Tag: remote

Leading Through Uncertain, Rapidly Changing Times

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This is a guest post written by Jennie Yelvington, Program Manager, HR Organization and Professional Development

March brought unprecedented change to this large, often slow-moving organization, and it is easy to see why it might feel overwhelming at times. Each day brings new information and impactful changes that leaders must influence and enact without much warning. Additionally, each of us must manage adjustments in our personal lives. Making a proactive effort to take care of yourself will be critical to handling these times effectively with your staff. Staying calm, forward-thinking and encouraging requires you to not allow yourself to become depleted.

You know what this involves: get enough sleep, eat nourishing food,  exercise, and do other things that help to sustain you. If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll have no capacity to take care of your team and the organization. I am confident that this upheaval in our daily routine will change us in ways we can’t yet imagine and perhaps for the better. Creativity and innovation are often born out of times when we can no longer do “business as usual.” In addition to doing the work of the day, don’t forget to bring humanness to your leadership with these tips for success:

  • Be patient with yourself and others as we navigate this new terrain and recognize gains made, however small.
  • Acknowledge and grieve losses, sharing empathy and compassion as we find our way through.
  • Strengthening our connections is more critical now than ever, so help each other to learn new technology and overcome barriers. Share knowledge and seek help from your peers across the organization.
  • Make an extra effort to connect with your team. Utilize Microsoft Teams to hold daily virtual meetings, share information and provide encouragement. Or just pick up the phone.
  • Learn something new as a team. Have team members “host” the ideas.
  • Stay connected with people who cannot work remotely. They are important to the overall success of your organization and when things get back to normal, you will need them. Think about how you can stay connected in new ways. Try mailing letters or cards.
  • If you are a higher-level leader, providing support for your Chairs and front-line supervisors is critical. Make sure you are connecting with them on a regular basis.
  • Create structured meetings for all and consider one-on-one meetings and small project/team meetings to enhance communication. It’s OK to just “talk.” It is vital, more than ever, to increase positive interactions.

The following paradoxes outlined in the article Leadership Confidence in Times of Uncertainty by Dave Ulrich may be helpful to consider:

  • Avoid the extremes of either over-reacting or under-reacting or as a thoughtful sage once said, “run with patience.”
  • Care for both the individual and the organization.
  • Balance the need for decisive action (be bold) and the need for thoughtful value-based decisions (be calm).
  • Respond to the short-term challenges of the moment and anticipate and plan for the long-term implications.

Along with the obvious challenges, this is also a time of great opportunity if we can remain open. In the Forbes article, Leading In Times Of Uncertainty: How To Engage Optimism And Focus When Nothing Seems Predictable, H.V. MacArthur reminds us that we have a number of options that uniquely present themselves at this time, including:

  • The ability of your team to experience the flexibility that comes from using remote work options.
  • Opportunity for team members to catch up on work and upcoming deadlines.
  • Time for your business to do proactive planning and strategic thinking.
  • An opening for up-skilling team members through training and development.

Eventually, this crisis will pass, and we will move to another new normal. Focusing now on how we are taking care of ourselves, each other and the organization will influence how we come out on the other side. We have been encouraged by the compassion and determination expressed by our colleagues across the organization—continue that good work. While you’re at it, consider sending us your thoughts and suggestions on what is working well so we can share them more broadly at ProDev@hr.msu.edu.

Sources:

MacArthur, H. V. (2020, March 17). Leading In Times Of Uncertainty: How To Engage Optimism And Focus When Nothing Seems Predictable. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/hvmacarthur/2020/03/16/leading-in-times-of-uncertainty-how-to-engage-optimism-and-focus-when-nothing-seems-predictable/#5ebb3fed47e2

Ulrich, D. (2020, March 12). Leadership Confidence in Times of Uncertainty. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/leadership-confidence-times-uncertainty-dave-ulrich/?trackingId=2Xa4HAlp8xcOpEp3RFH/DQ==

Coronavirus: MSU Benefit Resources Round-Up

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As the situation and details regarding the coronavirus and its impact continue to unfold and change, we want to make sure you’re aware of various benefit-related resources to help you and your family. Here’s a breakdown of what’s available:

