Throwing Down the Learning and Development Gauntlet
So here it is, 2021. We've all suffered from the pandemic and disruption of work as usual. Perhaps no field of specialization has been more affected—in a good way—than that of learning and development. Finally, amid a global crisis pushing employers to the brink and employees to new and unfamiliar strategies, organizations are beginning to see...
Will Reduced Overlap in the Hybrid Workplace Prevent Success?
People talk a lot about the hybrid workplace these days. A term not widely used until recently, it blends people working from home with those who work in an office on any given workday. It'll be the norm for many employers soon, some more so than others. What people aren't talking about is what I call overlap between coworkers. Overlap reflects...
How Managers Should Communicate With Teleworkers
A teleworking manager may be trying to stay connected to a dozen or more direct employees on any given day. Many of these managers and their employees may even be new to teleworking since the pandemic has drastically increased the number of people working from home. One of the biggest challenges—if not the biggest—for a manager overseeing a...
Five Questions to Ask About Working From Home Now
Working from home sounds great until you do it full-time. Occasional teleworking provides flexibility and avoids driving into an office. Teleworking full-time presents different challenges, and the pandemic gave many of us a chance to try it out. After test-driving telework for a year, employees have mixed feelings. Some can't wait to return to...
Looking Back at The Year of Telework: Now What?
Throughout the world, the COVID-19 pandemic presented a crisis unlike any we've seen. In response, regulations and social distancing safety measures went into effect. Intended to keep people safe, they also prevented vast numbers of people from going to work. Many businesses closed their doors. Employers that could enable employees to work...
What Good is Networking When You Work From Home?
Building informal professional networks creates immeasurable value. Not only do these informal networks help propel your career they also foster innovation at your own company. You really never know where the next big idea will come from. The spark of a concept, solution, or theory often happens during a chance encounter with a colleague from...
How to Overcome the Illusion of Communication
I've seen numerous examples of miscommunication over my forty-year career. Teaching others to communicate more effectively, I've heard of many more. Sadly, miscommunication happens all the time. We know what we want to say and what we mean. Then we open our mouths or sit at the keyboard and try to be precise. Typing out words or moving thoughts...
Improving Sound for Meetings: Microphones and More
A skilled editor can salvage poorly recorded video using digital processing with overlaying photos, B-roll, or other visuals. However, even the best video is intolerable if its sound is awful. We've all seen these on YouTube. We close them quickly and search for something better. Good sound is crucial for online meetings, especially if we play a...
Staying Relevant While Out of Sight as a Remote Worker
It’s a brave new world for telework. The number of people working remotely or teleworking has skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic. In fact, a recent survey found that 71% of workers are teleworking or working from home all or most of the time. You might even be one of the many remote workers logging on every day. While you may have...
Am I Using VPN or a Virtual Desktop for Telework?
In this era of telework, many of us around the world are teleworking daily for the first time. Even if we are part-time telecommuters, remotely accessing the company intranet and our teleworking coworkers is now a daily practice. Most companies enable telework in one of two ways: virtual private network (VPN) or a virtual desktop. Some companies...