Talents and Culture at the hybrid company Homelike. With a diverse workforce spread across multiple countries, Linda and her team are responsible for maintaining the company culture and employee well-being. The shift to remote work has brought challenges and opportunities, with a focus on creating spaces for physical interaction, revamping onboarding, and fostering engagement. Connect with Linda Redell on LinkedIn. Find our more about Homelike nd what it’s like working there: www.thehomelike.com https://www.thehomelike.com For a summary of the conversation, check out https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/homelike
Today’s post is the audio companion to the Virtual not Distant monthly newsletter, which you can sign up to here. https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/newsletter Every month, Pilar shares with readers articles she’s come across on the web, books she’s read (or is reading) and podcast episodes she’s listened to. And today, she’s joined by Marcus Wermuth, https://www.marcuswermuth.com who is an Engineering Leader specialising in virtual leadership.| Marcus is back on this show, this time talking about his recent professional transition: laying himself off from his job as Head of Engineering. This has been a very difficult decision to take, but he’s followed his own principles, and stayed true to his identity as servant leader. COFFEE BREAK ARTICLES: First off, check out Marcus’ article on “laying himself off”, If you are interested in hearing another conversation about how to strike the balance between transparency and discretion, check out episode 69 of the Management Café. 18.30 MINS Deutsche Bank's 3-day-a-week return-to-office policy has been met with fierce criticism by staff who say there isn't enough space for everyone via Business Insider The title says it all, but worth looking at some of the detail to understand the risks of mandatory planning looks like. Right to disconnect: Implementation and impact at company level Recent research shows that having laws about the right to disconnect is not enough to prevent employees feeling like they have to be constantly available. Company culture and in-house companies are needed too. 10 Ways to Build Better Relationships Working Remotely A blog post that could have been a short ebook. A thoughtful article with specific advice on how to build relationships . Are Enterprise Social Platforms All Talk? Past guest Wietske Van Osch has just released research into why enterprise social networks need to be run differently to the social networks employees might be used to, for employees and the organisation to get the most out of them. Gifts and Greats for True Feedback via Mark Kilby A very useful post to guide us through formulating feedback on other people’s work, and how to structure it. LISTENING RECOMMENDATIONS: Podcast: THE RICH ROLL PODCAST Episode: #815 CHARLES DUHIGG: HOW TO UNLOCK THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF CONNECTION Date: 22 February 2024 An interview with journalist/writer Charles Duhigg, talking about building strong relationships. Podcast: Tetragrammaton with Rick Rubin Long-form Interviews with a range of guests, from a range of industries. Podcast: COLLABORATION SUPERPOWERS Episode: Agile Retrospectives 2.0 with Esther Derby, Diana Larsen & David Horowitz Date: 5 March 2022 Lisette Sutherland talks to the authors of the new edition of Agile Retrospectives 2.0. Pilar hasn’t listened to it yet, but highly recommends it - she’s a great fan of David Horowitz, who guested on this show back in 2017, in episode 129 on Building a Distributed Business. Podcast: SLICED BREAD Episode: Fitness Trackers (UK link, but look for it in your podcast app) 29 Feb 2023 BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS: SCALING PEOPLE: TACTICS FOR MANAGEMENT AND COMPANY BUILDING by Claire Hughes Johnson COLLABOR(H)ATE: HOW TO BUILD INCREDIBLE COLLABORATIVE RELATIONSHIPS AT WORK (EVEN IF YOU’D RATHER WORK ALONE) by Deb Mashek PhD SUPERCOMMUNICATORS: HOW TO UNLOCK THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF CONNECTION by Charles Duhigg THE COMING WAVE by Mustafa Suleyman CAN’T HURT ME by David Goggings MAKE YOUR ART NO MATTER WHAT by Beth Pickens You can connect with Marcus Wermuth on LinkedIn and check out his website: www.marcuswermuth.com Other episodes with Marcus: WLP291 Starting a New Role Remotely WLP219 OnBoarding (or Integration) in Remote Teams and Organisations WLP188 - From Maker to Manager in a Distributed Company SIgn up to the Virtual not Distant's newsletter here: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/newsletter