Health Care Resources

  • Teladoc for Online Medical Care: employees and their dependents currently enrolled in an MSU health plan have 24/7 access to a health care professional via web, phone or mobile app. Teladoc is an ideal tool if you’d like to have a doctor evaluate and treat symptoms while minimizing in-person contact. Teladoc doctors are equipped to answer questions about the coronavirus, evaluate your risk, and advise on next steps. MSU employees most commonly get help with cold/flu, bronchitis, allergies, pink eye, dermatology and more. Employees and their dependents who are over the age of 18 can also receive medical care for behavioral health (depression, anxiety, etc.). Learn more about Teladoc and how to sign up.
  • Prescription Refills and Delivery to Your Home: MSU’s prescription drug plan is administered through CVS Caremark, and MSU Pharmacy on campus is a CVS-preferred pharmacy. To help you and your family during this time, CVS Pharmacy and MSU Pharmacy are offering free prescription delivery to your home. Additionally, MSU Pharmacy offers a 90-supply on prescriptions and CVS Pharmacy is waiving early refill limits on 30-day prescriptions for maintenance medications at any in-network pharmacy. Learn more about prescription resources.
  • Livongo for Free, Unlimited Diabetes Supplies Delivered to Your Home: Livongo is a diabetes management program completely free to MSU employees, their spouse and dependents. After you sign up, you will be shipped the Livongo Welcome Kit that includes the Livongo meter and all the supplies you need to check your blood glucose. This is an ideal tool to help you receive necessary medical supplies for free without leaving your home. Learn more about Livongo and how to sign up.
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan (BCBSM) Care Resources: BCBSM is offering different ways to see a health care professional from the comfort of your home, so you can keep yourself and others safe. Their 24-Hour Nurse Line allows you to speak to a registered nurse if you have questions about the coronavirus or would like free health care advice. Blue Cross Online Visits allows you to have a face-to-face, virtual visit with a doctor 24/7. Options available are based on the MSU health plan you’re enrolled in – find out more here.
  • Employee Assistance Program and MSU Health4U for Counseling: The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a confidential counseling service provided at no cost to MSU staff, faculty, retirees, graduate student employees, and their families. The EAP and MSU Health4U are now offering counseling services by either video conferencing or phone. Learn more about counseling services.
  • Food and Nutrition Appointment with MSU Health4U: MSU Health4U is now exclusively offering telehealth video conferencing appointments for their food and nutrition services. Learn more about scheduling a food and nutrition appointment.
  • Tips for Taking Care of Yourself in Times of Uncertainty: the WorkLife Office understands the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus is likely causing stress about the unknown and how best to move forward. Consider these WorkLife Office self-care tips.

Child and Elder Care Resources

Remote Work Resources

  • MSU Guide to Remote Access: visit remote.msu.edu/working website for the most up-to-date information and resources related to remote work options. Find more details about collaboration tools, connecting remotely, FAQs and more.
  • Work-Related Frequently Asked Questions: these FAQs on the HR website will continue to be supplemented and modified as the situation develops.
  • WorkLife Office Tips for Remote Work: the WorkLife Office is working hard to support you during this time by developing a variety of remote-work resources, including blog posts, webinars, and feedback surveys to assist employees. Learn more on the WorkLife Office website.

Professional Development Resources

  • Use elevateU for professional development: while in-person classes through Organization and Professional Development are currently unavailable, elevateU offers free online resources to MSU employees to help you continue your professional development. Find books, videos, courses and more that cover a variety of topics including leadership, change management, communication skills, project management and more. Learn more about elevateU and how to access it.

Find the most up-to-date information about MSU’s response to the coronavirus at msu.edu/coronavirus. Additionally, MSU employees should check the remote.msu.edu/working website for the most up-to-date information and resources for remote work options.

Managing Remotely: Leading the Way in the New Normal

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This is a guest post by Jennie Yelvington, Program Manager, HR Organization and Professional Development

As many of us adjust to working remotely, the situation also requires a thoughtful, strategic approach from managers. Communication to and within a team is more critical than ever, especially since the landscape continues to change at a rapid pace. People may be feeling unsure, anxious about using new skills, and not quite up to speed as they juggle home and work responsibilities. This can also lead to team members being on edge with each other. It is critical that managers set a tone of clarity, compassion, patience, cooperation, and problem-solving (versus blame). 

VitalSmarts also recommends the following strategies to help managers keep things on track during this unprecedented time: 

  • Frequent and Consistent Check-ins. Check-in frequently and regularly with remote employees. The cadence of the check-ins can vary from daily to bi-weekly to weekly but should always be consistent and entail a standing meeting or scheduled one-on-one.  
  • Face-to-Face or Voice-to-Voice. Insist on some face time with remote employees. When in-person meetings are not possible, try video conferencing technology or pick up the phone to ensure colleagues occasionally see one another’s face or hear one another’s voice.  
  • Exemplify Solid Communication Skills. You cannot overemphasize the importance of general, stellar communication with remote teams. Be a great listener, communicate trust and respect, inquire about workload and progress without micromanaging, and err on the side of over-communicating. At times it can be ok to have a conversation over the phone, and then email out the details to confirm people are on the same page with you. 
  • Explicit Expectations. When it comes to managing remote teams, be very clear about expectations. This is especially important now, because the “rules” of work have suddenly changed. Never leave people in the dark about projects, roles, deadlines, etc.  
  • Be Accessible. Be available quickly and throughout the day, letting people know when you will not be available. Go above and beyond to maintain an open-door policy for remote employees—keep your calendar up-to-date and use multiple means of technology (Microsoft Teams, email, phone, text, etc.). Remote employees should be able to count on you to respond quickly to pressing concerns.  
  • Mix Up the Tech. Try to use multiple means of communication to connect with your remote workers. Don’t just resort to phone or email but get familiar with video conferencing technologies and a variety of services like Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Get skilled at setting up and running meetings using these technologies, as if this was going to be your new reality moving forward.  
  • Prioritize Relationships. Team building and camaraderie are important for any team and remote teams are no exception. I challenge you to go out of your way to form personal bonds with your remote folks. Use check-in time to ask about their personal life, families, and hobbies. Allow team meeting time for “water cooler” conversation so the whole team can create personal connections and strengthen relationships. 

Encourage team members to help each other with technology and other challenges and be sure to recognize people for their effort. Additionally, remember that benefit-eligible MSU employees have access to elevateU, an online learning resources with courses, videos, books and more. There you will find ideas for group activities (look for the Team Talks link under MSU highlighted programs, then look at the Custom tab), learning related to a variety of content areas that could align with development plans, and thousands of books and videos to accelerate learning. Be sure to share with your team what you are learning as well. Learn more about elevateU for professional development while working remotely.