OneWorld – Joseph Noone's Blog

Les DRH en France vont être très occupé(e)s dans les mois à venir à préparer et à négocier des accords d’entreprise sur le télétravail.

A ce sujet, des experts de L’Agence Nationale pour l’Amélioration des Conditions de Travail (ANACT) viennent de réaliser une étude très intéressante et approfondie des accords de travail et chartes d’entreprises signés en France entre les entreprises et les partenaires sociaux en 2020. Plus de 6000 textes mentionnant le Télétravail ont été signés pendant cette période.

Il en résulte de cette étude 10 recommandations pour les entreprises souhaitant mettre en place un accord de travail ou une charte d’entreprise sur le télétravail en 2021.

1.Prévoir des accords de télétravail adaptables: on constate rarement la bonne formule de télétravail, la bonne organisation et les bonnes pratiques managériales adaptées. En effet, la nature soudaine du mouvement en masse vers le télétravail en mars 2020 a laissé peu de temps aux entrerprises pour réfléchir sur la meilleure façon d’organiser et mettre en oeuvre le télétravail. Comme toute nouvelle organisation de travail se teste dans la durée, par conséquent, il est recommandé dans tout nouvel accord de définir un cadre ajustable avec les possibilités de revoir l’organisation mise en place avec les partenaires sociaux (Syndicats, CSE, etc.) et les salariés et de prévoir des bilans annuels pour pouvoir évaluer les forces et faiblesses de l’organisation de travail mise en place et les actions à mettre en eouvre pour l’améliorer. Intégrer la possibilité d’adapter tout nouveau mode d’organisation autour du tététravail dans un futur accord est ici le maître mot.

2. Bien identifier les Activités télétravaillables: Il n’est pas nécessaire qu’un métier ou une fonction soit entièrement télétravaillable pour qu’un salarié puisse bénéficier du télétravail. Certains postes de travail sont certes plus facilement télétravaillables que d’autres. Ceci étant dit, dans un souci d’équité de traitement, chaque poste de travail devrait être analysé pour identifier quelles activités peuvent être télétravaillables, notamment en mode dégradé en télétravail exceptionnel. Dans un esprit d’équité de traitement, il est important d’analyser dans le détail chaque poste avant de décider si tel ou tel poste est télétravailable ou non.

3. Privilégier l’apprentissage et les retours d’expérience sur une application rigide des règles: Le télétravail ne va pas de soi, d’autant plus que beaucoup de managers et salariés découvrent le télétravail pour la première fois dans des environnements peu habitués au travail à distance. Certains accords déjà signés prévoient des clauses de reversibilité qui donnent aux managers et aux collaborateurs la possibilité de mettre fin au télétravail après un délai de prévais. Compte tenu de la nouveauté du mode d’organisation en télétravail et la période d’apprentissage nécessairement plus ou moins longue avant d’arriver à un mode de fonctionnement plus ou moins efficace, il est recommandé de favoriser une dynamique d’apprentissage, le dialogue et le retour d’expérience entre les managers et les collaborateurs avant de prendre des décisions d’interrompre le télétravail pour un ou plusieurs collaborateurs. Le maître mot ici est apprentissage et retur d’expérience.

4. Privilégier des accords souples et des procédures de télétravail légers: le télétravail représente un bouleversement, voire une révolution par rapport à l’organisation du travail traditionnelle basée sur la présence du salarié dont le travail est contrôlé en direct par son manager. Certains managers pourraient être tentés d’insister sur des procédures administratives plus lourdes pour compenser un sentiment/perception de perte de contrôle directe de l’activité de leurs salariés.

Mais accroître ou alourdir les procédures administratives de contrôle serait chronophages et contreproductives et il est recommandé de privilégier plutôt des mesures de contrôles souples basées sur la confiance. En effet, le télétravail impose un changement de paradigme managérial où les méthodes “classiques” de contrôle sont remplacées par un rapport basé sur la confiance et la responsabilisation de chacun. Etant donné que le télétravail amène les collaborateurs à focaliser davantage sur les résultats et contribue à accélerer la réactivité des équipes, alourdir le télétravail par des procédures administratives accrues ferait perdre tous les avantages de ce mode d’organisation de travail. La souplesse, la flexibilité, la confiance et l’accompagnement sont ici les maîtres mots.

5. Envisager des alternatives en termes de lieux de travail/télétravail: Si le télétravail représente un avancé certain pour beaucoup de salariés, tel n’est pas le cas pour tous. En effet, tous les salariés ne disposent pas des conditions optimales pour pouvoir télétravailler (manque de place, manque d’équipements, appétence pour le télétravail, etc.). Par ailleurs, beaucoup de salariés, par ailleurs satisfaits de la possibilité de télétravailler, ont exprimé néanmoins un souhait de retourner au bureau au moins 1 ou 2 fois par semaine pour pouvoir retrouver le collectif et le lien social avec leurs collègues. C’est pourquoi il est recommandé d’envisager des formes d’organisation de travail hybride avec des périodes de travail en télétravail et des périodes au bureau. Ou de prévoir d’autres lieux de travail pour des télétravailleurs si le travail à domicile est exclu ou pas possible pour des raisons méterielles. Compte tenu de la grande diversité des cas, plus il y a de la flexibilité dans les solutions offertes aux salariés, plus on collera aux réalités des effectifs.

