Harmonics

How many of you feel you are sinking deeper each week and wonder when will this be over?

As #Lockdown continues, I found three things that have really worked for me.

1 – Morning exercise routine. The first week I felt at sea and my rhythm and routine had been disrupted. So I started an exercise routine each morning, just 30 minutes to get my head right for the day. Then into a shower, breakfast and ready for the day ahead.

2 – Engaged a Coach. I found my head racing with many different thoughts and needed to still my mind. I am now having a one hour Zoom call each week with my coach to refocus, refresh and relax.

3 – Tuning in and feeling grateful. I have been able to spend alot more time with my family. I am learning to listen more to what they are really saying and investing more time to just be, rather than do, do, do. I am tuning into the different birds singing in my back garden, to nature as Spring transitions into Summer.

And when this is all over, I hope to look back and say, I have grown, I have learned and I have listened.

#Mayday is an alert that we need help from others to survive. From experience, we often leave it too late to ask for help. Maybe its a time to tune into yourself and seek what help you need to thrive through #Covid

 

Keep in Touch

Communication is, of course, essential in any working relationship, when you work from home, communicating—and over-communicating—becomes essential. Everyone needs social interaction. Zoom/Skype, email and mobile. Meetings on ZOOM should be recorded – this is particularly important when team members/workshop participants cannot make meeting/workshop but can view recording post event.

When you work from home, you may need to be more conscious about documenting your work and talking about how your plan is progressing

Workspace, Working Strategy, Dress Code & Wellbeing

Your workspace if possible, would include walls and a door you can close to help maintain a quiet and productive atmosphere. A space that’s quiet and out of the way. When it’s just you at home, almost anywhere will likely work. However, in these ever-changing times, there’s a good chance you won’t be home alone, so always have a back-up workspace. Wherever it is, make sure it’s not in a high-traffic area. Your work-from-home plan should always include strategies for getting work done as best as possible. That means making sure you’re taking breaks and putting structure to your working day. When interacting with your team or clients, ensure that you dress appropriately i.e. smart casual.

We are all in this together. Use this time to create your own wellbeing plan. Chat regularly with your colleagues and friends, eat well, exercise and take on another project, it is so important to challenge your brain daily. Keep safe, keep well, keep healthy.

Treat It Like Any Other Day in the Office

Make sure you treat a work-from-home day like any other day at the office. Wake up at your usual time and use your commute time to do the things you don’t have time for usually e.g. breakfast, household chores, exercise, or even walk the dog. Then, at your normal “start time,” sit down and get to work.

Make a Plan

If you don’t have a workplan, collaborate and agree with peers/company what your plan is each week. It will give you structure, and purpose is this every changing environment.

End Your Day

Don’t overwork yourself. Have a mid-morning coffee break, eat lunch and get some fresh air. Make sure that when you’re done working for the day, you’re done. Don’t go back for “just one more thing.” Maintaining the boundaries between work and home when you work remotely goes a long way toward helping you stay a happy and productive.

How are you feeling?

This week was all about Zoom calls as we changed how we communicated across our local office, our national coaching team and our global business partners.

I decided to ask everyone “how are you feeling?” so everyone got a chance to respond before we started each virtual meeting. A typical business meeting is working through the agenda as efficiently as possible. These are different times and I got many different responses as everyone opened up about how this new reality is impacting them.

It struck me how inhumane and robotic we have become toward each other at work. This challenge might just be a time when we start to re-find our sense of humanity and community.

The most common emotion, I am finding in my many conversations is Fear. We need to remember Fear is a contagion and spreading like this virus. Fear signals the brain to release cortisol and when we are stressed reduces our immune system to fight off this virus.

Sky News is feeding us fear 24/7 presently. My advice, TURN IT OFF, instead track your emotions daily by downloading this free Moodmeter app developed by Yale. Boost your immune system by self regulating your emotions. Self- Awareness is a start and it is within OUR control. How are you feeling?

