Telework

7 Tips for Improving Your Remote Meetings

The way teams work and collaborate is changing. Consulting, remote workforces and outsourcing are all on the rise. Even if you operate a team that is technically based in the same physical office, it’s becoming more and more common that your clients prefer to communicate in a virtual manner instead of in person due to time constraints.

One of the biggest issues that has surfaced around remote work is how to handle meetings. How do you communicate effectively when the meeting is with teams that are several hundreds or thousands of miles away instead of face-to-face in a conference room? How do you ensure that your employees are a part of the meeting, instead of just following directions?

Source: www.businessinsider.com

The transition to meeting remotely can be difficult for some employees. These are some basic tips that can help make the most of remote meetings. Remote working solutions are not one-size-fits-all. It’s important to test different approaches and see what is the best fit for your team. 

Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative.  Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.


https://stegmeierconsulting.com/contact/

Phone: 440-846-1410

Changing the way organizations manage workplace change

Workplace Flexibility

Flexwork for the Wrong Reasons Can Be Damaging

Many employers say they offer telecommuting and flexible work hours to employees, but in fact are cutting back on time for child leave or to care for an ill parent.

Source: www.nytimes.com

What does your flex work  strategy say about your company’s relationship with its employees? Some companies offer flex work as an option to ensure the productivity and well-being of their workforce, while others use it to cut corners and reduce employee benefits like child leave. It’s important to remember that flex work is just one part of the attraction and retention package. 

Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative.  Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.


https://stegmeierconsulting.com/contact/

Phone: 440-846-1410

Changing the way organizations manage workplace change


Telework

Telework Week Saved Feds 14 Million Miles, $13 Million

Mobile Work Exchange and the Office of Personnel Management on Thursday announced the impact more than 163,000 employees worldwide had by teleworking one week in March.

This year’s Telework Week, which ran March 3-7, drew 163,973 pledges, more than four times the 2011 number. The average Telework Week participant teleworked two days during the week, avoided a 45-mile round-trip commute into the office and saved 4.5 hours and $90 in commuting costs for the week.

Source: www.nextgov.com

We recommend that clients pilot a telecommuting program before they commit to a long-term program. Every business is different and flexible work arrangements should reflect that. Setting aside a week to test remote operations can also help test business continuity before the next winter storm or other natural hazard.

Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative.  Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.


https://stegmeierconsulting.com/contact/

Phone: 440-846-1410

Changing the way organizations manage workplace change

Workplace Flexibility

Flexibility Needed to Keep Top Performers

A high performercan deliver 400

per cent more productivity than an average performer. Despite this, all employees tend to be lumped together in workforce statistics.

Last summer, my colleagues and I conducted a study with Oxford Economics across 27 countries to find out what the future workforce wants.

Source: www.irishtimes.com

Attracting and retaining top talent is a challenge faced by nearly every organization.  High performers are extremely valuable, and competition for them is stiff.  Perhaps, more importantly, the cost to replace a top performer puts even more pressure on employers to focus on talent retention.  An outdated work environment and an inflexible corporate culture are often the most common hindrances to this retention process. 

Refreshing the workplace and your organizational policies may be just what your company needs.  Imagine having the ability to tour potential new hires through a modern, comfortable facility with space for collaboration, innovation and relaxation.  Picture their eyes light up as you inform them your organization possesses the technology and flexibility needed to make working remotely possible.

At Stegmeier Consulting Group, we believe that ignoring alternative workplace initiatives puts companies on a “fast track to 2nd place.”  That edict may be most true when talking in terms of talent recruitment and retention.  Don’t overlook how changing your work environment and corporate culture can impact attraction and retention–otherwise you run the risk the competition scooping up the future leaders of your workplace!

Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative.  Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.


https://stegmeierconsulting.com/contact/

Phone: 440-846-1410

Changing the way organizations manage workplace change

Telework

How To Make Working From Home More Productive

Working from home has its challenges. Five home office professionals share their secrets on making it work.

As a freelance writer, I spend the majority of my working time in my home office. While zero commuting hours, the ability to work in my pajamas, and flexibility over my schedule sound like a dream; working from home also has its challenges.

Source: www.fastcompany.com

One suggested step in this article is “Create a Commute”. We all need time to ease into the work day, whether it is through an actual commute, or a work-at-home equivalent. The good news about the work-at-home equivalent is that you have more control about what you get done.

This article gives a good example of a work-at-home commute: 


“Steve Cappoccia, account director at Warner Communications says he creates his own version of a commute by setting aside time at the beginning of the day to create a list of priorities for the day, update social media pages, and browse emails to allow for the smooth transition into work mode.”


Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative.  Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.


https://stegmeierconsulting.com/contact/

Phone: 440-846-1410

Changing the way organizations manage workplace change



Workplace Flexibility

Millennials plan to trade kids for careers — but it doesn’t have to be that way

Erin Wehmann, 28, can tell when she and her husband have been at work too long. They’ll come home to find Jake and Macey, their 7-year-old lab mixes, moping around the house.

While she doesn’t like leaving them for long stretches, she knows that during those occasional 10- to 12-hour work days, her dogs have plenty of food and water and access to the doggy door.

“But that’s not like a kid,” she said. “You can’t just leave them in your backyard.”

Source: www.deseretnews.com

Is a lack of workplace flexibility resulting in a “Baby Bust”? For many Millenials, a flexible work arrangement is a deciding factor in whether or not they start families.

In 1969, couples ages 25-54 worked an average of 56 hours a week, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2000, couples together averaged 67 hours.

With fewer workers doing the same amount of work, it is not surprising that they feel it is impossible to strike a balance between work and family life— and be able to afford it. The United States is one of the very few countries in the world that doesn’t provide some type of paid family leave, and many young parents cannot afford to take unpaid maternity leave.

