Why Great Culture is Essential for a Hybrid Workplace
The hybrid work model is here to stay, folks. The great work-from-home experiment of the past 18 months has been a success; companies realize that employees can be just as productive working from anywhere, and workers are embracing the flexibility of a remote or hybrid workplace. Some 83% of workers want their company to offer a hybrid work model post-pandemic, and 39% would like the option to work from home up to four days per week. Many hyper-growth companies are listening to employee preferences, with 63% implementing a “productivity anywhere” workforce model and introducing the possibility of a hybrid workplace for employees. It’s clear that hybrid work is becoming a permanent part of how we work, but what are the potential challenges facing such a model – especially for culture? The hybrid work model can lead to longer working hours, micromanagement, a dissolution of traditional company culture, and opportunities for miscommunication. Thankfully, there’s several ways to avoid these pitfalls and instead come out ahead by building a more productive, streamlined, and positive work culture. Building a positive hybrid workplace Along with the hybrid work model comes a noticeable change in company culture. Businesses are concerned with how they can preserve culture with a semi- or predominantly remote workforce. However, it’s important to keep in mind that culture is much more than just office perks and team-building events. Looking beyond perks Culture begins with a company’s unique approach to work. Consider the critical characteristics of your ideal culture and how they can be achieved in a hybrid workplace. For example, providing flexibility to employees and trusting them to complete their work from home will provide an excellent framework for creating a transparent, autonomous company culture. Free lunches and snacks won’t help employees too stressed or busy to eat it. Helping your employees feel more comfortable about the work they do and the way they do it contributes much more to building a healthy hybrid workplace culture. Setting employees up for success A positive culture starts with positive workers, so focus on ensuring employees have everything they need to be productive at work. This includes: Ensuring employees have the tools and equipment they need to work comfortably at home – including options if the internet or power goes out, as well as funding for new equipment Implementing new training opportunities to allow remote workers to gain the same level of onboarding and upskilling as in-office workers Making sure remote managers are trained in supervising, managing, and coaching from a distance, along with remote team-building skills Ensuring that your hybrid and work-from-home employees have ample opportunity to engage with management Employee involvement and work-life balance Changing to a hybrid work model is an excellent opportunity to reassess what constitutes great company culture. Recruitment company Morgan McKinley used surveys during the pandemic to discover what was most important to workers and, based on the results, built a culture that offered a better work-life balance. To do this, they implemented ideas such as a company-wide 3 p.m. finish on Friday afternoons, cutting hour-long meetings to 45 minutes, and encouraging employees to block out lunchtime each day on their calendar. You’ll notice that all of these new measures provide equal benefits for both in-office and remote employees. When building your culture, ask employees what’s most important to them and create a company culture that benefits all workers. Better tools improve hybrid workplace culture Perhaps the most critical aspect of hybrid work is creating a digital workspace that enables all employees to work together from anywhere. Collaboration is a key cornerstone of hybrid work culture, and it’s a great place to start. These tools will ensure you are supporting in-house and remote workers to collaborate. Your digital workspace is essential to making sure remote workers don’t feel isolated from their team or that office workers aren’t getting more opportunities. All of this equates to happier employees, less turnover, and more productivity — critical foundations for a solid workplace culture. Digital tools also support a flexible workplace by allowing employees to work to their own schedules. An emerging trend in hybrid work is asynchronous communication, which enables teams to communicate without the expectation of needing to respond immediately. Team members will have all the information they need to complete a task and complete it in their own time. Asynchronous communication negates the need to be ‘always on.’ Employees can send questions or provide status updates without everyone being connected 24/7. You can also encourage teams to send daily or weekly updates, so everyone can be transparent in what they’re working on day-to-day. So, what exactly are the essential tools employees need to foster a better collaborative culture in a hybrid environment? They include: A comprehensive digital workspace that captures all work so that projects, resources, communications, and status updates are accessible to remote, hybrid, and in-office workers Asynchronous communication tools to combat the ‘always on’ mentality and minimize excess meetings Security features to ensure the safety of company information and employee data Companies can also achieve a comprehensive digital workspace without bombarding teams with excess tools that can cause miscommunication and