21st Century Work Life - Remote Working, Virtual Teams And Flexible Working

Today’s episode brings you just two in-depth sections – we like to mix things up for you, and some subjects deserve a deeper dive. So we’re pairing a great interview about culture in a distributed organisation, with a discussion about the time we spend at work. What do you think about the format? Please tell us, in our listener survey! https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/hello 04:35 Work-life: Interview Robert Glazer Robert is the founder and CEO of Acceleration Partners, the global independent affiliate management /performance marketing agency.  Their business is ranked by Glassdoor on the 2018 Employees’ Choice Awards honoring the Best Places to Work for U.S. small and medium size businesses,  and in June, just before our interview, was named #2 top CEO for SMEs in the US!  His team made a very touching video testimonial as part of this: https://www.accelerationpartners.com/blog/robert-glazer-ranked-2-on-glassdoors-highest-rated-ceos-list.  His take on distributed teams and local hubs was fascinating, and the

This week the tide is turning. We're talking ‘bout a revolution – bring on remote work! It’s making the world a better place. Don’t forget to tell us what you think, at https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/hello - and we really enjoyed your feedback on the previous episode, continuing the great ‘home-workers dress code’ debate… Are you Team Pyjamas, or vehemently opposed to such a travesty?  Have your say – Tweet us with your views, (but please do fill in the survey too!) As online meetings are such a vital part of working from anywhere, we talk about that too, reflecting a great discussion at Virtual Team Talk – where we cover everything from tools to tech to body language.  What do you think? 12:57 The Voice Behind The Book: John Elston John Elston is the author of The Remote Revolution (and has joined us before to talk about gig teams). The subtitle of the book is “How the Location-Independent Workforce Changes the Way We Hire, Connect, and Succeed”, which John felt better resonated with the values and conten

Pilar is taking flexible working to the shores of Eastern Spain this week! A good viewpoint from which to reflect on facilitation, and the differences involved in this practice, from training and coaching. We hope you agree, and we’re always curious to hear your feedback, but right now we’re asking you about it especially in a survey – please could you spare 5 minutes, to check out http://virtualnotdistant.com/hello.   07.12 21st Century Work-life: Andi Roberts PCC, CPF The letters after Andi’s name stand for Professional Certificate of Coaching, and Certified Professional Facilitator (Pilar met Andi at an International Association of Facilitators meeting – so the networking is great, in these supportive professional communities, but more importantly they benchmark competencies and experience in both cases).  He explains that the expertise of the facilitator is to manage the process, of the meeting or project – not to be a subject matter expert, but to really understand and make the most of the human dynamics

Really connecting with our core consulting work at Virtual Not Distant, today is all about virtual teams – we talk about the idea of ‘virtual distance’, and how there are many ways that distance and closeness can be created. Also coming soon, look out for Pilar’s book, Online Meetings that R.O.C.K. – expanded and advanced and taking longer than expected due to fantastic insightful feedback from beta readers, find out what changed about the ‘C’! It’s going to be worth the wait. 07.15 What do you mean by that: Virtual Distance, with Dr Karen Lojeski  We really enjoyed this conversation with Karen Lojeski, founder and CEO of Virtual Distance International, and author of The New Rules of the Virtual Workplace. Virtual Distance describes what gets lost, when the human is translated through a machine. Karen’s original research found out that this could be measured and understood – and that it definitely impacts on relationships and collaborations to a measurable extent. But it is NOT dependent purely on physical d

In today’s busy episode we look at the networks and constellations that surround us in our work, the human kind and the virtual respectively. Some great guests and conversations come your way, as we connect with unique expertise in the remote working space.   And special thanks to previous guest Gant Laborde for sending us some great new connections, as well his own podcast Building Infinite Red - we love to hear your feedback, so please connect with us over at Virtual Not Distant! 3.04 The Voice Behind the Book – David Burkus It’s always a pleasure to talk with David Burkus, award-winning speaker, business school professor, and author of “ Friend of a Friend: Understanding the Hidden Networks that Will Transform Your Life and Your Career”. David is an old friend of this podcast, and joined us back in episode 137. His latest book looks at the fundamental principles of network science, based on 50 years of experimental evidence, to analyse universal truths you can make use of in any setting. It’s definitely no

A shorter number of longer sections for today, including an extended featured interview looking at some of the difficulties behind the kind of working we love best. Don't forget to tell us what YOU love best, by tweeting @VirtualTeamW0rk, or visiting virtualnotdistant.com.  04.28 The Voice Behind The Blog : Gant Laborde Today’s “voice” is Gant Laborde, author of an article entitled  5 Things that Suck about Remote Work - The Pitfalls of Remote Work + Proposed Solutions https://shift.infinite.red/5-things-that-suck-about-remote-work-506b98dd38f9 We often celebrate all that we love about remote and flexible working, but it’s important to reflect on the challenges. Some of them come from other people and their attitudes and expectations…  and their lack of respect for your boundaries, especially when you’re first transitioning and figuring things out. Gant has some good suggestions for tackling this, and for talking about how you work to those who don’t get it. Other challenges come from ‘office only’ things you

Fickle Friday episodes include a mini-rant by Pilar. Today's episode is all about adapting generic advice to your context, and why I'm starting the "unmuting movement". 