In this episode, Production Designer Kate Rance shares her diverse career spanning theatre and film. She compares design approaches across industries, her affinity for hands-on craft versus managing teams, and learning new skills through her eclectic projects. Kate and Pilar used to work together on theatre productions (many years ago!) and Kate has designed www.virtualnotdistant.com , as well as www.adventuresinpodcasting.com Check out Kate's website, www.katerance.com https://www.katerance.com For detailed show notes, head over to www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/film-production
Maya and Pilar tackle the topic of "digital culture" in organisations, with this article as a springboard: "What is digital culture? The teams best prepared for change use modern digital communication tools, feel comfortable learning new ones and continually adapt how they work." By the team at Slack, 29th July 2022 https://slack.com/intl/en-gb/blog/collaboration/what-is-digital-culture Pilar mentions the book "The Rise of the Frontline Worker" 35.00 MINS In other news… “The winners and losers of London’s work from home economy” City.com 17 Sept 2023 39.00MINS Personal updates: Remote Work Europe keeps growing, with new countries joining: Belgium, Cyprus and Turkey now have their own groups, check them out https://www.remoteworkeurope.eu:. And if you want to join the premium community, go to https://www.remoteworkeurope.eu/connected And RWE even has a presence on TikTok! Pilar isn’t on TikTok but is doing a lot of podcasting - both hosting and guesting. She’s now doing a monthly version of the newsletter. You can listen to her on the Remote Work Life podcast with Alex Wilson-Campbell. And remember that we have a course on asynchronous communication for remote team managers. For the full show notes go to https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/digital-culture
In this episode, Barbara Mutedzi describes conscious leadership and its role in transitioning to remote work, with particular reference to her work in Zimbabwe. Throughout the episode, Barbara advocates for the need for leaders to embrace self-awareness, adaptability, and empathy to create more resilient, inclusive, and effective work environments. Find Barbara over on LinkedIn. Find out more about her conscious leadership practice and her coaching programmes. For a summary of the episode head over to: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/conscious-leadership
Today’s post is the audio companion to the Virtual not Distant monthly newsletter, and you can subscribe to it via email here. Every month, Pilar shares with readers articles she’s come across on the web, books she’s read (or is reading) and podcast episodes she’s listened to. The newsletter also has a digest of the Virtual not Distant content - but this podcast version has an update of Pilar’s own work. COFFEE BREAK ARTICLES: The dark side of remote work via Asynchronous Agile Remote work stifles innovation, a massive new study finds via Gallant CEO, based on a study in Nature Apple knew AirDrop users could be identified and tracked as early as 2019, researchers say via CNN Business 'I had £3,000 stolen via WhatsApp job scam message' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67945171 via BBC UK (This month’s articles are all a bit dark, but it’s just a coincidence!) BOOK RECOMMENDATION: This month’s book recommendation is "FOUR THOUSAND WEEKS: Embrace your limits. Change your life. Make your four thousand weeks count" by Oliver Burkeman. It is NOT a book on how to manage your time. It's a philosophical read. LISTENING RECOMMENDATIONS: Podcast: THE TIM FERRISS PODCAST Episode: Matt Mullenweg — The Art of Crafting a Sabbatical, Tips for Defending Against Hackers, Leveraging Open Source, Thriving in an AI World, and Tips for Life’s Darkest Hours (#713) Date: 29 December 2023 Podcast: WORK FROM HOME FOREVER Episode: Eileen Tanner, 27 Years of Remote Work from Fax Machines to Virtual Meetings Date: 18 December 2023 (And if you want to find out more about Don Voltaire, host of Work from Home Forever , check out the latest episode of Adventures in Podcasting: Ep 71 Adventures in podcasting with your son, finding guests and the life-changing potential of remote work) Podcast: Hard Fork https://www.nytimes.com/column/hard-fork
In today’s episode, Maya shares her challenges trying to embrace the “work from anywhere” spirit. Our co-hosts also talk about how the popularity of Chat GPT has opened up the need to reinvent education, how they’re using the bot and why we should all be vigilant when reading current research on the impact of remote work in organisations. Recorded on 29 January 2024. For the full show notes, head over to https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/ep346 If you have something to add to the conversation, please let us know: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us Other relevant links: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/blog/remote-anytime-anyplace-anywhere https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/blog/work-life-what https://chat.openai.com/g/g-x2K9hqH3L-healthy-happy-homeworking-advisor https://chat.openai.com/g/g-A51yp1KCy-beat-procrastination https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nick-bloom-86b79510b_wsj-news-exclusive-when-layoffs-happen-activity-7156670698369732608-6m2K/ https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jason-salt_remote-worker-job-changes-in-2023-activity-7156690158833082369-pK25/ La Gran Renuncia episode: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4p7x6PHwVKRkZWWCzAkacd?si=XkQvUHkBTLmUbeawMRc_zA https://www.remoteworkeurope.eu/connected