unnecessary complexity. Businesses should focus on two core tools to facilitate the hybrid model and enable a better culture of digital collaboration. IM communications tools An IM tool such as Slack or Microsoft Teams allows employees to engage with each other regularly. Channels can be set up for teams and employees with similar interests to ensure all employees feel included. IM tools allow employees to have instant and direct access to their colleagues no matter where they are working and help support relationship building in a hybrid environment. Streamlined IM communication and coordination can contribute immensely to building a healthier work culture and environment. CWM platform A collaborative work management platform is the core component of the complete digital workspace needed to facilitate hybrid work. Teams can track all projects and tasks in one place and gain full visibility over work across teams and departments. These platforms allow for asynchronous communication, enabling workers to be flexible with when and how they work. They also integrate with other tools, allowing all work data to be brought together and stored in one workspace, minimizing the need to be logged in to several platforms at once. CWM platforms also have built-in security features designed to support hybrid teams to work from anywhere. Security features It’s critical to ensure that work and information is protected regardless of where employees work. As businesses become increasingly digitized, bad actors will continue to devise new ways to access and potentially take advantage of your unsecured data. Provide your IT teams with the tools they need to rigidly safeguard your company’s work, perform structured audits on a regular basis, as well as ensure your employees are educated on proper security protocols and practices before they delve into the world of digital collaboration. It’s time to reimagine the way we work The way we work has changed for good, making it the perfect time to reevaluate your workforce based on the changing needs and behaviors of your business and employees. For your company to be resilient and provide the best possible workplace culture, you need to reevaluate work through a lens of flexibility. A collaborative, autonomous culture for workers provides considerably more benefits than the closed, siloed work culture of the past. A compassionate, flexible work environment will increase employee happiness and engagement, and it’s become more important than ever to break down silos in a hybrid workplace to ensure that employees are dedicated to teamwork and collaboration no matter where they are. For more resources on hybrid work culture, check out: Return to Work Management Guide: How to Manage a Hybrid Team Research Uncovers the Technology That Will Power Hybrid Work An Introduction to Hybrid Team Management A Guide to Hybrid Remote Working WFH or Hybrid Office? How to Know Which Works Best for You
What is the Future of Work? (2022 Update)
Remote work as we know it will transform in 2022. With the effects of COVID-19 variants rippling worldwide, new workplace and project management trends for the year deal with a well-rounded approach to new methodologies. So take a few moments to stop worrying about today and take a peek into the future of work — you won’t want to miss these exciting predictions! How is technology shaping the future of work? The emergence of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning has led to the reduction of manual tasks, which will allow employees to focus on their creativity. In order to keep up with these trends, workers will need to learn new skills and continuously improve their knowledge. Meanwhile, employers will have to strategically choose tools that are easy to master and improve productivity, despite the growing demand and complexity of work ahead. Automation and the future of work The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many organizations to rethink their operations. The need for increased efficiency without sacrificing quality will lead to an increased dependence on automation. According to Gartner, by 2024, organizations will save 30% on operational costs by combining task automation with existing processes. This is no surprise, as most organizations are already implementing more advanced automation methods such as AI. AI and the future of work AI is expected to completely transform the way project management and standard functions are performed by 2030. Not only will this make it easier to automate tasks, but it will also help employees companywide make better decisions. For example, project managers will continue to use AI-powered data analysis tools to predict project requirements based on evidence from past recorded work. Future ways of working in project management The digital transformation of project management that we’ve seen over the past two decades should be the norm in 2022. New tools and methods of working allow employees to work from anywhere, while employers benefit from the increased productivity of their workers. Online project management tools are becoming more prevalent in today's business environment. The line between home and office will blur Remember going into the office? Whether you’re fully remote, hybrid, or finally in-person again, the work sphere as we know it will continue to evolve this coming year. Office buildings are going extinct Virtual tools such as Zoom, Slack, and project management solutions will continue to make it easy to collaborate with team members all over the world. And now that companies