6. Anticiper les impacts sur les métiers et compétences au-delà des équipements et TIC: il est évident que le télétravail ne se résume pas à la mise à disposition d’équipements et de technologies facilitant le travail à distance. Le télétravail bouleverse l’organisation du travail, rompt avec l’unicité des lieux, du temps et de l’action, impacte les métiers et les compétences des collaborateurs et bouleverse les processus et procédures de travail qui risquent de ne plus correspondre à une réalité où les collaborateurs ne travaillent plus d’une manière synchrone dans un seul lieu. C’est pourquoi il est recommandé certes de former les collaborateurs à l’utilisation des différents outils de communication mais également une attention toute particulière doit être apportée aux impacts du télétravail sur les transformations des métiers, des compétences, des processus et procédures internes. Les maîtres mots ici sont “anticiper les impacts en mieux accompagnant les managers et les collaborateurs en développant leurs compétences”.

7. Veiller au Temps de travail et Charge de travail de chacun: Le temps de travail connecté ne dit pas grande chose du travail réel effectué par les salariés à distance. En effet, il faut bien plus de temps souvent pour préparer en amont certains sujets ou accéder aux informations pertinentes détenues par un autre collaborateur en télétravail que lorsque toute l’équipe était réunie au même moment au même bureau. Le rôle du manager devient encore plus important dans la régulation du temps de travail et dans la régulation de la charge de travail de chaque collaborateur. Chaque manager doit prévoir plus de moments d’échanges à la fois avec chaque collaborateur et avec l’équipe pour veiller au temps de travail de chacun et à la charge de travail de chacun.

8. Veiller aux risques de surconnexion: Tous les accords signés rappelent l’importance du respect des règles concernant le temps de travail et de repos quotidiens et hébdomadaires mais il est recommandé de ne pas se limiter aux seuls rappels de la législation. Il est donc recommandé de s’intéresser aux causes de tout dépassement (surcharge de travail, absence ou défaut de communication et de régulation, difficultés dans l’équipe, surconnexion numérique, déséquilibre présentiel/distanciel, etc. Le télétravail amène une grande flexibilité en termes d’organisation de travail qui distend les liens entre les collaborateurs et cette dispersion impose encore plus de contraintes sur les managers en termes de gestion, d’adaptabilité et d’écoute que lorsque tous les collaborateurs étaient réunis dans les mêmes locaux. Un manager doit par exemple challenger un collaborateur qui se connecte en dehors des heures de travail normales d’une manière régulière et/ou inconsidérée.

9. Anticiper pour mieux prévenir les risques: Selon l’étude ANACT, la prévention des risques liés au travail à distance reste un sujet peu développé dans les chartes et accords signés étudiés. Sur ce point, la collaboration de toutes les parties prenantes (managers, salariés, partenaires sociaux, médecine du travail, etc.) est encore plus importante et notamment dans le répérage des signaux faibles envoyés par des collaborateurs en difficulté. Des bilans et des revues réguliers impliquant le management, les CSE et/ou CSSCT, la médicine du travail semblent d’autant plus importants que le collectif de travail soit dispersé et moins en contact direct avec sa hiérarchie et collègues au jour le jour. Des enquêtes internes régulières ou annuelles associées à des plans d’action peuvent être un moyen de recueillir régulièrement les avis des collaborateurs et des managers sur les points forts et faibles du télétravail en place et de définir des pistes d’amélioration.

10. Accompagner et développer les managers de proximité: Déjà très sollicités dans un contexte de travail en présentiel, les managers de proximité sont sollicités encore davantage par des contextes où leurs équipes sont dispersés géographiquement en télétravail dans des formats plus ou moins hybrides et où ils sont parfois aussi mal outillés techniquement que leurs collaborateurs. De nouvelles connaissances et compétences sont nécessaires pour gérer les collaborateurs travaillant à distance d’une manière asynchrone. C’est pourquoi il est recommandé de soutenir et accompagner encore davantage les managers de proximité à la fois pour les mettre dans les meilleures conditions matérielles pour jouer leur rôle mais également pour qu’ils développent les compétences managérielles et les compétences émotionnelles nécessaires pour piloter leurs équipes à distance d’une manière efficace.

Des pistes de réflexions très utiles pour préparer les futurs accords avec les partenaires sociaux.

Decouvrez une synthèse de l’étude ANACT en téléchargeant le présentation ci-après.

Sur le même sujet du Télétravail, dans son introduction à l’ouvrage intitulé 10 clés pour préparer mon entreprise au travail à distance par Caroline del Torchio et Thibaud Brière, le Directeur Général du Groupe MAIF, Pascal Demurger décrit la politique MAIF en termes de télétravail de la manière suivante:

“Les collaborateurs ne sont plus placés dans un rôle d’exécutant de simples tâches ou de respect de procédures décidées en central, ils bénéficient de réelles marges de manoeuvre afin de résoudre, à leur niveau, les problèmes auquels ils sont confrontés. Une formule pourrait résumer cette articulation entre la manière dont on doit permettre au collaborateur de réveler tout son potentiel et la manière dont il peut alors mettre à profit ce potentiel pour son entreprise: rendre capable pour rendre possible“.

A mon sens, tout futur accord de télétravail doit avoir pour préoccupation essentielle de créer les conditions pour permettre aux managers de proximité de “rendre capable pour rendre possible” , conditions qui reposent sur un rapport de confiance entre managers et collaborateurs.