Today we return to our regular format, and bring you a featured interview with Alison Jones, a wellbeing segment, a handy tool, and our thought-piece “oh no, my team’s gone remote!” If you have an interest in remote and flexible working, there’ still time to sign up to Virtual Team Talk’s “Internal Affair” – where you’ll also get a little free taste of Virtual Not Distant team coaching activities too.  And visit us at VirtualNotDistant.com soon. 05:27 Featured Interview: Alison Jones, Director of Practical Inspiration Publishing. Alison is a publishing partner for businesses with something to say. She specialises in helping experts and business leaders channel their knowledge into book format, making it easier to send ideas out into the world. Her book ‘This book means business: clever ways to plan and write a book that works harder for your business’ helps people do this, along with her specialist coaching skills and publishing and marketing background. Alison helps people create the whole platform and infr

These are some of the questions we didn't get to answer during a recent webinar on Leading Remote Teams.  How do you cope with different cultures when working remotely - eg. a team I'm working with has people in Germany, Switzerland and India and can have a clash of cultures which are difficult to express remotely. What about cultures reluctant/not familiar sharing about their opinions on private/professional stuff? How do I manage the time different in collaborating with a virtual working in diff time zones? Sometimes, outcomes don't come out as planned and then things start getting quite negative, how can we build trust among remote team members? How can a manager develop trust and make employees feel trust too? (managers don't know whether the members are slacking or work really hard yet get stuck) Can you talk about HOW teams can "bump into each other" when working remotely across many locations? My insight from this is that there are a lot different type communication needs: performance review, informal,

Intro Today we look at working on the move - we have some great perspectives on this, from professional networks to remote conferences to Gig Teams. Look out for our new fortnightly schedule, as we continue to bring you information-packed magazine-style episodes. And there’s lots going on at Virtual Not Distant, so do come and visit us – virtualnotdistant.com, check out our range of specialist services and activities. And if you’re curious about or involved in the world of virtual and remote collaboration, why not join us for a free online event: Virtual Team Talk’s “Internal Affair” on 18th-19th June – find out more and register at virtualteamtealk.com. 03.54 Interview: Mike Jones – TAP International Mike is the co-founder and CEO of Tap International, who help professionals broaden their networks by spending time in remote locations on ‘talent development experiences’ of 1-3 months, where they enjoy professional development and networking in amazing places, whilst learning from cultural differences in a ful

Lots going on at Virtual Not Distant right now! Don’t forget the upcoming webinar, there's still time to book for the 6th June – all about confident and successful leadership in remote teams https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/blog/webinar-remote-teams-how-to-lead-them-confidently-and-successfully Look out too for announcements about our in-house podcasting service, and also for Pilar’s podcast about podcasting – how meta is that? Imposing 'meaningful work' can lead to staff burnout https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170117140228.htm Maya and Pilar discuss the potential mismatch between organisational and individual motivation – you can’t tell people what is important to them. And you can’t generate intrinsic motivation with a flowery corporate values statement.  Long before you get burn-out and resignations, the phenomenon of ‘existential labour’ suggests a painful phase of faking it, in the face of an expectation that you should always be passionate about what you do.  But people find meaning in t

We have a packed show for you today, looking at strategies and tactics for successfully “working out loud” – We hope you’re enjoying our new-style podcast format, we’d love to hear what you think, do tweet us @VirtualTeamW0rk, or just pay us a visit at https://virtualnotdistant.com And don’t forget, booking is open for our great FREE webinar in June, in collaboration with Trainingzone -   https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/blog/webinar-remote-teams-how-to-lead-them-confidently-and-successfully - helping your team transition to remote, and helping you as a team leader to transition from supervisor to ecosystem DJ or spider! All will be revealed in the webinar…  So secure your space today. And before our main interview, a point to ponder: If only we could do exit interviews before people decide to leave – maybe even instead of?  We could learn so much from a ‘pre-mortem’. A great conversation took place about this in https://virtualteamtalk.com, so do come and join us there if this kind of learning exploration i