are pulling from overseas talent, it makes sense why the need for entire buildings with multi-floor offices is a thing of the past for some brands. Working from home will be the norm The Global Workplace Analytics forecast states that “25-30% of the U.S. workforce will be working-from-home one or more days a week after the pandemic.” It makes sense considering how teams have adjusted to this style of work already. Between cost-opportunity savings, employees’ willingness to trade a commute for a pay cut, and the flexibility work from home offers, we can see how Global Workplace Analytics came to their conclusion. Workspaces will be personalized Organizations will look to technology to personalize every aspect of the office, including open workstations that will be “beamed” a worker’s lighting and temperature preferences, as well as their contacts, projects, and work files, so employees can easily move around. Offices will be less expensive to maintain Emerging Internet of Things (IoT) technologies will measure foot traffic and daily activity to turn off lights and A/C in empty rooms, tell cleaning crews not to bother with an unused conference room, and make offices more efficient. Technology moves from tool to strategic advantage Advances in technology will continue to be a huge driver of change. How we interact with our colleagues, clients, and employers is about to see a radical shift thanks to the prevalence of mobile devices, social media, wearable tech, and public health and safety concerns. You'll join a social workplace Although there was once a pronounced line between your life on social media and your life at the office, that line has blurred in recent years and will start to disappear completely as companies start implementing internal social networks like Slack and Facebook At Work. There will be an emphasis on devices According to Gartner, “Through 2024, remote workers will use at least four different device types for remote working, up from three devices in 2019.” This includes everything from phones to computers to remote employee monitoring tools. More collaboration tools will be adopted Collaboration apps, along with the remote teams they support, are here to stay, and more companies are using them than ever before. But in order to spur adoption of these tools among their teams, businesses will start emphasizing the benefits for individual employees (schedule flexibility, better recognition for achievements, etc.) over benefits to the company (greater innovation, productivity, etc.). Your own personal work assistant is coming soon Smart voice-activated assistants like Siri and Alexa are going to keep improving, to the point where artificially-intelligent assistants will be running in the background at work, learning our patterns in order to anticipate and provide the information we need to improve our productivity and work performance. Expect IoT and wearables at work Mundane tasks like starting a fresh pot of coffee or turning on lights at the start of the workday will be taken care of by IoT devices, freeing employees to focus on more creative and complex tasks. Wearables will tell employees when to take a break and which foods to avoid for better energy and focus. Companies will collect data on employee activity, mood, and habits and start to experiment with people analytics in order to determine how best to support employee performance and satisfaction — without looking like Big Brother. Work management will no longer be ad hoc It’s not just the tools and technologies we use that will change; our attitude towards work and how we approach getting it done is shifting. Over the next several years, organizations will embrace new management techniques, values, and standards in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and cultural shifts around work-life balance. Expect smaller, flatter organizations More new ventures will keep it small, with a core group of founders and key employees, and they'll hire freelancers from around the globe to fill the other necessary roles. Meanwhile, larger companies will minimize hierarchy and embrace flat management styles like Zappos' “holacracy,” giving workers greater ownership over their projects, freedom from rigid job titles and descriptions, and more input in the company’s direction. 'Entrepreneur' will be redefined As the way we take on new projects changes, so will our concept of entrepreneurship. The word will no longer primarily refer to someone who invents a new product or launches a business; it will come to include independent freelancers who team up with other freelancers, forming a temporary group to take on bigger, more lucrative projects than they could tackle individually. Experimentation and iteration will be the norm Companies will start to see themselves as laboratories, focusing less on refining the same standard processes and products and instead prioritizing experimentation and constant innovation. Slacking off? You won’t have to hide it Businesses are coming to appreciate and encourage “off times” when the brain is able to wander, explore, and later make interesting connections that lead to new ideas. Companies like Google have long encouraged and made time for employees to pursue side projects and indulge their curiosities, and that attitude will spread to companies looking to keep their employees sharp and engaged. Since we as a collective have been in survival mode for more than two years, it’s no surprise that managers are interested in helping their employees thrive now more than ever. Cross-functional and soft skills