Hello dear listeners of the 21st Century Work Life podcast. This is a little bonus episode, what some would call, a piece of content marketing, as I’ve put it together to introduce you to our audio-first course, for managers and leaders of remote teams: Navigating Asynchronous Communication. And in this episode, I’ve selected three sections to share with you, to give you a flavour of the course - in case this is something for you, or your colleagues. If you want to check out the copy, head over to our website. https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/audio-first-course I’ve talked about the format before - but in case you’re new to the show, it’s a course to help you lay down the foundations of asynchronous communication in your team, and it’s narrated by my colleague Simon Wilson and myself. It has nine modules, formal modules with title and everything, and some reflection questions at the end, and then it has three informal conversations between Simon and myself, like those you might find on this podcast. Before I go into the content, I’m experimenting with the delivery of this course, as to how YOU access it. And at the moment, you can take the course in two ways: one is through an app, which is actually designed for Audiobooks. And you can mark the audio if you have favourite bits etc, and also, you get a the text version of the course and the transcripts of the conversations. That’s it. (And for those of you who are used to buying online products, that’s being delivered through Gumroad.) Now, we’ve also got a more traditional way of laying out an online course, through the platform Thinkific. It’s still audio only, but everything looks more like an online course, and you have a few worksheets you can download and fill in in PDF form, plus some quizzes, which are a way of getting you to think through the material, although to be honest, they’re mainly for fun, because it’s difficult to create multiple choice quizzes that really test you. But, for testing you, we do have a certificate option. And for that we have a choice of assessments that you can take, and then send to us for marking. This can be text, audio or video even. And all of that is explained in the course - but if you want more information on that, le me know. Before I move onto the sections from the course, let me tell you some of the topics we cover. Coffee Break Conversation 1: INTRODUCTION - TO YOUR TUTORS AND THE MATERIAL Module 1: BENEFITS AND DRAWBACKS OF ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATION Module 2: FOUNDATIONS OF ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATION Bonus: PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY IN ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATION Module 3: DIFFERENT CONVERSATIONS AT WORK Coffee Break Conversation 2: WHY IS ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATION SO HARD TO GET USED TO? Module 4: COLLABORATING ON TASKS ASYNCHRONOUSLY Module 5: DECISION-MAKING AND ALIGNMENT Module 6: CAPTURING YOUR TEAM'S KNOWLEDGE Module 7: INTEGRATING MEETINGS INTO OUR PROCESS Coffee Break Conversation 3: WORKING WITH EXTERNAL PARTIES Module 8: THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE TEAM AGREEMENT Module 9: YOUR NEXT STEPS Right, if you’re still with me, let’s move onto a section from module 2, foundations of async, a segment of the coffee covnersation about how hard async can be to get used to, and then, I’ve included most of the module on Capturing your team’s knowledge, as this is one part of remote teamwork that those relatively new to remote work miss. Do get in touch if you need anything from me - thank you for listening. https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us
In this episode, Pilar talks to Jeanna Barrett, founder and Chief Remote Officer at the fully distributed company FPS. Jeanna shares how she set up the company by following her values and aspiring lifestyle, as well as her approach to company culture, remote operations and how values influence her decisions. For detailed show notes, head over to https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/remote-operations Links: Find Jeanna over on LinkedIn. Check out the Remotely Cultured podcast. Learn more about FPS.