Découvrez l’ouvrage de Caroline del Torchio et de Thibaud Brière intitulé “10 clés pour préparer mon entreprise au travail à distance”. Une analyse très complète et complémentaire par rapport à l’étude ANACT.

New technologies and digitalization have greatly impacted work practices in France as elsewhere over the past number of years. Teleworking has gradually become part of the working environment at least for certain categories of white collar workers. The initial sudden lock down due to Covid 19 in March 2020 and the continuing pandemic since then has accelerated greatly the move to teleworking with many “teleworkable/office” jobs currently being done 100% remotely.

This sudden acceleration to 100% teleworking for many if not most office jobs has also significantly impacted labor relations. The most significant example of a much changed French labor relations landscape is the announcement on 26 November 2020 of the signing by French social partners of a National Interprofessional Agreement on Teleworking after one of the swiftest rounds of negotiations in recent history.

On the employers side, 3 key employers’ organizations (MEDEF, CPME and U2P) signed up and 4 of the 5 main trade union confederations agreed (CFDT, FO, CFE-CGC, CFTC). Only the CGT refused to sign.

Prior to this Agreement, teleworking was regulated by the national interprofessional agreement of 2005 and by articles L.1222-9 and following of the French Labor Code as amended buy Ordinance N° 2017-1387.

The November 2020 Agreement seeks to provide a framework clarifying the rules and conditions governing teleworking both as a normal practice and in exceptional circumstances. Significantly, rather than setting prescriptive or normative binding rules on employers, the Agreement emphasizes the importance of social partnership and negotiations between employers and trade unions as a means of implementing new teleworking arrangements.

The Agreement provides guidelines covering three key topics:

1. Recognizing teleworking as a “normal work practice“.
2. Setting up teleworking arrangements agreements.
3. Managing teleworkers either as normal work practice or in exceptional circumstances.

Below are some of the Agreement’s key recommendations for each topic.

1. Teleworking as a “normal work practice”

The March 2020 Covid19 confinement imposed unplanned widescale teleworking on many employers and employees. The social partners now recognize that it is important to learn the lessons from this unplanned teleworking and to build business continuity plans that plan for increased teleworking in the future either as a normal way of working or in exceptional circumstances.

When introducing or generalizing teleworking, employers are encouraged to pay particular attention to :

• IT infrastructure and tools when defining and rolling out structured teleworking.
• work force cohesion to ensure that increased teleworking does not drive a wedge between those employees benefitting from teleworking and those whose jobs are not “teleworkable” and must work on site. Employers wishing to implement teleworking as a normal work practice should proceed on a trial basis, followed by a lessons learned phase identifying the key success factors before establishing teleworking on a permanent basis. This gradual roll out will allow employers to adapt the plan to their particular situation because “one size does not fit all“.
• The Agreement recognizes that teleworking is now a positive option for many employees and employers who see a lot of benefits in working remotely:
  • less travel time home to work
  • less business travel,
  • better work-life balance,
  • greater employee autonomy and empowerment
  • ….
• Teleworking can even be an advantage for employers finding it diffucult to attract suitable candidates for whatever reason. The Agreement therefore recognizes that teleworking can now be part of a new joiner’s working conditions and contractual terms and conditions or can be implemented as part of an employee’s current work contract. In such cases, work contract addenda are no longer required and a mutual agreement between employer and employee is sufficient, preferably in writing.

2. Setting up teleworking arrangements

The Agreement recommends implementing teleworking arrangements through formal work agreements with trade unions representatives if such exist or if not possible, through an employer’s charter after due consultation of the Works Council (CSE) if such a body exists.

Any work agreement or charter should specify:

• the terms and conditions of switching to telework and returning to on-site working
• how employees formally notify acceptance of teleworking
• how employees’ teleworking time and work load will be monitored
• periods in the work day when employers can contact an employee teleworking
• how handicapped workers can avail of teleworking

Of course, in exceptional circumstances, such as during a pandemic or “cas de force majeure”, employers can unilaterally resort to teleworking and in such circumstances, it remains the employer’s unilateral decision and responsibility as per legal provisions (L. 1222-11 French Labor Code).

Importantly, to facilitate a swift and effective implementation of teleworking arrangements, employers should define the criteria required to identify and map jobs that are “teleworkable“. This “teleworkable jobs mapping” should be subject to discussions with workers representative bodies where they exist or if not, directly with employees.

In the absence of a work agreement or an employer’s charter, teleworking can also be implemented through any mutual one-to-one agreement between employer and employee. Teleworking requires therefore a mutual agreement between employer and employee. An employer can decide to accept or reject any request by an employee to switch to teleworking. Outside of teleworking in exceptional circumstances, a refusal by an employee to telework is not grounds for dismissal.

A mutual agreement can take any form but it is recommended to establish one in writing. When a formal work agreement or a charter exists, as per L.1222-9 of the French Labor Code, an employer should notify any rejection of a teleworking request in writing.