will dominate As new tools and technologies open up fresh possibilities and modes of approaching our work, the skills we'll use to succeed will become more unconventional, and soft skills will be highly sought after. The gig economy will bring new opportunities Some of the most in-demand skills for the next decade revolve around the emerging "gig" economy, like personal brand coaches who help freelancers and consultants market themselves, and ‘Tribers,’ who work with companies to assemble the perfect teams for specific projects. Even teachers and professors will go freelance, choosing to work for one of the many on-demand, online learning platforms. You’ll be updating your resume more often The days of spending your entire career at one company, painstakingly working your way up the ladder to the corner office, are gone. In fact, a recent study shows “Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2012) plans to move on from their current employer in three years or less, and only one in four plan to work for an employer for five years or more,” which means short-term gigs are here to stay. The new norm will be to work for a company for a handful of years, gain experience and skills, and then move on to a new opportunity. It'll no longer be enough to master one skill and use it throughout your career — you'll need to master several and be able to switch between them. Highly specific "nanodegrees" that take a year or less to earn will become increasingly popular, and both companies and employees will learn to adapt to higher turnover rates. You'll need to master remote work You’ve seen the statistics — with 80-90% of the workforce stating they want to telecommute at least part-time and 50% stating they already do, remote work is here to stay. But over the next several years, we’ll refine our approach to remote teamwork in order to better recreate the genuine social connections and collaboration that, as of now, we can only get at the office. Companies will be remote by default Instead of established companies embracing some remote teams or employees telecommuting occasionally, companies will be built remotely from the get-go. Everyone meeting face-to-face will be the exception, not the norm, as companies embrace the technology that allows them to hire talent wherever it happens to be located. You'll redecorate your home to accommodate work Many homes have an open floor plan, which isn't usually conducive to focusing and getting work done. With more people working from home, telecommuters will start creating spaces within their homes for work. Culture will define company success Flexible hours, remote work, and the need to keep talented workers engaged over the long term will lead many organizations to spend more time and resources creating a company culture that makes employees want to come to the office. Colleagues will become members of a community In a time where “85% of employees are not engaged in the workplace”, the question is more commonly not how to hire the best talent but how to keep them. Companies will focus more effort on creating a tangible and genuine sense of community, which excites its employees and compels them to stick around. Circular evaluations and feedback are coming Performance reviews are going away as companies phase them out in favor of more flexible means of giving and receiving employee feedback. Organizations will place greater emphasis on coaching, skills development, and letting employees set their own goals, as well as gathering internal feedback on an ongoing basis so that everyone in the company is focused on improvement, from the CEO down. And don't forget: New employee perks While health insurance, paid vacation, and other typical benefits won't go away, more companies are adding personalized perks that stress their company's unique culture and their employees' personalities. They're rethinking standard benefits to provide what their workforce really wants, like paid parental leave, ongoing learning opportunities, and helping employees repay student loans. Organizations will prioritize diversity Facebook and Pinterest require that at least one woman and one underrepresented minority be considered for every open senior position, and Twitter and Pinterest are making their hiring goals public for greater accountability. More companies will follow suit as they become increasingly intentional about cultivating diversity on their teams, and they'll implement measures to counteract unconscious bias, like “blind” interviews where candidates and interviewers can’t see each other or their voices are masked. Hiring managers will look for culture fit... For your next job search, experience, diplomas, and GPAs will start to take a backseat to your drive, goals, and willingness to learn. Essentially, do you fit with the company culture? You also may be able to BYOP (Build Your Own Position), focused around your specific interests and industry, developing a relationship with a company first and then creating the right role from there, rather than applying for a specific open position. ... And you'll be choosier about accepting jobs Compensation will no longer be the top consideration. As people look for jobs that fit in with their lifestyle, values, and professional goals, organizations will adapt by fostering a sense of purpose for employees — although what that looks like can be difficult to discern (and even more difficult to deliver). Ready to put these cutting-edge trends into practice? Get a jump-start on your 2022 project management with Wrike’s two-week free trial.
