Adapting Business to Corona

Impact Factory Rides the Coronacoaster

Last year before lockdown, like so many other organisations, we saw the writing on the wall and got busy transforming ourselves from an in-person training company to one which operated fully remotely.

Our gang of brilliant trainers spent chunks of time together creating this new platform where our unique ways of working face-to-face were translated into equally unique ways of working virtually.

Once lockdown happened, we were well-prepared, though like anything new, the kinks had to be ironed out as we tackled Zoom, Teams, Webex and other platforms our clients were using.

Working From Home

We anticipated that for those suddenly being forced to work from home there would be a lot of ups and downs along the way and our job was to fashion programmes that would immediately address crucial issues such as

• how to manage a team that was now remote
• how to help people work effectively from home
• how to run virtual meetings

Sure enough, those were the three main programmes our clients asked for, almost as soon as lockdown happened, and we were ready.

We designed courses based on what we had to do for ourselves: as has been quoted before – we may be in different boats but we’re all in the same storm.

Remote Working, Meeting and Managing Teams

How were we going to manage as a team, work effectively from home and run good meetings?

Here’s a snapshot of these three areas.

Managing Remote Teams

Since we know that for the time being at least, fully remote or hybrid working is the order of the day, managing your people will take additional skills to ensure they do work as a team.

When people who are part of a diverse team don’t know what’s going on or aren’t kept informed or involved in some key decisions that will affect them, that’s when real problems can arise.

Things to pay attention to

• Check in regularly
• Be more scrupulous about keeping people informed
• Look to recreate water cooler moments
• Offer far more acknowledgement than you think is appropriate!
• Give people more one to one time
• Talk about personal stuff - yours and theirs

Working from Home

There is a terrific New Yorker cartoon with the caption

“Remind me, am I working from home or living at work?”

How many of us identify with that sentiment?

Things to pay attention to

• Making flexibility work for you and your company
• Acknowledging your fatigue
• Setting boundaries and maintaining focus
• Knowing what works for you and negotiating with your organisation
• Allow yourself to be more open about what you are experiencing and how you are feeling
• Ask for support for your emotional, physical and mental well-being

Facilitating Remote Meetings

You know how meetings can be deadly?

Or chaotic? Or inconclusive? Or frustrating?

They can be even more so when held remotely.

You know people are doing other stuff at the same time, no matter how subtly they try to hide it: looking at emails, texting, etc., their focus elsewhere.

We’re all guilty of it on occasion. Keeping people on track and present is a good skill to develop.

Things to pay attention to

• Ensure everyone speaks and contributes
• Get personal: it’s OK to talk about personal stuff
• Use breakout rooms
• Rein in the over-talkers; make space for the quieter ones
• Be even clearer about expectations and agenda items
• Take breaks between meetings and encourage others to do the same

These are the special new programmes we’ve been running since the first lockdown, as well as our regular menu of courses (both Tailored and Open).

We’d love to hear if there’s anything else you’d be interested in exploring, challenges you are facing where you could use additional support and guidance, issues that are new to you.

We can write another blog, create and run a Taster or design something just for you.

Contact details: Phone: 020 7226 1877 Email: enquiries@impactfactory.com