Family Life and work has collided inside all of our homes in the past week. I want to share 6 things we are seeing and some real life stories which may resonate from across our team at Harmonics
#familylife #thisislifeaswedidntknowitbefore! #ourteam

As the work we do at Harmonics spans the full employee life cycle through Recruitment, Change Management, Coaching, Outplacement and Financial Planning, I wanted to share 6 Disruptive Changes we are seeing as Work and Life collide in our homes/temporary workspaces.

We all have a Common Purpose Now

As a nationwide team at Harmonics we are currently living apart but working together to fight this COVID-19 challenge. We join with all citizens in the country in taking seriously the Government precautions to protect our extended families and friends at this time. We all have a common purpose now and it make me feel proud to be Irish to see the sense of community in the way everyone has responded.

6 Key changes are we seeing now

1- Remote Working can be a Precious Time – We are all having more Zoom calls and seeing team members in their home environments. It is not easy for many with no access to childcare at this time. To quote a client yesterday when discussing her life as unusual from her home office with three kids under 10. “I must go back to my teaching job now, in fairness they are teaching themselves”. We had a ‘meeting’ on what to do to cheer up our neighbour who is going through cancer treatment. My eldest girl took minutes, my son was the ideas guy and our youngest kept saying ‘I am excited to be in a meeting’  Between stopping them fighting and constantly preparing food for them I am enjoying these precious moments”. So reminder of the precious family moments this is bringing.

2- Urgent Hiring – Clients in specific sectors are hiring urgently. They need people now to fill vacancies as a result of an upsurge in demand. The hiring process is virtual interviews and virtual on-boarding with many being offered laptops upon starting day so they can work remotely. This is a very different on-boarding experience and our recruitment team are coaching people through this new experience. The message to our candidates is to be prepared for virtual interviews. We are offering our video interview simulator to candidates free of charge at this time to support this transition.

3- The Fear of Moving Now – We are seeing candidates who were in a recruitment process before the virus spread questioning if now is the right time to move employer in light of the unknown unknowns with the economy. Our advice is that if you are moving to an Organisation with the right values fit who is prepared to invest in hiring you now, this is a good time to make that decision and shows they have ultimate confidence in the future of their business.

4- Time Out Coaching – We have rearranged face to face Executive Coaching sessions to become Zoom sessions. Many business leaders are stressed and need these one hour time outs to rethink and re-prioritise now. Decisions made on impulse when you are stressed are often not the right ones in the medium to long term. To quote a coachee after a virtual coaching session yesterday, “This session has helped me to get back in control and has saved me making a massive business mistake because I was coming purely from an emotional place…thanks!”

5- Being Change-able – We are taking calls from HR who need extra support in managing difficult downsizing conversations and potential redundancies. The announcement of support from Government is of great assistance in stemming the flow of permanent redundancies at least for now. It is also a time when people need to step up and show their versatility. Some roles have been impacted but support may be needed in another function, it is up to individuals to seek out ways they can add value in ways they hadn’t considered before. This is a great opportunity to demonstrate ‘agility’. Employers and employees have a common purpose now – survival. It is about us, not them and us.

6- Money, money, money – @Liam Croke and the Harmonics Financial team are managing calls from people who are concerned about their jobs, cashflow, investments and pensions. No case is the same, as an example some previously double income houses are coming to terms with a new reality of one partner having to claim temporary Government assistance in a very short space of time. It is a time for many to reappraise monthly outgoings and to ensure the right financial decisions are made early.

We are living through history right now

We are indeed living through a historical time in our lives so what better time to revisit history for inspiration. Picture for one moment how hopeless the situation of Victor Frankl as a prisoner for 3 years in Nazi concentration camps. I will leave you with these two quotes from Frankl that are worth reflecting on:

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves”

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom”.

We all have a common purpose to protect those in our community who need our support especially those with underlying conditions and the elderly.

Stay healthy and safe.

John and the team at Harmonics

 

Did you know most break up’s happen in February?

I had a discussion with a friend this week, they said they wanted to break up with their partner, they have been together just over a year now. Why I asked?