Is Information Overload Real? Or Are We Just a Wimpy Generation? (Video)
Information overload is supposedly a very real, very current phenomenon that our parents never had to deal with. And if you believe we're just a wimpy generation compared to our forefathers, here's a stat to knock your socks off: we see more than 34 billion bits of information per day online — an equivalent of 2 books a day. The stat comes from Adrian Ott's research while writing his book The 24-Hour Customer. It captures our predicament aptly: now more than ever before, we're drowning in potentially meaningful information. We interviewed Getting Things Done author David Allen, who calls this phenomenon an attack by the "barbarians of overwhelming opportunity." See the video below: Information Overload: Not the Real Problem To be clear, even though consuming 34 billion bits of data daily is massive, that's not what's creating the crisis. It's the potential meaning that could be in the information we've received that stresses us out and keeps us from focusing on one thing at a time. Allen explains with an example: nature. When you set foot in a forest, every one of your senses feeds you information about your surroundings. But you don't implode because there aren't that many potentially meaningful things you have to worry about — until you come across dangerous animals or suspicious fruits. Email is a different story. You never know which message is urgent or life-threatening, and which is just spam. Hence every new message in your inbox becomes a potential mountain lion or poisonous berry. Not knowing which is which causes stress and pressures you to get through it all. Suddenly you're looking at 15 emails instead of working on your report. Addicted to the Ping Which leads to the addictive behavior connected with email, or with putting out fires that aren't even on your to-do list. Handling and organizing all these little pings on our attention creates dopamine in the brain, making them highly addictive. It's not surprising then that approximately 28% of our working day is spent interacting with our email. We simply love the rush of going through new messages and sending off responses ASAP; it makes us feel productive. In actuality, the time-suck it's sapping us of the energy we need to do our real job: creative problem solving. Cognitive Load, Overloaded! Handling all the potentially meaningful information in our inboxes and in our daily lives takes effort. And according to a study by Baba Shiv at Stanford University, there is a limit to our "cognitive load," the amount of mental effort needed to accomplish a specific task. Once this load is taxed, no energy is left to make good decisions. Clarify and Organize Your "Barbarians" So how does one deal with all this info without getting stressed mentally and physically? You have to set apart a time to clarify and organize these inputs before you can act on them. Allen's GTD method calls this the processing stage: you decide what you want to do with each idea. Is it urgent? What’s the goal? What’s your next action step? Are we just a wimpy generation? So to circle back to the original question: is information overload real? Absolutely. Though the real danger is the flood of potentially meaningful info we let in. Why not make it your New Year's resolution to adopt the GTD practice of processing all your input so you aren't overwhelmed by the barbarians at your gate?
6 Project Management Trends to Expect in 2022
Project management will undergo significant changes this coming year. Worldwide physical and cultural events are shaping every new project management trend happening in the industry. They may even be transforming the entire project management discipline. Keep reading to stay in the know about some of the most notable changes, alongside our predictions for what to expect in the near future. What are the current trends in project management? While we all want to see into the future of project management trends, these current industry ideas are sure to influence project management teams for months to come: Improving communication across blended teams Effective communication skills are required to stay motivated during and after the pandemic. This means having the necessary tools and expertise to work remotely. Today’s project managers must learn how to use systems that overcome the challenges of working from home. Not only does improving communication increase productivity, but it may also improve mental health in the workplace after the pandemic. Maximizing the effectiveness of hybrid and remote work Even after the global pandemic has subsided, the hybrid work model will still be a staple of business moving forward. There are many advantages to having face-to-face interaction with employees. However, this interaction will require the use of new technology and strategies to manage it properly. Embracing Agile as a means to combine strategy with output In 2022, companies will need to ensure that their teams are Agile and fast-moving. Instead of having a one-size-fits-all framework, teams will need to have the knowledge and experience necessary to choose strategic frameworks that fit their needs. Over the past year, more companies have started using Agile methods to improve their project management processes. We would expect them to increase their usage in the coming years. A prediction of future trends in project management Based on our experience and research, we believe that the following future trends in project management are worth exploring. Use each one to better understand your