Pilar pops in for a quick solo show to let you know how the focus of the show is changing.
A quick happy new year from Pilar, cradled by the sound of the sea.
It’s the last episode of the year, and it’s very hard to break tradition! Maya and Pilar talk through some of the recent stories around remote work and the world of work and try to make up their minds as to whether we’re moving forward or backwards… Just as they’ve been doing over the last three months, Maya and Pilar comment on this month’s guest, Valentina Thörner the Empress of Remote! What was particularly memorable was her tiara story (of course!) and the way in which she continues to advocate for experimentation at every level in the organisation. 09.25 MINS There is a danger of organisations being seen to be discriminating against certain employees if they make them go back to the office. Legally things are not that clear cut. This article from October showed the need for organisations to understand the implications fully: Case update: employers must do their homework before making ‘back to the office’ decisions. 12.52 MINS One example of the world of work moving backwards is this guidance by the UK government against a four-day work week in local authorities. Note the lack of evidence to support it: “it does not believe that it delivers local taxpayers’ value for money.” At 16.00 MINS, Pilar brings in an example of the voiceover industry, which makes it clear that being able to work remotely might continue to perpetuate an “always on” culture. This might all sound like our hosts are in a negative state of mind, but maybe this is something that also applies to listeners? Maybe they are seeking information to navigate the more difficult facets of the modern work environment. The most popular episodes have focused on terminations (333), conflict (331), The upside and downsides of creativity and productivity (330)… But also some more uplifting ones like Effective Manager Mindset for Global Virtual Teams (315) and one on visibility and transparency in leadership with Mark Kilby (321). On the moving forwards side… 21.12 MINS Discussing Buffer's "State of Remote Work 2023" report, Pilar and Maya note a surprising trend: more remote workers now feel that working remotely has a positive impact on their career growth. This contradicts the common belief that remote work might hinder career advancement. 27.00 MINS We couldn’t end our reflections on 2023 without talking about Generative AI. We already did an episode on AI in November 2019 (https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/artificial-intelligence ), so it’s something we’ve always kept an eye out on. Now that Generative AI is being integrated into everyday tools and is more accessible, what’s going on in organisations? Check out Salesforce’s recent research which shows that More than Half of Generative AI Adopters Use Unapproved Tools at Work. (Does it remind you of how remote teams in organisations often use Shadow IT?) Generative AI is being used widely by all sorts of professionals, and a few months ago, Amazon had to cap the number of books that authors could upload daily, as GenAI was being used to crank up books. Speaking of which… Pilar has co-written a book with Chat GPT. “The Remote Worker’s Guide to Time Management” will be out in all formats in January, but the Kindle version is already out for pre-order. 40.10 MINS If you don’t want to read a book co-created with a bot, then maybe you’d like to chat to humans? The doors to the brand new community of Remote Work Europe are now open! There’s been a rise in closed online communities as social media has become noisy and unreliable. Maya embraces this and has set up Remote Work Europe Connected for remote workers of all kinds who are looking for a space to seek help, connection and inspiration. That’s it from us this year, we hope you enjoyed our 2023 What’s Going On episodes!
In this episode, Valentina Thörner talks about the importance of defining what “remote” means in an organisation, particularly around the dimensions of time and location. For a really good summary, check out https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/distributed-teams-matrix Connect with Valentina over on LinkedIn. Subscribe to her newsletter “Remote that Works”.
Hi, Pilar here. This is a very short announcement to let you know that I’ll be releasing soon a book on time management for remote workers. This is an experiment. I am co writing it with Chat GPT, but I think it's wonderful. And I can say that because I’ve mainly been working on this as an editor and coach, and most of the writing has come from Chat GPT. I am now looking for Beta Readers. It's a short book, it's about 20,000 words long, which means about an hour of reading. I'll be able to offer it to you as a PDF or an EPUB. I would love to hear what you think, because although I do have the distance as an author, they’re not my words. I am thinking of publishing it definitely before the New Year, before January. So if you are interested in checking it out and just giving me a couple of feedback tips, like, did you like it? Did you not? Is it boring? Is it too basic?I just need to put it out there and get people's opinions on it. Please email me (email in the audio) or use the contact form over at https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us Next week, we've got a cracking episode with Valentina Thorner, talking about the two axes of distributed work: time and location.