3. Guidelines to manage impact of teleworking once implemented

The Agreement formally recognizes teleworking as normal work arrangements and underlines the following:

• Subordination: When teleworking, the employee remains subordinate to his/her employer at all times
• Working time remains the same. Provisions concerning daily & weekly rest, work breaks, holidays and rest days are the same and method of calculating hours worked are the same.
• Availability: After discussion with the teleworker, the employer should set the periods in the day when the teleworker can be contacted, aligned to the company’s normal working hours and rules.
• Monitoring work: Should the employer implement a specific work time monotoring system/tool, this system/tool must be justified by the nature of the work performed and proportionate to the objective and the employee must be informed beforehand. Any IT system/tool implemented to track teleworkers’ work time can only be implemented after the prior consultation of the Works Council(CSE) and after having informed the teleworkers concerned.
• Right to disconnect: Any teleworking initiative must cover “employees’ right to disconnect” which should be covered by a work agreement or employer’s charter. The right to disconnect is already a mandatory subject of negotiation between social partners which seeks to ensure that employees can disconnect from company communication tools once they have completed their normal working day.
• Annual review: An employer should organize each year an interview with teleworkers to review the teleworkers’ working conditions and work load.
• Data protection: Employers must take all measures to protect confidentiality and data of teleworkers and all data used by the teleworker (notably in compliance with EU GDPR legislation. Teleworkers should receive guidelines concerning data confidentiality rules and protocoles should be implemented to ensure confidentiality and secure access to company servers.

Other key points are considered:

• Employee expenses: any expenses incurred during teleworking on behalf of the employer should be met by the employer, subject to the latter’s prior approval. What specific costs are covered remains a subject of negotiation between social partners. Should an employer pay a flat rate to indemnify teleworkers, such indemnities are considered legitimate and not subject to social charges within the limits defined by current legal provisions.
• Training: Teleworkers, their managers and colleagues should receive training to allow them to adapt to specific nature of teleworking.
• Frequency of teleworking: The frequency of teleworking is determined by agreement between employer and worker on the basis of any work agreement or charter implemented. Employers should remain vigiliant with regard to balancing teleworking with on-site working in order to maintain social cohesiveness and avoid organisational disfunctions.
• Communication is a key success factor and employers are reminded to pay particular attention to communication in order to preserve operational effectiveness of teleworking.

The Agreement focuses also on Health & Safety issues :

• The same French labor code and collective bargaining agreement provisions apply to teleworkers as to on-site workers even if it should be recognized that employers do not have the same oversight of teleworkers as they do for on-site workers
• Teleworking should be included in the company’s mandatory risk assessment approach specified in article L. 4121-1 of the French Labor Code and as such teleworking should be included in the company Risk assessment document with a particular focus on the risk linked to possible isolation due to remote working and the need to regulate use of digital tools.
• Employers must of course inform teleworkers of the company HSE policy particularly with regard to use of computer screens and work area ergonimics and the teleworker must comply with these health & safety rules.
• As teleworking is just another form or working, any accidents occuring during teleworking are considered as work accidents and declared to authorities as such.

The Agreement also focuses directly on training requirements for managers and teleworkers. Significantly, it stresses that successful teleworking relies on a relationship of trust between manager and teleworker and identifies 2 key aptitudes required by every teleworker: autonomy and job responsibilities suitable for telework.

Managers and the management chain have a key role in making teleworking a success. The Agreement underlines the manager’s role in setting teleworkers’ objectives according to their circumstances and their role in ensuring smooth connection between work performed by teleworkers and on-site workers. If the key ingredient for telework is trust, managers must at the same time set clear objectives for those working remotely. Clear objectives coupled with autonomous, empowered teleworkers will free up time for managers to focus on matters such as optimizing workload or solving organisational issues and will help to avoid micromanagement.

The Agreement recommends including the following topics in designing training courses for managers, teleworkers and on-site workers :

• how to adapt job activities to teleworking
• how to develop the autonomy of teleworkers
• how to structure the work day by stages
• respecting work legislation and the right to disconnect in a teleworking context
• how to regulate use of digital tools
• how to set objectives in a team mixing remote and on site work.

Finally, given the increased importance of digital tools for teleworking, the Agreement stresses that all managers and employees should receive training in how to use digital tools and how to manage cybersecurity and data protection risks.

The Agreement makes other recommendations:

• Managers should be sensitive to employees with health problems or handicaps and carers for whom teleworking could have positive impact. At the same time, managers must ensure that all employees benefitting from teleworking remain part of the team and do not become cut off or isolated from team activites and objectives.
• All employees including teleworkers should receive information on company assistance programs and SOS help lines and contact details in the event of personal or professional issues.

Indeed, one of the underlying themes of the Agreement is the insistence on preventing teleworkers from being cut off from their on-site co-workers. The Agreement recommends that:

• teleworkers be able to alert their management in the event they feel isolated or cut off
• all teleworkers should be provided with the contact details of HR and the company health service whom they can contact if necessary.

Labor Relations is also covered by the Agreement and specific recommendations are made to foster and maintain good labor relations and social dialogue in a teleworking context. For example:

• Workers and workers’ representatives continue to enjoy the same legal and conventional rights as they enjoyed when on-site
• Social partnership and mandatory annual negotiations and obligations continue when teleworking as under normal circumstances or exceptional circumstances and while on site works council meetings are always preferred, certain meetings can be held remotely.

Finally, the Agreement addresses some of the lessons learned by employers during the sudden move to teleworking “en masse” in March 2019 and particularly the need for employers to review their business continuity plans where these exist or create such plans if not to cover teleworking as a result of exceptional/unforeseen circumstances/cas de force majeur such as a pandemic.