goals for the upcoming year and what the industry may look like in a few months' time. 1. Fully remote project teams The onset of the coronavirus pandemic forced many organizations to rethink their work-from-home policies. As a result, many workers in the US have shifted to working from home full- or part-time. That means project management is no longer confined to the typical office. Some tasks are more easily carried out when team members are located close to one another. For instance, team building exercises are less time-consuming when done face-to-face. Despite the challenges, remote work has many advantages that can help organizations attract and retain top talent. For instance, it allows employees to work from anywhere in the world. Alongside that, full-time employees are increasingly working as members of dispersed, global teams, communicating and coordinating via online software and apps. Technology plays a huge role in that. Meetings are held via Zoom, tasks are tracked in a project management tool,and schedules are developed and delivered to team members entirely online. Since the rise of remote work is likely to continue, project managers need to find ways to reduce friction and make their work more efficient. So the question to ask yourself is: can you improve your projects by bringing on freelancers or remote workers? If the answer is yes, don't hold back because of technology complications — the right tech exists to support you. 2. An increased dependency on project management tools Project management has always been a tool for carrying out goals and managing risk. Over the years, however, its scope has broadened to encompass a wide range of activities and initiatives. Project management tools help organizations execute their strategy but they can also be used to manage the portfolio and the various tasks related to that strategy. Doing so will help them make more informed decisions and improve their organizations' progress on key goals while providing more value. There are external project management trends affecting our dependence on these tools too. As the world changes due to the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning, project management will be affected by the need to collect and analyze vast amounts of data. Exactly how this will play out is difficult to predict but most experts agree that it will be unavoidable. 3. A focus on enhanced collaboration The true digital transformation of project management should be complete by the end of 2022. We’re referring to relying on online tools for collaboration and coordination between teams, and not just complex back-and-forth email exchanges. New remote, hybrid, and flexible working options allow employees to work wherever they want, while employers benefit from the higher quality output of their workers. Despite the advantages of distributed teams, it can be very challenging to promote collaboration among the employees. In an effort to solve this issue, many companies have started implementing online project management tools. For example, some teams use multimedia conferencing so that remote workers can still meet and communicate with their in-house counterparts. Others use project management software such as Wrike to plan, schedule, and monitor progress across all active initiatives. No matter which tools you choose to use in 2022, one thing is clear: learning how to work well with others despite physical barriers will continue to be essential as we continue to deal with the global pandemic. 4. Understanding different types of soft skills Project managers typically need a certain level of expertise in various areas of operations in order to be successful in their roles. However, without the right combination of soft skills, they may not be able to effectively manage people and produce the best results. First and foremost, the ability to communicate expectations and work well with all parties involved is very important. This is why soft skills such as empathy, decision-making, and leadership are critical to a project's success. A project manager who has these abilities plays a critical role in improving the entire team’s performance as both a model for behavior and setting the tone for workplace culture. Because at the end of the day, the project manager will determine the level of cooperation between the team members until the project is finished. Wondering how to stay ahead of the curve and improve your own soft skills? Here are some tips to practice: Don’t make assumptions about what others are thinking and feeling. Encourage discussion and always get important project details in writing. Encourage employees to be themselves, contribute to project planning, and express their personalities. Connect on a deeper level with individual team members by asking questions about their life outside of work. Learn how to properly apologize and resolve an argument for yourself and for others. Be open to feedback. You can always learn and improve. 