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Hybrid working is here to stay. The events of 2020 radically accelerated the uptake of remote working for many organisations and proved that office-based staff do not need to be tethered to an onsite workplace to remain productive. Clearly, the parameters around where work gets done have changed forever.

  To say that 2020 hasn’t turned out the way we were expecting would be the understatement of the century. Needing no introduction at this point, the COVID-19 outbreak is the single biggest disruption of a generation. While different countries are at different stages of this pandemic, personal circumstances continue to play a huge role in each individual’s experience.   We have...

Shaking hands enthusiastically before a face-to-face meeting, sharing pens to scribble down ideas during a brainstorming session, bonding with our colleagues whilst taking part in a team building session. These are all innately human social interactions that we wouldn’t have thought twice about doing before the pandemic hit. In our pre-COVID working world, it was interactions like these that...

There are certain times when employee motivation is easier to achieve than others. If your organisation has recently been forced to reduce headcount, it’s understandable that remaining staff may feel anxious and worried about their future. Knowing how to motivate employees during such times is crucial to bringing them together and keeping them focused. This will help to maintain peak...

If there’s one thing social distancing measures have shown us, it’s that a large percentage of the workforce can work productively and successfully from home. The traditional perspective that people must be physically present in one set workplace during standard business hours has been turned on its head. Scepticism has been replaced with a new-found awareness that output, performance and...

Social distancing rules aimed at stopping the spread of coronavirus forced mass remote working onto a significant percentage of Australia and New Zealand’s skilled professionals. While this was designed as a temporary stop-gap, many employees have come to appreciate the benefits of working from home and wish to retain some form of flexibility once they transition back into co-located...

Our lives will never be the same again. I don’t think that’s an exaggeration, it’s a fact. COVID-19 has already, in a matter of just a few weeks, completely changed our world. If you take a step back and really think about the magnitude and speed of what’s happening around us, it’s remarkable - we probably won’t experience anything like it again in our lifetimes. It feels like a line has been...

It’s been a few weeks, and in some countries, months, since huge swaths of managers and leaders have seen their team members in person. For the vast majority, this complete lack of face-to-face interaction was simply unheard-of pre-crisis, but now, communicating with our teams solely through digital technology, seeing their faces on a screen every day, is starting to feel a little more normal...

Before the COVID-19 outbreak, one of the main concerns employers had over the idea of mass remote working was whether or not they could trust their employees to remain productive. But now that a large percentage of New Zealand’s workforce is several weeks into remote working, the opposite is proving to be the case.    A great number of us, it seems, now feel the need to be seen to...

It’s normal to feel nervous before a job interview, especially if it’s a job you really want. In today’s world of work however, it’s understandable that you may be feeling an even heightened sense of nerves because your interview is also being conducted remotely.  Perhaps you’re afraid you won’t present well or sell yourself well over video. Or perhaps you’re worried about possible...

“Culture” as a term is hard to define, as it means something slightly different for every organisation. From trust and mutual respect to a clear vision and regular communication, people describe culture in many ways. The one thing most people agree on is that culture can ultimately be distilled down to the unique and collective way in which a team behaves and works together as a cohesive...

In just a few short weeks, the world of work has undergone significant change. Teams that worked closely together in one physical location now operate remotely and are learning how to adapt to the changing needs of their customers while doing so. Clearly, we are in a moment of unprecedented and rapid transformation, which calls for teams that can pivot quickly. Today, major change can...

Successfully managing a remote team requires a different approach to managing people who are in the same physical workplace as you. Here are a few tips to manage a remote team, drive outcomes and maintain engagement, collaboration and employee satisfaction. 1. Trust your staff The first step is to trust your people. This is the foundation of any successful working from home experience, but...

Working from home is becoming the new normal for many, but it isn’t without its challenges. Here are our top 12 tips to work from home effectively, productively and successfully. 1. Designate a workspace “What do I need to work from home?” is often the first question people looking to work remotely ask. Firstly, you need to find a dedicated space that you can use solely as your work zone....