We are continuing to mix things up with our new format, and today’s podcast also revisits some earlier recordings and articles - we have so much great content in the archives at https://virtualnotdistant.com, so don’t forget to visit us there soon! In the introduction, Pilar talks about podcasting with Richard McKinnon who we featured back in October 2017 when we talked about psychological flexibility. https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/psychological-flexibility Pilar will shortly be hosting a webinar with him on this important subject - are our emotional states in control of us, or can we master them? And we’re pleased to announce that booking is now open for a free webinar in June in collaboration with Training Zone - we’re keen to ensure our podcast listeners get early access to this valuable resource, so you can learn more and register here: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/blog/webinar-remote-teams-how-to-lead-them-confidently-and-successfully 10.25: Article discussion: Why Microsoft's new cul

Welcome to our new format, magazine-style show!  We hope you like it, and don’t forget to visit https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/, for more great content, and information about our wide range of services for remote teams. Today’s episode is all about staying healthy, whilst working flexibly. 03.40: Feature interview: Paul Read, the Teapot Monk, Paul teaches TaiChi online at teapotmonk.com, and has a new course specifically aimed at addressing the health issues remote workers may experience. Listen to the interview to find out how to win a voucher to access the course for free.  learntaichi.online and Teapotmonk.comhttps://www.udemy.com/a-beginners-guide-to-managing-stress-with-tai-chi/ 27.15 "Oh no, my team's gone remote!" - and I’m starting to feel like I never switch off... In a world of push notification and multiple screens, how do we manage our boundaries, especially when managing others working remotely? 33.30 Recommended tool: Trello Based on the Kanban workflow, Trello's deceptively-simple app of 'vi

The last of our audio blogs, as next week we'll launch the new show format! In this article, we are reminded that people on remote teams also get sick, but that sick-leave might be more difficult to take.  These links might be of interest to you: https://fitforwork.org/ https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/psychological-safety This is the audio version of one of our blog posts.  You can read the post here:  https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/blog/sickness-remote-teams

A short update on how we're getting on with the new format, followed straight by the audio version of one of our blog posts.  Some people don't like to brag about their achievements. Some managers don't want to disturb their team members and so, they rarely check in. This results in missed opportunities for recognition and development.  To read the post, visit: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/blog/sharing-success

Be honest: how often do you find the time to give and receive feedback in your team? In remote teams, it's very easy to avoid these kind of conversations, when they are some of the most valuable input we can receive from our team members. In this audio blog post we recommend a few ways in which you can embed feedback systems into your team's communications.  This is the audio version of one of our Virtual not Distant blog posts.  You can read the post here:  https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/blog/feedback-in-remote-teams

In this episode, Pilar explains why the structure of the podcast is changing and the plans we have for the content. Also, you can now find the podcast in Spotify and as an Alexa skill. Plus, we're thinking of launching an in-house podcast service for companies making the transition to remote, looking for creative ways of keeping the workforce connected.  Do send us suggestions for content or any questions you have about remote work or other workplace trends/terminology.  At around 11 minutes, you can listen to the audio version of the blog post, "Now that I'm Remote, Can Anyone See How Hard I'm Working?" If you're done listening and prefer reading, here's the link to the blog post: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/blog/presenteeism-in-remote-teams

Should technology replace trust? Are there ways of using technology so that we don’t have to rely on trust to get the work done in remote teams? How much do we need to trust each other and how much should we show our work? We try to answer these questions in today’s episode. visit www.virtualnotdistant.com Are we going back to the good ol’ days of clocking in and out by using timetracking software? Can managers not go remote because their work is too important?! Is there fear that people use collaboration platforms to have private conversations? Or that they will contact anyone in the organisation, at any level? We mention this article from HBR https://hbr.org/2017/11/what-managers-need-to-know-about-social-tools And this episode from HBR Ideacast https://hbr.org/ideacast/2018/02/make-tools-like-slack-work-for-your-company.html Is middle management less prone to trust? Is there a fear that organisational dynamics might change in a way we don’t like? The difficulty of making sure we achieve results without

Does time tracking software have a place in remote work? Pilar talks to Rob Rawson, CEO of Time Doctor. visit www.virtualnotdistant.com In the introduction, Pilar mentions this article: The CEO of Kronos on Launching an Unlimited Vacation Policy https://hbr.org/2017/11/the-ceo-of-kronos-on-launching-an-unlimited-vacation-policy and refers to this video by Crossover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbRa2csUJA8 And these episodes of Management Café, the podcast for managers. #5 The Psychological Contract https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/management-cafe-5-psychological-contract #12 Borrowing from Self-Management https://managementcafepodcast.com/2018/02/04/self-management/ Pilar speaks to Rob Rawson, CEO of Time Doctor. How does Time Doctor work and who uses it? Does this mean we don’t trust people? Are some people more trustworthy than others? Is trust a barrier to going remote or to employ virtual workers? Is the software promoting presenteeism? Do companies where there is a lot of communication