What do you think? Would flexible work arrangements be enough to curb an impending “Baby Bust”?

Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative.  Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.


https://stegmeierconsulting.com/contact/

Phone: 440-846-1410

Changing the way organizations manage workplace change

Work Life Balance

KPMG employees applaud the firm’s flexible hours and family-friendly policies

Mamta Soni still remembers the day last spring when she was trying to meet a work deadline before leaving on a four-week trip to India. That’s when her infant son started teething, got pink-eye and developed strep throat all at the same time.


After trying to juggle everything and realizing she couldn’t, she finally called her colleagues at KPMG’s Cleveland office and told them, “I know this needs to be done today, but I won’t be able to finish it. I just took my son to the doctor’s and I need to be home with him right now.”

When they agreed that she needed to stay with her baby and reassured her that they could finish the work without her, Soni said she got off the phone and thought, “I’m so happy I work here.”

Source: www.cleveland.com

Let’s talk numbers! Estimated costs of replacing an employee average out at 15-20% of their annual salary and some sources argue that when adding in indirect costs, total turnover costs end up being about 150% of annual salary.

KPMG is wise to offer their employees flexible hours and family-friendly policies. Not only will they have more loyal and happy employees,  their clients won’t be constantly met with a different lineup of consultants.

While some may argue that this flexibility is disruptive, it is clear that the long-term costs of lower loyalty and greater turnover far outweigh any short-term costs. How does your organization help lower turnover?

Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative.  Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.


https://stegmeierconsulting.com/contact/

Phone: 440-846-1410

Changing the way organizations manage workplace change

Telework

Making Telework More Widespread in Government

Telework is slowly gaining a foothold in the federal government, but changing the attitudes of managers and supervisors who want to see their employees face-to-face remains a constant struggle.


A report by Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released in December found that a total of 301,372 federal employees teleworked at least once during fiscal 2012, the most recent data available. This represents about 14 percent of all federal employees and about one-third of those who have been designated as eligible to work remotely.


The benefits of teleworking have been well chronicled. For employees, it means avoiding long commutes, saving time, improving work-life balance, having greater job satisfaction and gaining a sense of empowerment. For the government, it can save money on overhead, provide better citizen services by extending hours, ensure continuity of operations during regional and national emergencies and snow storms, and lead to improved worker performance and greater productivity.


Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative.  Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.


https://stegmeierconsulting.com/contact/

Phone: 440-846-1410

Changing the way organizations manage workplace change


Source: www.washingtonpost.com

More bad weather headed your way? Take a tip from the government. Sound strange? Take a look at this: At the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where 73 percent of the 11,000 employees telework between one and five days a week, it was business as usual during recent weather-related closings.

The government has become one of the biggest proponents for telework recently and we are not surprised. From their trial period during “Telework Week” to having 73% of an office formally telecommuting, they are making sure to introduce telecommuting to their employees- and effectively.

We remind our clients that they should not see or treat telecommuting as an immediate cost-saving measure. Building an effective, long-term program is an investment. Training, communication, support, technology, and protocols come together to make a telecommuting program successful in the long run. The best advice? Don’t cut corners!

Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative.  Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.


https://stegmeierconsulting.com/contact/

Phone: 440-846-1410

Changing the way organizations manage workplace change

Telework

9 Things Successful People Do When Working From Home

I wrote the first draft of this column before 8 a.m. on a Sunday, working in my pajamas at the standing desk in my home office.

A new study says I have good company in that kind of work flexibility, and not just among entrepreneurs and those who work for themselves. Nearly one-third of full-time employees do most of their work in homes, coffee shops, and other remote places, according to the Flex+Strategy Group report.

After extensive study, here are the best ways I’ve learned to make this arrangement work….

Source: www.inc.com

Let’s add #10: Own your remote job. Too often remote workers apologize and it is far from necessary. Successful remote workers take their work seriously and become experts in allocating resources- especially time! Workers that invest and allocate resources wisely are a great asset to any company, regardless of location.

For example: An hour-long morning commute could become 15 minutes spent mapping out the day’s work plan and 45 minutes of heads-down thinking work without the distraction of 8:00 AM emails from co-workers. Nobody loses!

Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative.  Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.


https://stegmeierconsulting.com/contact/

Phone: 440-846-1410

Changing the way organizations manage workplace change

Corporate Real Estate and Facilities Management, Telework, Work Life Balance, Workplace Flexibility, Workplace Strategy

A Culture of Presenteeism is Damaging to Productivity

A ubiquitous culture of presenteeism is damaging productivity in UK offices, according to new research by fit out and refurbishment specialist Overbury. This is despite 77% of office workers having more flexible working options open to them than five years ago and expecting this trend to continue into 2014.


Four in five (80%) claim those who spend more hours in the office are thought by bosses to be working harder, while two thirds (66%) say being seen to work late increases an employee’s chance of promotion. More than two thirds (67%) of those who sometimes work from home admit to sending emails early in the morning to stop colleagues thinking they’re having a lie-in.

Source: www.hrreview.co.uk

Companies are willing to invest millions building collaborative work settings. However, many of those same companies forget to focus on establishing and consistently supporting an appropriate workplace culture that leverages collaborative settings. Presenteeism is one of the culture “roadblocks” that can keep that investment from paying off.

From the article: “More businesses need to realise that great ideas don’t arise from sitting at the same desk all day. Instead we must enable people to work in different environments depending on what they’re doing at any one time to push productivity through the roof.”


Stegmeier Consulting Group can assist with a wide range of challenges involved in implementing a workplace change initiative.  Contact us to find out how our services can help your organization.


https://stegmeierconsulting.com/contact/

Phone: 440-846-1410

Changing the way organizations manage workplace change