With this in mind, the Agreement insists on including in any eventual work agreement or employer’s charter the following:

• the conditions and means of resorting to teleworking in the event of exceptional circumstances/cas de force majeure
• a mapping of “teleworkable jobs” beforehand to ensure a swift implementation of teleworking in the event of cas de force majeure.

If no works agreement exists, the Works Council (CSE) must be consulted concerning the measures planned to ensure business continuity. And if no WC exists, it is recommended for employers to consult with employees before implementing any business continuity plan unilaterally.

In the event of an emergency requiring an employer to implement urgently teleworking en masse, as in the case of Covid19 in March 2020, on the basis of article L.1222-11 of the French Labor Code, an employer can decide unilaterally to switch some or all employees to teleworking and consult the WC (CSE) as soon as possibly subsequently. The rule of mutually agreed teleworking does not apply. However, the employer must inform employees by whatever means possible and in writing if possible.

Otherwise, the rules applying to teleworking during exceptional circumstances are the same as the rules for teleworking in normal circumstances mentioned above.

One important point to highlight: in the event of teleworking due to exceptional circumstances, employees can now use their own equipment if the employer has not had time to provide any. Concerning Labor relations in exceptional circumstance resulting in significant teleworking, the Agreement recommends implementing a protocole between the social partners to clarify the operational rules with regard to mandatory WC meetings and consultations so that flexibility can be introduced with regard to mandatory consultations and to allow for WC meetings by visio.

Commenting afterwards, one of the employers’ representatives, M. Hubert Mongon of the MEDEF expressed satisfaction at the Agreement whcih he considered as operational and pragmatic. If the trade unions that signed were more muted in their praise, all expressed satisfaction at the much needed clarification to teleworking practices both in normal and in more exceptional/cas de force majeure circumstances.

A pragmatic step in the right direction bringing much needed clarity to the teleworking jungle!

Footnote: the French Ministry of Labor has formally authorized as of 7 January 2021 employees currently teleworking 100% to return to site work one day a week if circumstances permit and if their employers agree.

See below the French version of the Interprofessional Agreement.

ANI Télétravail – 26 11 2020 (courriercadres.com)http://courriercadres.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ani-teletravail-26-11-2020.pdf

French Labor Ministry Covid19 Employers’ Protocol updated 6 January 2021

https://travail-emploi.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/protocole-national-sante-securite-en-entreprise.pdf

As the Covid 19 pandemic continues across the globe, more and more countries are returning to a lock down similar to the lock down of March 2020 and remote working is becoming more and more the new norm. As a result, more and more employees are finding themselves having to make more and more virtual presentations on virtual meeting platforms like Teams, Go to meeting, Webex, Zoom, Google meetings, to name but a few. Indeed, even when the pandemic ends, which it will very soon hopefully, remote working seems to be here to stay and mastering virtual presentations will be a key skill for many, just like making physical presentations to audiences was a key skill prior to C19.

Virtual presentations can indeed be quite challenging even for an experienced presenter. Many more employees are suddenly finding themselves having to make virtual presentations without the experience of having already delivered presentations in classic meetings. And of course, with virtual meetings, remote audiences have more opportunities to stray, removed as they are from their “normative” office environment and now located remotely where everyone is vulnerable to a whole host of different distractions and interruptions.

Having organized, presented, participated in numerous virtual meetings over the years, having read through a lot of literature on the subject and having learned the hard way, here are some of my tips for making these virtual presentations work for you. What is most important is to remember to focus on the meeting goal and not on the possible obstacles and I hope the following tips will help prevent the most common glitches.

1.Check your technology beforehand

Lots of things can of course go wrong and often do go wrong: you’re locked out of the meeting room, your microphone or your camera doesn’t work, you’re not familiar with the meeting room control interface, you don’t have the meeting code, your network is down or slow, etc.

To avoid some of these issues, do a check of your technology before the meeting. If possible, do a dry run with a colleague or family member, just to check that your system works and you are able to familiarize yourself with the meeting room environment. But remember, it’s never that complicated and generally speaking, most, if not all, problems can be resolved quickly, if you give yourself the time beforehand.

Don’t wait until the meeting starts to discover a problem you won’t have time to fix, especially under pressure. Get technical support if necessary from your IT department or colleagues. But don’t wait until the meeting to discover the problem.

2. Choose your virtual meeting background

We may be lucky and enjoy a remote environment already set up for virtual meetings: well lit, spacious, neutral walls. However, most of us working from home may find it difficult to find a neutral space for our virtual meetings. Book cases, plants, family photos, ornaments, decorations, furniture, cabinets, wardrobes, paintings, heirlooms, etc. can all get in the way and cause unnecessary distractions for your audience.

Try to choose a setting that reflects neutrality and professionalism and doesn’t distract from the message you want to get across. Choose as neutral a background as possible. Alternatively, choose a virtual background or blur your background if the meeting application allows it. It’s always advisable to choose a location free from as much external distractions (traffic, neighbours, machines, music, etc.) as possible and always remember to invite participants to mute their phones and speakers until they want to speak in the meeting.

3. Pay attention to your lighting

Many of us have sat through virtual meetings looking at a darkened screen as the presenter at the other end does his/her best to capture and keep our attention. Rememeber to pay attention to lighting. Let natural light in if that is possible so you can be clearly seen. If you are in a box room or space without access to natural light, invest in a lamp that can light up your face. Put some light if you want your participants to “see the light”.