Maya and Pilar share their thoughts on the last two episodes, both of which covered different aspects of asynchronous communication. While some organisations are still struggling with incorporating a “good” version of async, others are getting ready to introduce AI. Where will it all end? Links and mentions They refer back to episode 339 and 340. Talk about the recent Loom acquisition by Atlassian: https://www.atlassian.com/blog/announcements/atlassian-acquires-loom Pilar mentions the AI Marketing Show, and a listener sent in this article on Working Out Loud: https://www.reworked.co/collaboration-productivity/rehumanize-your-workplace-by-working-out-loud/ For a longer summary, check out https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/more-async
With the rise of online communities and digital platforms, the way we share, innovate, and co-create has evolved. Wietske van Osch, together with Burcu Bulgurcu recently published research, exploring the nuances of collaborative creativity in online spaces. Pilar came across the piece in the MIT Sloan Review, and invited Wietske onto the show. This episode is a great example of the power of online communities. Pilar read the article “The Profound Influence of Small Choices in Digital Collaboration” in the Fall 2023 edition of the MIT Sloan Review, and shared it in a Slack community hosted by previous guest Rachael Happe. One of its members, Lori, happened to know Wietske and she introduced her to Pilar. In this episode, Wietske van Osch talks about her recent research into enterprise social networks, exploring how a group's choice of private or public channels influences the type of creativity nurtured. Connect with Wietske over on LinkedIn. You can find the full show notes over at https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/public-private At Virtual not Distant, we consider asynchronous communication an essential practice of online collaboration. That’s why we’ve created an AUDIO-FIRST COURSE FOR MANAGERS new to leading remote teams, and new managers. Find out more about the course here https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/audio-first-course or get in touch with Pilar through our contact form.
In this conversation, Pilar and Sumeet Gayathri Moghe delve into the intricacies of remote work, asynchronous communication, and the challenges of global collaboration. Sumeet also shares why he “worked out loud” as part of the process of writing the book “The Async-First Playbook”. For the full summary of the conversation, head over to https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/async-first Links: Connect with Sumeet over at LinkedIn. Read Sumeet’s work: www.asyncagile.org https://www.asyncagile.org Delight your eyes with Sumeet’s other work: www.sumeetmoghe.com/ Find out more about “The Async-First Playbook: Remote Collaboration Techniques for Agile Software Teams https://www.asyncagile.org/the-book”. Find out more about the Async-First Manifesto. https://informit.com/async At Virtual not Distant, we also consider asynchronous communication an essential practice of online collaboration. That’s why we’ve created an AUDIO-FIRST COURSE FOR MANAGERS new to leading remote teams, and new managers. Find out more about the course here https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/audio-first-course or get in touch with Pilar through our contact form.
In our previous episode, our guests Tammy and Theresa discussed career progression in remote and global teams. In this episode, Maya and Pilar look at another sector of the working population: freelancers, and discuss what’s going on with remote freelancers and remote workers who want to access opportunities in a country different to where they reside. Maya and Pilar explore the world of remote freelancers. Maya's initiative, Remote Work Europe https://www.remoteworkeurope.eu/, supports those new to remote work, offering guidance and job opportunities. The boundaries between traditional employment and freelancing are blurring due to remote work's flexibility. Challenges arise from limited remote entry-level roles and complex international hiring processes. Early-career remote workers might initially need in-person training, but highlighting remote-specific skills can be advantageous. The rise of freelancing is evident, yet transitioning can be bureaucratic - and our special guest Sondre Rasch of Safetywing suggests countries simplify self-employment processes. For the full episode summary, check out https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts /remote-freelancing
Pilar welcomes back Tammy Bjelland, CEO of Workplaceless and Theresa Hollema, author of “Virtual Teams Across Cultures” to talk about career progression in remote and global teams. Tammy covers how organisations can ensure that remote employees don’t miss out on career development in hybrid settings, and Theresa talks about how hard it is for distributed employees to get the attention of HQ for resources and career opportunities and how that adds a type of stress, which has nothing to do with performance. For a detailed summary of the conversation, head over to https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/career-progression-remote Connect with Tammy Bjelland on LinkedIn, and subscribe to her newsletter. (And don’t forget to check out the course Grow Placeless!) Follow Theresa Sigilito Hollema on LinkedIn, where she regularly posts “micro learnings” on the topic of virtual global teams. Also check out the resources on her website https://virtualacrosscultures.com/resources/ and her book Virtual Teams Across Cultures. And if you would like to hear more from our guests, check out Tammy in episode 286 talking about the challenges of adopting asynchronous communication and Theresa’s multiple contributions to the show (her and Pilar like talking A LOT about the world of work!). Ep 315 Effective Manager Mindset for Global Teams, Ep 300 parts 1, 2 and 3, and Ep 251 Leveraging Cultural Differences in Global Virtual Teams.
