Canadian HR Reporter

www.hrreporter.com 3 they need to show a significant amount of kindness, says Caroline Levy, president of Randstad Technologies for Randstad Canada in Calgary. "Some leaders, for example, can depend on their charm in person and that's how they're able to motivate a room. Well, now you're really not able to do that. "What really has to happen is this deep listening, deep questioning, reflecting on what you're really hearing and really practising empathy." Another big challenge for leaders is workers facing "Zoom fatigue" because of all the video calls. One alternative is to consider turning off the video for calls that don't require a shared screen, she says. "Get out and go for a walk, but both of you go together so you're simulating if you were together [at the office] and going for a walk… get people into different environments." "It's [technology] that can be used in a broader management perspective… and if [employers] feel that type of software and those types of tools can be useful for them, I think it's important that they let employees know that they're going to be using those tools and that software — I don't think that this is something that should be hidden." Communication and leadership challenges When it comes to the remote environment, managers must be "super communicators" in having regular contact with their team to provide direction and feedback and to motivate employees, says Trent. "It's important to say to managers that they should, as much as possible, have verbal conversations with their employees, their teams and not just communicate with them with short little emails or texts all the time." A lot of managers have A-type person- alities, says Salopek, citing herself as an example, so there's a need to be "intentional." "I have to really watch myself because I can get very focused on getting the work done right and forget that, if I don't make time to do a shoutout to bring people together on a social [meeting], it will not be good. "So, we need to understand who we are as leaders and what our strengths are, but also where we are challenged and be intentional about closing any gaps that we might see that will challenge us as we work remotely." It's also about having leaders under- stand that they need to be empathetic, Maintaining culture and recognition Another big area that can be shaken by the rise of remote work is corporate culture, so it's "super important" that employees feel connected to the organization, says Johnson. "One way to do this is through what I call relentless communication, both formal and informal, and at the macro and micro levels." BlueShore, for example, does regular communication with staff on corporate performance, successes and challenges. It's featured a video message from its CEO from his home office and run several open mic sessions featuring executives in video conferences answering staff questions, she says. On a micro level, the company encourages staff to do regular team check-ins and coffee chats with colleagues so social relationships are kept up, says Johnson. "Our HR team set up a group chat on WhatsApp and that's a great way just to check in, to share funny things from Facebook. And it helps you really nurture that personal side of people — it isn't just all work — and that feeling of connection." This pandemic has really underscored the importance of culture, says Levy. "Organizations who had a strong culture prior to this happening are likely going to weather this a lot better because culture doesn't exist just within four walls. If you have that strong culture, you have people connected to why you exist as an organization, they have a meaningful connection for what they do, they're tight-knit with the colleagues that they have." MIXED RESULTS FOR CANADIAN PRODUCTIVITY "It's about the importance of trust, because if you don't have trust as a foundation when you work remotely, it won't work." Janet Salopek, Salopek & Associates Employee recognition should also not be forgotten with so many workers out of the office. BlueShore introduced a new online, on-the-spot reward program during the pandemic that allows employees to recognize others with an instant thank you and gift card, says Johnson. "It's easy when you are in person, you run into somebody in the lunchroom and you say, 'You did a great job on that project.' When you are working remotely, you have to take that extra step to send the person a note, call them, send them an instant message and ensure that that recognition is provided." You also need to be very intentional with respect to how you recognize people in group meetings online, says Salopek. "And then also in your correspon- dence… through email and things like that, making sure that if somebody does do a good job, you've recognized them within their peer group by copying their peer group and/or copying a manager that might be the next level up that would want to also give a shoutout to that person." 38.69% Number of workers who feel that they have been less productive working from home 22.63% Number of workers who feel that they have been more productive working from home 38.69% Number of workers who feel that their productivity is about the same working from home Source: Sykes Marni Johnson, senior vice president of HR and corporate affairs at BlueShore Financial

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