4. Practise your presentation beforehand

As for any presentation, “practise makes perfect” and this is all the more true when delivering a virtual presentation to numerous participants spread remotely. Even if you can see them on your screen, it is always difficult to evaluate their engagement and attention compared to a physical presentation when everyone is in the same room. During the course of your virtual presentation, many potential distractions may pop up: participants disconnecting and reconnecting, traffic noises, police sirens, dogs barking, children playing, neighbours chatting, machines running, etc. and these are all potential distractors for both you and your audience.

So the more you prepare, the less you will be vulnerable to these distractions during the course of your presentation, whenever one or more suddenly intervenes in the middle of an important point. As the saying goes, “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail“.

5) Keep your message short and simple

Virtual meetings require a great deal of focus and concentration. So it’s important to keep the meetings as short as possible and to keep your presentation as short as possible. Keep the message simple. Keep your visuals as simple as possible centred on some key messages. Break your message up into sections and invite participation every ten minutes or so by asking for questions. Address participants by their first name. A break in your presentation can be a time to review and reply to the comments raised on the chat. Better still, have a colleague/participant track the chats and summarize them for you so that you are not distracted during your presentation.

6) Present to the camera, not to the computer screen

In a normal physical presentation, good presenters talk to the audience and not to the powerpoint or paperboard. It’s even more important to do so when you are delivering a virtual presentation. We have all sat through virtual meetings where the presenter is staring down from above or too far away from the camera, has a double chin or we are looking up their nostrils.

The best way to talk to your audience in a virtual meeting to capture their attention is to look at the camera rather than your screen. This will help you maintain eye contact and hold the attention of your audience. It’s not easy to look at the camera and this takes practice but it helps to capture and keep the attention of your audience. Position your computer so that the camera is at eye level at it frames your face, neck and shoulders. Practice your positioning so that you are close enough to the camera but not too close. You don’t want to be too far away or alternatively your face is staring into the screen.

Remember, when you are testing your computer set up, pay attention to how you look and the positioning of your camera and you will avoid most of the above pitfalls.

7) Present Standing up if possible. If not, sit up straight

If you can, use a standing desk or position your computer so that you can stand an eye level with your computer. Standing up is always better because it increases our energy levels, puts us in presentation mode and help keep the attention of our audience.

If you can’t stand up, sit square in a good solid chair with feet planted on the floor at eye level to camera. Slouching over your screen or leaning backwards will disengage your audience and distract from your message and of course lead to possible back problems later on.

8) Follow some virtual meeting etiquette ground rules

Virtual meetings require more focus and attention than ordinary office meetings. If you are participating in a meeting either as presenter or participant, set yourself some etiquette ground rules to help keep and maintain concentration of all participants.

• Work from a dedicated space and not from your sofa or kitchen.
• Don’t multitask during virtual meetings, avoid reading your emails, preparing another meeting or presentation. Turn off your email alerts and mute your mobile phone. Remain present and focused on the meeting at hand. Be present.
• Don’t jump straight to the agenda: Allow participants a few minutes to reconnect with one another by exchanging small talk. If you are leading the presentation, ask team members how they are and how things are going. Start with a participant who is the most junior or who doesn’t speak so much and move around the table. Share how you are doing as well to set the tone.
• Follow up your meeting: don’t forget to send out to all participants a summary of what was discussed and agreed either by email or other internal platform.
• Be on time, follow the agenda and don’t overrun: show up on time, especially if you are the presenter. Follow the agenda and end the meeting on time. Virtual meetings require much more discipline than physical meetings.
• Don’t systematically ask participants to mute their microphones: the general rule seems to be to ask participants to mute their microphones unless they want to speak. This is understandable in meetings that have large numbers of participants. However, in small meetings, it is perhaps better not to mute so that any participant can speak when he/or she wants. This also means that participants have to give their undivided attention to the meeting instead of multitasking when muted.
• Dress for the job: It’s not because the meeting is virtual that you should negelect your appearance. Indeed, audiences are more attentive to appearance when they are looking at you on a screen. Pay attention to your appearance, grooming and dress for the part. It will make you feel positive and reinforce your message.
• Use a headset: if you don’t mute, use a headset which allows you to take notes with pen and paper and excludes background noise.
• No eating or drinking: we have all been at meetings where we or others arrive with cups of coffees and/or snacks. This is of course is not advisable when you are in a virtual meeting with twenty other persons. Save eating for afterwards.
• Spread your virtual meetings: try not to have back-to-back virtual meetings as you deprive yourself of time to prepare. Schedule them during periods that fall during work hours. Remember to take into account time differences for international teams.
• Show you are present: If you are not presenting and if you arrive late and someone is speaking, wait until the person finishes and announce your presence. Participants joining without announcing themselves is always unsettling for any presenter. Speak up from time to time. Ask questions. Make comments. Point out some key points. Help the presenter out. Make your presence felt.

9) Have a plan B in case of a technical problem

You have done all the testing and your system worked 5 minutes before the meeting. But Murphy’s law kicks in and you can’t get access to your virtual meeting room and have to connect up by phone. What about your presentation? Thankfully, foresight led you to share your slide deck with a participants before the meeting. Always have a Plan B which allows you to use the dial in option.

10) Engage your audience as if they are in the same room

When making a presentation physically, we usually bring lots of energy to capture the attention of the audience. We look at the audience, make some jokes, gesticulate, move perhaps around the podium. This all helps to engage the audience but becomes more challenging when delivering virtually, especially if the presentation is being delivered sitting at a desk over the internet.