5. Emphasis on avoiding physical and mental stress In 2022, we predict you'll be more challenged by employee development than employee retention, requiring your new team members to settle in faster with optimized training programs and work delegated to new team members sooner. Avoiding physical and mental stress will be a large part of keeping employees happy, healthy, and on your team. You may not realize it but there are a lot of ways you can make work smoother for your entire team. Here’s how: Set clear expectations with goals and deadlines This method would allow your team members to focus on the things that they're good at and not on the things that they're not good at. It would also prevent them from accidentally repeating the same exercises or processes. Offer schedule flexibility Everyone wants to work more flexible hours. This is why it is important to allow your team members to work without being monitored often. They can only complete their work once specific deadlines have been met. Address issues, if they ever come up, and focus on making work easier for everyone involved. You can also provide more freedom in terms of where employees can work from. Offer at least one work from home day per week or month. Or, if your employees are local and have been entirely remote, give them a desk to come in and work from if they ever need it. Make fitness part of workplace culture Your staff members should take time to exercise. Some ways to ensure this include offering some assistance through onsite yoga classes, walking meetings, or even small activities such as a group stretching session every morning. Offer more praise than criticism Great managers recognize the efforts of their team members. They can either congratulate them on a great job in private or make a small announcement about their achievements during a weekly meeting. Even a small acknowledgment of someone’s hard work can make a big difference in how they feel about the project so far. 6. A continued concentration on Agile methodology Agile development is a set of principles that enables developers to get started with projects without having to learn how to manage traditional tasks and processes. With Agile, teams can easily break down a project into multiple stages, allowing them to manage the work seamlessly. It also allows them to collaborate more effectively with project stakeholders. Not only is it more adaptable—a must now that we’re seeing a renewed importance on remote work flexibility and increased attention on how we collaborate—but it’s also completely customizable. How Wrike will help with project management in 2022 Wrike is a project management tool built to bring teams into the future of work with all the support they need to get ahead of new project management trends. That includes managing complex project phases, communicating across teams and departments, and collaborating seamlessly. Managing complex project phases Complex projects require a phased approach to ensure they meet expectations and budgets. They also require a team effort to identify and understand the various dependencies that could affect the project's success. The Complex Project With Phases template by Wrike simplifies the management of large, complex projects. It features a variety of predefined phases and tasks, and it can be viewed in the project chart view. Communicating across teams and departments Communication is a vital component of a successful project, especially when juggling hybrid and remote teams. Without a good communication plan, it’s easy for misunderstandings to happen between the teams and departments. This template will help you build a consistent cadence for communicating with the team and stakeholders. Use it to create a project schedule to keep track of all the updates that are needed by each stakeholder. Collaborating with everyone involved With more people working remotely, the need for effective collaboration tools is more important than ever. The good news is that thanks to Wrike, teams can work seamlessly from anywhere. Use Wrike to create a digital workspace that's organized and secure in the cloud. Our project management platform is ideal for securely storing all your files and details with individualized permission settings. Teams can work more effectively with others through Wrike’s custom-field request forms and tools. Wrike’s tools will also help you cut down on emails and make suggestions in real time. Get a jump-start on your 2022 project management with Wrike’s two-week free trial.
Everyone's a Project Manager — Yes, That Means You (Video)
When you think about the term "project manager" who comes to mind? Your boss? A colleague on a different team? The guy who literally has "Project Manager" on his LinkedIn bio? Here's something to think about: we're all project managers — you, your teammate, even the intern on the other side of the office. Whether you consider the client side project manager definition or the definition of a receptionist's role, both have their responsibilities which fall under the umbrella of project management. According to David Allen, father of the popular productivity system Getting Things Done (GTD), a project is ANY multi-step action. Which means that every time you work on something that takes more than one step, you are managing a project. Creating a new ad campaign. Hitting your sales goal. Buying a new car. Making a 3-course dinner for your in-laws. These are the types of daily projects we manage. What does this mean for how we approach work? We need to look at everything we do from a different angle. If we come at our daily tasks and projects with the mindset, "I can do this in a structured, organized way," then the outcome will substantially improve. How to Approach Life Projects Using GTD: 1. Identify what you're working on. Stake your claim that this is now a project you're managing. Simply changing your mindset can make a difference in how you approach the work. 2. Envision your intended outcome. 3. Make a list of the actions it will take to get you to the end goal. 4. Map out the flow for all your action steps. 5. Single out your very next step and set aside everything else for later. See what David Allen says about everyday project managers in a contributed post on his website about the natural planning model, and in our recent one-on-one interview: Interested in managing all your daily projects more efficiently? Start your own 2-week free trial of Wrike project management software today. Related Reads:• 4 Ways David Allen Applies GTD to Teams• How to Set Up GTD Using Wrike