I can’t be myself, I don’t feel there is an emotional connection, but I don’t know what to say and how to say it. Can you help me John, what way would you go about ending it?
My reply was to lighten the air……Well when I was in my teenage years, the most common breaking up advice I got was to say “It’s not you it’s me”:) Seriously I questioned, have you spoken to them about how you feel? No was the reply, I don’t comfortable having awkward conversations like that, I don’t want to make them feel bad. I don’t want to tell them the truth about how I really think and feel………

So now we were getting to the truth- my friend was in conflict avoidance mode and a year long relationship was going to end because they couldn’t have a courageous conversation. Relationship counselling is not my expertise so we will leave this story here for now…….more later in the post.

But I did want to tell you that most work break up’s happen in February.

Many of the most talented people hand in their notice to leave their jobs in February because they have just received their annual bonus and it makes financial sense to move and start afresh.

I have shared above the most recent research from our Future Career Readiness Research study. It shows a massive 42% of people at work today self describe as either having a hit a career ceiling, feel frustrated or in a toxic situation. Why?

The common factor is both managers and employees are failing to have courageous career conversations. Managers we have found avoid the career development chat in fear they may not be able to meet employee career expectations. The view is most often to leave well enough alone and hope they stay. Our research shows talent are looking for new career experiences after just 17 months tenure. Career Progression today does just not mean promotion, it means people want to learn new skills and work on new projects to become more employable and marketable in the future. If you as an employer can’t offer this to your talented people they will leave for new pastures and they are right.
Many Senior Business Leaders I meet are complaining they can’t find and retain talent. It is a tight talent market for sure, but in any relationship be it work or in life where you value the other party, you need to be able to have the courageous conversation.

Harmonics has now developed the Future Workforce Readiness Index for Organisations to measure how their employees think and feel about their career, so they can take pro-active steps to not only retain talent but also provide the career development opportunities to develop them to be at their best.
If you are a Manager of people or an employee, think about having the courageous conversation. The relationship may be worth saving, but like my friend you wont find out unless you have the chat. It may just result in less break ups happening in February!

The Future Workforce Readiness Research is available to download here on https://www.harmonics.ie/study-finds-64-average-score-future-career-readiness/

ADAPTING TO CHANGE IS TOP FUTURE OF WORK CHALLENGE

Skills most in demand, top people challenges and impact of technology explored in Global Survey

A global survey of HR Directors and Talent Managers conducted by Irish firm Harmonics and OI Global Partners (one of the world’s largest career consulting partnerships) has revealed:

• Two thirds of respondents say that adapting to change is the biggest people challenge facing their organisation, followed by attracting and hiring new talent. Retaining key talent is third on the list.
• By contrast, in Ireland, the second and third biggest people challenges are employee engagement and managers lacking coaching skills.
• Collaborating with others is emphatically the most valued skill today (73%) followed by the ability to Embrace Change (63%) and Leadership Agility (62%)
• Surprisingly, 38% believe new technologies (AI/machine learning) will have no impact on jobs in their organisation, 35% believe it will lead to more jobs and just 28% believe there will be a loss of jobs in the coming year.
• However, in Ireland almost half of those surveyed believe that new technologies will result in a loss of jobs in their organisation
• The top 3 most effective activities in developing talent are: leadership development programmes, assessments and one-to-one coaching with external coaches.
• Over a third do not have employer brand strategies in place

John Fitzgerald, managing director, Harmonics, said, “There is a direct correlation between the number one most valued skill and one of the key people challenges that organisations are facing – adapting to change. The speed of change in the global economy means employers are almost always in a restructuring and change mode. So, they are looking for people who excel at collaboration as they can possess an ability to adapt to uncertainty, normally communicate clearly and exhibit the leadership agility required in rapidly changing conditions.”

“It is interesting to note that the potential impact of new technologies on jobs is viewed far more pessimistically in Ireland. The rise of AI and automation will lead to new ways of working but our ongoing research suggests that while certain jobs will be lost, almost twice as many will be created. Organisations need to help their employees to adapt to change and develop the skills they need as well as a growth mindset,” he continued.