But all the more reason to be energetic and to deliver the presentation at a good pace. Speak clearly and do your best to adapt your speed to your audience. Don’t use slang or coloquialisms, especially if you are delivering to an international audience, with different nationalities whose mother tingue is not the language of the presentation. Above all, enjoy the experience. The more you enjoy it, the more you will engage with your audience.

Hope the above tips help to make your virtual meetings more effective, more risk free and above all more enjoyable. Happy virtual meetings.

Due to the ongoing Covid19 pandemic, more and more employees are being asked by their employers to work from home. The longer the pandemic lasts, the more home office/remote working is becoming the “new normal” way of working. However, while home office/remote working has many avantages, it also has many pitfalls, especially for new remote workers.

Remote working can indeed represent quite a challenge for those workers who have rarely if ever worked from home and represents even a challenge for those more experienced remote workers who before the pandemic relied on office workers to support them.

Many new remote workers may not have been ready to transform a bedroom, garage, kitchen or unused corner of living space into a work space. Not to mention the sudden need to show up for video conference calls with background noises from spouses, kids, neighbours, traffic, etc.

If that is the case, here are hopefully some useful tips to make “remote working” work for you.

1. CREATE A DEDICATED WORK SPACE

All the remote working experts agree that the first thing to do is create a dedicated work space for yourself, however small. It is much easier to stay mentally focused if you have a specific area set aside for work, offering privacy and which you don’t have to recreate every time.

Once you sit down in your dedicated work space, you know it is time to work and when you get up, you have finished or you are having a break. As video conferencing is becoming more and more prevalent, try to have a background that you are happy to show others or if this is not possible, use the company video conferencing tool functionalities to provide a virtual background. If you are not comfortable with video conférences, don’t use a camera. Don’t forget to protect your privacy. Your home is your home first before it is your office.

2. Create a comfortable (but not too comfortable) environment

Try to create as comfortable a work space as possible, but not too comfortable. Avoid the sofas, rocking chairs, beds, couches, etc. that won’t help you focus. You will need a table and good ergonomic chair, a computer, printer and of course high speed internet access. Your employer should provide you with the basic tools needed to get your work done remotely. Many companies are now paying a “remote workers’ allowance to help subsidize remote office workers. Your manager of course should be attentive to your needs and help you get yourself set up. Make sure you have good lighting and if possible access to natural light. Surround yourself with some plants, paintings, decorations to help you stay positive during the course of the day.

Concerning how to dress, while it could be tempting to abandon dress code and personal grooming, to be most productive, dress for work because that is what you are doing. Don’t neglect your persona grooming for teh same reasons. Wearing work clothes will put you in productive mode immediately and help you focus on the day ahead. And when you have finished your day, change into casual clothes. It will help you keep a good separation between home life and work life.

3. Plan your day and week

As the Roman Statesmen Seneca said, “no wind is favorable to he who knows not where he is going” and planning your daily and weekly work is even more important for remote workers. Working remotely means you have less immediate access to your manager, co-workers and organization and this makes managing priorities even more important. To know where you are going, plan your day and week and ensure your Outlook calendar is updated, including the back office tasks you normally do without necessarily putting in your schedule. Build a to-do list and update it regularly. Write things down to help you remember what you need to do urgently and what you need to plan. Share your calendar with your manager and colleagues so that they know what you are working on.

4. Build a routine

To keep your motivation, treat your week the same way as if you were in the office. Start and finish at about the same time, have lunch at the same time. If you start earlier or finish later, take time off the next day to compensate. Try to keep the same rituals you had when you worked in your office. The closer you are to your office routine, the more comfortable you will feel. Once you have prioritized your work to fit around your routine, set aside the same periods for tackling the important and urgent tasks. Organize your team meetings and video conférences/telephone calls in batches, preferably in the afternoon so that you can have more free time to do analysis or work on presentations, preferably in the morning. Good Routines are powerful in helping you get things done in an effective and timely manner.

5. Act decisively

In an office context, when an issue arises, it is always easier to go to speak to a person directly to find a solution. In a remote context, this is more difficult. When any such issues arise, you should be ready to respond immediately. If you think there is a misunderstanding, pick up the phone and call your colleague, rather than rely on emails. As remote workers are even more acutely aware of time when working remote, return emails, calls and voice mails quickly. If you can’t provide the required answer immediately, discuss a deadline for doing so with the requester. Co-workers and your manager will be reassured that you are working on their requests.

6. Build in breaks in your daily routine

Without the presence of co-workers and the often pleasant interruptions that come with office life, when remote working, it is easy to fall into the trap of losing track of time. Faced with a myriad of emails from co-workers and customers looking for immediate responses, it is even easier to want to try to reply to all the urgent messages immediately and remain glued to one’s computer screen all day long. Taking breaks becomes even more critical to help you maintain a better work-life balance. Know your company policy on remote working and taking breaks and apply it. If you have big tasks to perform, divide each talk into smaller, more manageable ones. Try out the Pomodoro technique to help you focus on specific tasks. Divide the day up into segments and try to work in short bursts of 25 minutes before taking a short break. The Pomodoro technique helps you keep fresh and helps you be more productive by managing your time and work more effectively.

