Which part of the day are you most productive at work? Working remotely across the world has made it impossible for employers to physically supervise their staff, which in effect caused them to lose a bit of sense of how their employees are being productive.
45% of the 2,500 full-time employees in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam said they are productive for about five to six hours during a workday, with 25% saying they are productive for seven to eight hours.
Majority of these employees also said they are productive during the first half of the workday, from 8 a.m. to 12:59 p.m., with Tuesday being the most productive day.
What are the best practices for leaders in a hybrid environment? In the latest edition of the Hybrid Work Index derived from data on Cisco’s platform it called attention to the following five key practices:
1. Listen to your employees to ensure that you’re designing hybrid work configurations that play to their strengths, take their preferences into account, and enable the work to get done in a safe, secure, seamless, and flexible way.
2. Empower your leaders to take the helm of guiding your team on the journey to more inclusive and collaborative work experiences.
3. Incorporate people-driven practices, team rituals, and behaviors to help your teams thrive in a hybrid work model.
4. Leaders need to learn and practice a new craft of inclusion and engagement: * Provide clarity in tasks by answering questions. * Be proximate and listen to employee feedback on work to better assign work based on strengths. * Recognise good work. * Give attention to growth opportunities for each individual.
5. Elevate the levels of trust and transparency within your teams and the organisation as a whole by playing to peoples’ strengths and being open to what works best for each individual and team.
Leaders who stay close and are proximate to their team members are more likely understand the individual circumstances and preferences of each person, allowing for curated hybrid configurations that will play to individual strengths while also being attentive to employees’ well-being, noted the report.
With 2022 here, this interesting briefing shows 15 key predictions leaders should look out for in the year, with a greater focus on how hiring would change, new ways of exploring L&D, and more on the engaging roles for HR leaders.
Here are the top 5 trends:
#1 The economy will grow—with a constrained labour force
#2 Hybrid work will evolve: enter the metaverse
#3 Learning, skills, and career pathways will become business-critical
#4 Coaching will develop PowerSkills in everyone
#5 Talent acquisition and internal mobility will converge
The workforce in 2022: 15 trends that will shape hiring, learning, working, and more
Are leaders getting enough training to support flexible work arrangements?
Leaders didn’t need a crisis to highlight how hard it is to be a people manager. In a global report by DDI, senior leaders said that managers have way too many responsibilities and too little time to develop in their role.
Frontline managers said that the top three hardest parts of their jobs involved: 1. Having difficult conversations with employees 2. Coaching staff 3. Engaging teams
The first step to help ineffective managers is to try and understand that they’re probably just “trying to do the right thing – they just don’t understand how”. Luckily leaders are also more self-aware nowadays about their impact on their team members and more willing to be coached.
More key highlights in the survey revealed: * 7 in 10 managers said they weren’t expecting to be promoted * Approximately 41% admitted they weren’t sure whether accepting the role was the right move. * Another 18% downright regretted taking on the job.
It’s no secret mental health of employees and managers alike has suffered as a result of the pandemic and its effects, such as home isolation and news fatigue. So much so, that the topic is finally out of the shadows and becoming a conscious point of discussion in leadership meetings.
As such, it’s a good time to take stock of how HR managers can measure mental health, be it to identify employees potentially suffering or to ascertain if the programmes initiated have made a difference.
Social listening research by Koa Health, supplementary to its report commissioned to Censuswide, has interviewed 1,004 HR managers in the UK and US from companies of 250+ employees, to understand the tactics deployed by HR to measure employee mental health. The HR managers interviewed spanned 17 sectors, including retail, technology, law, finance and insurance.
The following are the eight most popular ways for HR and line managers to measure employee health:
1. Regular one-to-one check-ins with line managers
A recent survey by Joblist found that the average time employees went without speaking to their managers (6.1 days) and fellow co-workers (5.4 days) were quite lengthy. This can be detrimental to both the employee and their work. The survey pointed out remote employees who felt unseen were more likely to experience feelings of burnout, imposter syndrome — which translates to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt — and loneliness.
2. Regular one-to-one check-ins with HR teams
The way to overcoming the stigma associated with mental illness is stop treating it as a taboo. Speak about it candidly and help those who are struggling realise they are not alone. Read 9 more tips to improve mental health
3. Uptake of therapy, resources or mental health subscription apps
Did you know? Parents working at Hibob get access to a unique platform where they can hear lectures on relevant parental challenges and how to address them, set time with specialists for advice on managing parenting right now, and connect with other parents to discuss best practices. Employees also benefit from access to the app Headspace to help them recharge their energy and maintain positive mental health. Every little bit helps.