/contact-us In today’s episode, Pilar and Maya reflect on the previous episode where guest Jan Nieuweboer, senior consultant of the future of work at Rabobank, shared the bank's journey in implementing a hybrid work model. (If you want to listen to or read the summary of the conversation between Jan and Pilar, look for episode 335 on your favourite podcast app, or follow this link.) For the show notes/summary, visit https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/commenting-on-hybrid
In today's episode, Pilar talks to Jan Nieuweboer, senior consultant on hybrid work at Rabobank, and spokesperson for the Future of Work and Hybrid Working. He describes how plans for changing the ways of working at Rabobank were accelerated by the pandemic, and how the working model has evolved. For more details and to get in touch with us, head over to https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts /hybrid-rabobank
We're taking a break from our regular schedule this summer, but Pilar couldn't help it and she's popping in to let you know about some of her plans - including some adapted Shakespeare, which you can follow below. Please share your thoughts through our contact form. https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/contact-us Why should I love these tools so? 'Tis odds They never will affect me. I am simple, Each tool beckoning with promises untold, And I love all. To master all of them is futile; To delete them is senseless. Out upon’t! What trials are we workers driven to When remote work has claimed us! First, I saw Slack, I, seeing, deemed it a worthy app; It has as much to charm a worker in it (If it please to bestow it so) as ever These eyes yet look’d on. Next, I yearned over Trello, And so would any mind o’ my conscience That ever dream’d, or pledge’d time management To a fresh and appealing task. Then, I lov’d the whiteboard, Extremely lov’d it, infinitely lov’d it; And yet it had its flaws, as all do too; But in my heart was Google Suite, and there, Lord, what a coil it keeps! To see a multitude of apps All accessed with one click, what a heaven it is! And yet its name’s a fleeting ones, and scarce lasts One generation of remote. Then, there is Dropbox, a cloud aloft, A refuge for files, a sanctuary for documents. Its sync, its share, its version history, Did cause my heart to leap, my mind to marvel. Yet, it too had its flaws, its limits, its expenses, Its conflicts, its deletions, a horror to behold. And now, there's Notion, a novelty it used to be, With its pages, its databases, its all-in-one workspace. It promises the universe, it promises the moon, But oh, what a learning curve, what a mountain to ascend! Yet, I cannot resist, I cannot deny, The allure of these apps, the promise of productivity. Oh, what a world, what a world of apps! A blessing and a curse, a delight and a burden. To navigate this sea, to master these tools, Is a task Herculean, a labor of love. Yet, I am but a worker, a humble knowledge worker, Lost in the sea of apps, adrift in the ocean of remote work. And yet, on the horizon, a glimmer of hope, The promise of AI, the dream of automation, To lighten our load, to ease our burden, A new dawn for the remote, a new era for work.