7. Set aside time for physical and creative activities

All work and no play makes Jack and Jill a dull boy and girl. Set aside time for some physical or creative activities. If possible, go out for a walk or run. Use the garden if you have one for some exercise. Work out. Start a hobby. Do something that will help you discover new avenues of interest, get you away from the computer for a while and keep you mentally fresh. And C19 confirment rules permitting, if your remote office is becoming a bit stuffy, go outside to a café or a library if possible for a while.

8. Managers: adapt your management to meet the needs of your remote workers

Working remote is not the same obviously as working on site and requires particular management skills and effort. Remote working brings new and different challenges for managers who need to understand and take on board the specific needs of their remote workers.

The lack of face-to-face interaction may lead some supervisors to worry that their employees are not working as hard or as efficient. Many employees, on the other hand, struggle with the reduced access to management support and communication. In some instances, employees may feel managers are out of touch and neither supportive or helpful in getting their work done.

What’s more, working remote quite often requires more effort and longer lead times as vital information required in the decision making process is no longer immediately available to remote workers. And of course, without the ties that were being reinforced constantly through day-to-day physical interaction in an office environment, tensions may arise between team members who no longer have the context to interpret certain replies, comments and/or reactions of co-workers. Maintaining team cohesion and focus requires considerable effort and as a remote manager, you should do several key things:

• establish regular check-ins with team members by phone or video. These can be on a daily basis if necessary, less frequent if the employee is more independent or team calls if the work is highly collaborative. What is important is that the calls should be regular and predictable and take place in a trusting environment so that team members know they can consult with you and that their concerns are heard and understood.
• Don’t rely only on emails. Email alone is not enough. Vary the means of communication. Of course, video conferencing tools such as Team, Zoom, Skype are very useful, especially for sensitive subjects where face to face discussions are important. But even a quick telephone call can be beneficial and appreciated by the employee.
• Clarify remote working rules of engagement: above all, as a manager, you should clarify the rules of engagement and set expectations for the frequency, means and ideal timing of communications for team members.
  • Agree with team members when and how team meetings take place, how the team will share information and how often
  • Share the bigger picture: keep the team updated with the overall goals. Review short term goals frequently and adjust if necessary.
  • Set clear expectations and trust your team to perform. Focus on results and not activity and avoid micro managing.
  • Ensure your team members have the tools to do their job remotely
  • Inform team members when they can contact you if they need to and agree with them how and when you can contact your them.
  • Set clear limits as to when they should be available for work together. Meetings outside office hours should be exceptions to the rule. Allow also for lunch breaks.
  • You should pay attention to communication between team members to ensure they are sharing information as required and be ready to step in if necessary to ensure all information is shared effectively within the team.
  • Remember to allow for some spontaneous social interaction between co-workers before virtual meetings and even organize virtual office parties if possible. That five minute exchange before a meeting is really important for team members and not just small talk.
  • Finally, you should be even more ready to offer encouragement and emotional support to remote workers who may be struggling to adapt to remote working. Check up on your team membres regularly, check how they are managing remote working and discuss ways of improving the situation. Remain mindful that your team members expect support in dealing with the new way of working and you shouldn’t take for granted the transition from office to remote working.

9. Remote workers: check in regularly with your co-workers AND MANAGER

As a remote worker, rememeber to keep in contact with your fellow co-workers and management. Besides the frequent team video conferences, take time to call a colleague just to check up on how he/she is doing. If you normally check in with the dept. assistant before starting work at the office, do the same when working remote. Don’t forget to acknowledge emails and voice mails and if you can’t reply immediately, let people know you will get back to them. Remember to “show up” in all team meetings, chats, emails by asking questions, sharing what your working on and enquiring about what collagues are working on. Even a simple hello and goodbye is ok. “Showing up” will help you stay in conversation and keep you on the team radar.

10. Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

Finally, because you are not in the office where people can see and talk to you when they want, communication is even more important when working remotely. Seek out regular feedback from your boss and colleagues. Show up for all meetings and video conferences. Keep everyone updated as much as possible on what you are working on and if you need help, don’t hesitate to speak to your manager and/or colleagues. If you are not sure whether your colleagues should be informed, inform them anyway as “more is better than less” when remote working. Again, set aside some time each day to contact a colleague or co-worker and just chat about things in general. If you are new to remote working, ask for feedback from more experienced employees on how things are going and how you can improve and be more effective.

This is indeed a very stressful time for everyone. As the Covid pandemic stretches on, remote working seems here to stay and what seemed yesterday a work organization reserved for sales people and software developers is now becoming a way of working for whole organizations.

So it’s important to step back and keep an eye on the bigger picture, have fun and if you are new to remote working, go easy on yourself. It takes time to switch over from a full office environment to a remote working environment and in many cases, organizations will be focusing on a mix between remote work and office work. The challenge will be for managers and co-workers to work together around shared remote working rules but as recent months have shown, the tools now exist to enable this to happen. But it is above all people that will not only make it happen but sustain it effectively if the above pitfalls are skillfully avoided. The key ingredient for effective remote working is “trust”. Avoiding micro managing, managing for results and not around activities will be the critical attitude for managers to adopt.

So happy remote working.

But please remember, whether you are working remote part-time or full-time, keep up the good work and keep applying the social distancing rules and especially:

• wash your hands frequently
• Use hydro-alcoholic gel
• Above all, wear a mask when you are outdoors, if you share an office or when you are moving around in your office.

We’re all in this together and things will work out if we all follow the same simple rules.

Keep safe, keep well, Keep going!