4. Uptake of employee assistance programmes (EAPs)
Read about how Verizon safeguards employees’ physical and mental wellbeing through access to 24-hour counselling service, daily webinars from the CEO, an employee assistance programme, a Covid support team set up by HR, meditation and mindfulness sessions and mental health webinars.
5. Anonymised data from mental health apps
Being in quarantine can bring up a range of emotions and it can be a stressful time. Ensure that your employees are aware of the support resources available, be it through mental health app subscriptions, in-house counsellor support and links to resources. Here is some advice on managing employee health during times of quarantine.
6. Regular staff-wide anonymous surveys
At Hewlett Packard Enterprise, in last year’s internal company survey, 91% of HPE employees globally reported that they agree that their health and wellbeing has been the company’s top priority. This is how surveys can help gauge the employee pulse. Find out more here.
7. Ad hoc surveys or ad hoc pulse checks through managers or HR
When asked what makes a manager special, aka the top traits of a good manager, employees said they are looking for someone who genuinely cares about their subordinates’ work-life balance; has a positive attitude and a good sense of humour; and supports the team members and has their back.
8. Participation in team socials
Always remember that frequently saying “thank you” can go a long way. Appreciation can be as simple as a mention at a staff meeting or as involved as a nomination of your team for internal and external awards. If they do something well, take notice. If you implement ideas submitted by your team, give them credit.
It’s no secret mental health of employees and managers alike has suffered as a result of the pandemic and its effects, such as home isolation and news fatigue. So much so, that the topic is finally out of the shadows and becoming a conscious point of discussion in leadership meetings.
As such, it’s a good time to take stock of how HR managers can measure mental health, be it to identify employees potentially suffering or to ascertain if the programmes initiated have made a difference.
Social listening research by Koa Health, supplementary to its report commissioned to Censuswide, has interviewed 1,004 HR managers in the UK and US from companies of 250+ employees, to understand the tactics deployed by HR to measure employee mental health. The HR managers interviewed spanned 17 sectors, including retail, technology, law, finance and insurance.
In the ranking for overall work-life balance, however, Singapore came in #18 out of 50, while Hong Kong ranked #45; Bangkok, Thailand ranked #49, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia ranked #50 with a score of 50.
Raise your hands (virtually, as we’re now used to) if this has happened to you – you’re working on a pressing project and you want to make progress so badly, you don’t realise the time passing. Before you know it, it’s dark outside and you’ve just worked a 12-hour day. If that is you, then you might be working in one of the top 10 most overworked cities identified in this current research: 1. Hong Kong (29.9%) 2. Singapore (25.1%) 3. Bangkok, Thailand (20.2%) 4. Buenos Aires, Argentina (19.9%) 5. Seoul, South Korea (19.5%) 6. Tokyo, Japan (18.3%) 7. Houston, Texas, US (16.6%) 8. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (16%) 9. Calgary, Alberta, Canada (15.5%) 10. London, United Kingdom (15.4%)
Cities with the best work-life balance: Helsinki, Oslo, Zurich rank in the top three.
Here are 8 ways to help you reduce or stop working long hours: 1. Begin with the end in mind 2. Identify the value-adding vs. the non-value adding 3. Prioritize 4. Plan 5. Delegate 6. Focus 7. Avoid distractions like social media, web surfing and emails 8. Set a deadline on your tasks
In best of times it is a challenge to lead and communicate effectively when working across cultures. With most of us still working remotely to a certain extent, a new relationship has developed between managers and employees. While it provides employees flexibility, and allows managers to exercise a more hands-off approach; it also makes it tougher for employees to get noticed and for managers to keep an eye on everything going on.
A recent survey by Joblist found that less than one in seven employees felt their manager is doing a good job at making them feel visible and connected. This can be detrimental to both the employee and their work. Remote employees who felt unseen were more likely to experience feelings of burnout, imposter syndrome and loneliness.
Here are 3 tips for leading high-performing cross-cultural virtual teams: 1. Help ensure that every team member is included when forming a common approach. Don’t allow sub-groups to dominate the process. 2. Put team agreements in writing (a Team Charter) to act as a reference point. 3. Monitor and communicate team results and help build team pride. Revitalize team energy and commitment especially if the team meets infrequently.