“Surprisingly, over a third of organisations do not have employer brand strategies in place. Most leading organisations value such strategies because of their positive impact on talent acquisition, employee retention and positioning the organisation in the marketplace. Organisations that fail to embrace such strategies will face a talent crisis,” concluded Mr Fitzgerald.

This is the fourth annual survey that Harmonics has conducted in association with OI Global Partners on the Future of Work.

About the survey: 

The survey was conducted in July, August and September 2019. There were over 1,000 respondents from 25 countries.  Organisations of all sizes weighed in, with half reporting more than 500 employees. Respondents represented every one of 16 major industry groups, with heaviest response from Financial Services, Business Support & Logistics, Technology, Telecom, Internet & Electronics and Manufacturing.

About OI Global Partners
OI Global Partners is a leading human resources consulting firm that helps organizations manage their talent and individuals manage their careers. More than 1,000 consultants strong with 225 offices in 25 countries, our reach assures customers a broad suite of talent management services and a deep base of experienced consultants. For more information, please visit www.oiglobalpartners.com

Last week my Dad passed away. We were lucky as a family to be by his bedside when he passed, and it was a peaceful ending for him. We cared for him in his later years and we have no regrets. I am back to work this week and reflecting on his legacy, three things spring to mind immediately.

He left school at 16 with no formal qualifications, emigrated to England for a short, like many did in the fifties, and worked on the buses. Then at 19 his parents died within a year and he returned home to take over the family farm as the only son. It was not his passion but, in his generation, it was his duty to work the family farm that had been passed down to him. Dad had so many more skills and talents that he never fully got to explore. He always impressed upon me to explore, see the world and never feel limited by the paradigms of family tradition. My career journey led me to experience many different roles and ultimately, find and follow my passion.  Thanks Dad.

When I hit a crisis in my career at 40, unemployed for the first time in my life, I went to Dad looking for financial help for the first time. I had never asked him for money, as he had taught me to always find my own way. This time it was different, I really needed help. We had a mortgage and a young daughter and cash was running out. I shared my hard luck story with him and his reply was straightforward, “You got yourself into this John, get yourself out of it!” His reply maddened me… I couldn’t lodge his career advice into any bank. Did he not understand my situation!?! Of course he did, but he was testing my resilience. Dad always gave me challenges to test me; this was another one – when I didn’t need it. All I needed was money to get by.

It taught me a valuable life lesson. It fired me up to become even more resolute in achieving my career goals. I was going to succeed no matter what, there was no place to hide now. I just had to do it and his advice was the birthing of our business today, Harmonics. This experience gave me the resilience required to set up a new business and more since. I know I have that resilience now to face tough situations again in the future. Thanks Dad.

He was very well read on many topics and seemed to be always halfway through a book that was lying on the kitchen table. He also loved to write and had such beautiful handwriting. He expressed his love of writing by penning a weekly column on rural life in a local newspaper under a pseudonym. I only discovered he wrote these columns a few years ago. He never said anything about them as he never wanted to attract attention. He was a great man for the parish and the community. He wrote weekly notes for our parish Knockainey in the local papers (the Limerick Leader and Vale Star); sharing the local community news and an account of the local GAA games for all age groups, including who played well and who scored. He devoted much of his life to his community and making it a better place.

Today, he would love to see me signing 150 copies of my book “Future Proof Your Career” for dispatch to a corporate client to accompany my talk on “How to become Ready for the Future of Work”. He was so proud that his son got to write a book. He knew it was something I wanted to achieve in my lifetime. I was proud to have been able to share a copy of the book with him before he died.

If there something in you that you want to achieve, my advice is just do it and have no regrets. Dad had almost full hearing loss in his later years, but he could read and write. We had to write everything down in order to communicate to him. If I were to write something down for you now Dad, it would simply be “Thanks Dad”.

 

John Fitzgerald is the Founder of the Harmonics Group, author of ‘Future Proof Your Career’ and speaker on the Future of Work. Harmonics specialises in helping organisations plan for change, manage change and support their people through change.