In this episode, Pilar talks with Julieta Moreno, an international employment and mobility lawyer. Julieta shares her experiences working with employment of record (EOR) companies, which help businesses employ resources in countries where they don't have an entity, taking care of the administrative and legal aspects of maintaining an employee's legal employment status in their respective countries. For the full show notes, head over to www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/remote-termination
In today’s episode, Maya and Pilar cover the State of the Global Workplace 2023 report by Gallup and the Forbes article Our Changing Psychological Contract at Work, by Keith Ferrazzi. Pilar introduces a concept from a book "No Hard Feelings," by Liz and Mollie, which discusses reasons why employees may lose motivation: lack of control over their work, absence of meaningful work, lack of learning opportunities, and disliking coworkers. (If you would like to hear more about the book, check out episode 57 of Management Cafe.) There is also reference to https://www.developingleadership.co/episode/episode-34-managing-an-engineering-team-in-a-remote-first-world-with-alexandra-sunderland For the full show notes, go to https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/stress-engagement-gallup2023
Lech Guzowski, a workplace culture facilitator, emphasizes understanding individual needs and responses to conflict for effective workplace communication. He uses the Thomas Kilmann conflict model to explain different ways people respond to conflict based on their levels of assertiveness and cooperativeness. Working remotely can allow for more thoughtful responses to conflict, but it can also hide simmering issues. It's therefore crucial to integrate conflict management into work processes and provide spaces for open discussion, especially in a remote setup. This practice helps to prevent artificial harmony and fosters authentic communication. Conflicts are an integral part of collaboration, and when managed well, can fuel a team's growth. However, remote teams can become conflict-avoidant, overwhelmed by conflict, or disconnected from issues. Leaders need to facilitate conflict management within teams, and tools like Lech's culture micro practices can be used to initiate these conversations. The hybrid work model, combining office and remote work, can also breed conflict, particularly regarding personal work preferences and decision-making about workspaces. Lech suggests running separate rules for each setup rather than merging them. He values in-person workshops but believes that office work needs to evolve from its traditional form. Lech hosts the "We Got This" podcast to inspire listeners with insights from Heads of People and CEOs about implementing people initiatives in their organizations. For the full summary, go to www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/navigating-conflict
This episode covers recent research on three different aspects of new and established ways of working: the effect of asynchronous work on folk music creation, the trends in use of online tools and productivity global productivity in the “work from anywhere” economy. (Oh, and we’ve thrown in some numbers from 2017, for you to compare whether anything has changed…) We refer to this content: Asynchronous work can fuel creativity. This episode from the Work from Home Forever podcast, Work Trend Index Report by Microsoft “Stop the Meeting Madness” published in HBR July-Aug 2017 New Research Reveals We’re on the Precipice of the Next Global Productivity Boom. And for the full show notes, check out: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/new-trends
In this bonus episode, Pilar introduces the Five Principles of Asynchronous Communication: Team interactions work best when they have one focus: co-ordination, collaboration or connection. Teamwork happens in stages, and these can happen asynchronously or synchronously. Designing together our teamwork supports inclusivity. Asynchronous communication needs calendar time. Approach new asynchronous practices as experiments: agree, test, and review. If you are a new manager, or new to managing remote teams, you might be interesting in our new audio-first course on asynchronous communication. Sign up here to register your interest. /your-opinion
Our guest this month is Wayne Turmel, also co-host of Long Distance Work Life. Wayne has been studying remote work for almost 20 years. He now works within the Kevin Eikenbery group helping leaders in organisations. The word “remote” is becoming redundant as working with remote workers is now part of most knowledge workers. Wayne and Kevin have co-written three books: Long-Distance Leader and Long-Distance Team Mate (how to stay engaged and effective when we don’t share the space with our team) which are focused on the individual, and the new book, Long-Distance Team - probably the last book in the series, written to help create the environment where long-distance leaders and team mates can thrive. In this podcast episode, Wayne Turmel discusses the evolution of remote work culture, and how organizations are adapting to new work setups, like hybrid models, and the need to intentionally shape their cultures. He delves into the meaning of 'culture,' the difference between macro- and team-cultures, and the challenges of maintaining organizational culture in hybrid setups. He emphasizes the need for discussions around the formation of new work cultures, especially in light of significant lifestyle changes during the pandemic. As organizations gravitate towards a 'hybrid' model, defining it remains a challenge due to factors like time management and synchronous/asynchronous work. Wayne underlines how the diverse geographical cultures contribute to varying perspectives on returning to the office. For more detailed show notes, head over to https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/hybrid-culture-is-messy