Businesses must recognise that work is no longer bound to traditional notions of time and space when it comes to how, when, and where we work.
Written by Lester Tan
As leaders know, business is about adapting. Those who don’t adapt, don’t progress. And that’s the key message of Microsoft’s Work Trend Index report, which finds that 49% of employees surveyed in Singapore are considering leaving their employer this year.
Titled The Next Great Disruption is Hybrid Work – Are We Ready?, the report covers more than 30,000 people in 31 countries, including Singapore, to shed light on hybrid working trends over the pandemic.
Hybrid work trends in Singapore
The report stated: “One thing is abundantly clear: Businesses must recognise that work is no longer bound to traditional notions of time and space when it comes to how, when, and where we work.” Here are the trends for leaders to know:
Flexible work is here to stay: More than 82% of workers in Singapore workers want flexible remote work options to stay, but 66% are also craving more in-person time with their teams. As such, 62 percent of business leaders are more likely to redesign office space for hybrid work.
Leaders are out of touch with employees and need a wake-up call: Research showed that 51% of leaders in Singapore say they are thriving right now – whereas only 27% of employees (without decision making power) say the same.
High productivity is masking an exhausted workforce: 58% of Singaporean workers feel overworked and 49% feel exhausted.
Gen Z is at risk and will need to be re-energised: Gen Z (between age 18 to 25) is particularly at risk, given that more than 70% of this generation in Singapore feels that they are merely surviving or flat-out struggling.
“In Singapore,” said Joanna Lim, Modern Work and Security Business Group Lead, Microsoft Singapore, “we recently moved from being allowed to return to the workplace, back to where working from home is once again our default.
Do your team leaders cultivate good habits in others?
Onboarding a bad hire can be costly for any company. Now imagine hiring a bad manager. The loss is greater not only in terms of the financial setback – which runs up to billions of dollars globally each year, according to Gallup – but also its impact on team morale. What makes a great manager, anyway? They’re leaders who cultivate good habits in others, and these in turn yield positive results in the overall success of their business.
Here are 5 great growth hacks for managers:
Delegation skills. It’s imperative to learn to trust the people on your team. If this is an issue for you, start by delegating small tasks and building on them.
Building a strong team. When hiring for your team, don’t just look at the candidate’s past experience and qualifications. Make sure that they are a good fit for your team and your overall corporate culture.
Commitment to learning. The best managers never stop learning and understand that they will never know it all.
Moving past fear. Being afraid to act can stifle management, which holds companies back.
Listening to others. Listen to your team, colleagues, mentors. Listening doesn’t mean you have to heed their advice
For some, the lack of work-life balance is a deal breaker
The COVID-19 crisis has proven to be exceptionally challenging for 60% of working parents who have been feeling burnt out in the past year. The figure is slightly higher than the general population (56%) who have gone through the same ordeal, according to a study from remote jobs platform FlexJobs.
More than 1,100 working parents (living with children aged 18 or younger) shared their challenges in caring for their family while responding to the demands of their job during the pandemic. Despite work remaining steady for some (43%), others reported childcare duties have affected their career:
21% reduced their hours
16% quit their job but plan to return to the workforce
4% had their partner reduce their hours
2% quit their job and do not plan on returning to the workforce
2% had a partner who quit their job
These abrupt changes to their working arrangements and overall career paths have created a ripple effect on their personal health. Three in five working parents, on average, suffer from burnout while two in five believe their mental well-being has declined since the start of the crisis.
For HR leaders, one of the strongest indicators of how working parents see career challenges differently is their emphasis on work-life balance. The study found: “82% of working parents say work/life balance is the most important factor they consider when evaluating a new job, unlike the general population, which ranks salary (80%) as most important.”
However, in working remotely, some parents have felt that they have been unable to unplug after work or that they have been working too much (40%) while others said they have been coping with non-work distractions (36%). Flexibility around their work hours could help them establish a rhythm while working remotely, respondents said.
“Parents say flexible schedules and working from home full-time have the greatest impact on their ability to manage their professional and childcare responsibilities,” the study found. Regarding their work preferences, some said they want a flexible schedule, retaining some control over when they work (26%). Meanwhile, others want to work from home on a full-time basis (25%).
Grow Money, Love, Health and Wellness @ GTPGlobal 
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