UK Businesses Are Struggling to Close Productivity Gap with Their European Counterparts
Over the last year, the number of IT tools and apps used at work has increased for nearly half of people working in offices across the UK, and the majority now juggle between three and six different types of desktop software, web applications, and mobile apps. This trend among UK workers however, falls well short of that seen among its Continental neighbours France and Germany, where adoption of digital tools has grown much more substantially. According to the Wrike Digital Work Report 2016, the number of apps being used in British businesses may be rising, but outdated work practices mean UK companies aren’t necessarily being more productive as a result. In addition, our report reveals that using more apps also correlates with greater stress level for nearly 70% of respondents. Organizations need to start paying attention to where their productivity is dipping, and using an operation efficiency formula to investigate how it can be improved. Digital working - blessing or curse? While half the UK respondents in the survey say apps and other IT tools help in performing tasks by making work easier and more efficient, in France and Germany these perceived benefits were much higher (77% and 64% respectively), perhaps reflecting their more enthusiastic uptake for IT solutions. Similarly, respondents across all three countries said that digital tools made it easier to work remotely and made access and sharing of information more reliable. However, for over a fifth of UK workers (22%), apps were said to hinder or be detrimental in helping perform work tasks. Overall, productivity levels among French and German workers has risen over the past year (by 53% and 47% respectively), compared with just 26% among UK workers. The fact that app adoption levels have not been so prolific and that the UK appears to lag behind the times when it comes to new ways of digital working might go some way towards explaining this disparity between rising productivity levels: Collaboration tools – which make it easier to work on projects together and have central access to information – are only used by 15% in the UK, compared to nearly a quarter in France (24%). Conferencing is used by 17% in the UK, but nearly three in ten in top-ranked Germany (28%). There is a similar picture for project management software (UK 17%, France 28%, Germany 25%.) Email is the biggest productivity zapper While email is still the most widely used IT tool by far, over a third of UK respondents say email curbed their productivity (37%). Too many ineffective meetings, having too many tasks to juggle and prioritise, and too much admin work were next in line as the major culprits affecting productivity. This survey shows how reliant the modern workplace has become on technology to manage everyday tasks, but also how much room for improvement there is in terms of how we use that technology to best effect. Our firm belief is that technology can only ever be part of the solution. Managers, especially in the UK, need to make sure their businesses are using the right tools for the job to help employees manage their tasks productively, without inadvertently adding unnecessary workload or stress. If these tools are used properly, they should make people more efficient; allowing them to do a better job, and ultimately help them feel confident in the knowledge that they can properly ‘switch off’ knowing nothing will fall between the cracks. The survey was conducted by OnePoll in August 2016 among 3,000 office workers, with 1,000 respondents each in the UK, France, and Germany.
Wrike's CEO Analyzes the Lessons to Learn from Facebook in Business Collaboration
In this article, Andrew highlights the lessons that the business collaboration space can learn from Facebook and discusses why the “work graph,” our own unique concept, has the potential to turn us all into project management and collaboration rock stars. We built Wrike with this vision - to connect work for thousands of people - and now we came up with this special name for our model. You can get a feel of it right now by using Wrike! Source:
Turning Employees Into Entrepreneurs: Interview with Adeo Ressi
You're a hard-working individual. You work long hours everyday, so you can breathe easy on the weekends. You also have a passion to start your own company, but you don't have the time or tools to do it. How do you fulfill your passion and find enough time to start a company without quitting your full-time job? We're excited to release our video interview with Adeo Ressi, CEO & Founder of The Founder Institute, who helps passionate individuals start their own companies. After founding nine companies himself, Ressi built The Founder Institute as a way to help people achieve their dreams while balancing their day jobs. During the interview, he shares tips on entrepreneurial best practices, how to deal with investors, and what qualities make a good founder. Check out the full video interview with Ressi: [inlinetweet prefix="" tweeter="" suffix="via @Wrike"]"A company dies when a founder gives up." —Adeo Ressi @adeoressi[/inlinetweet] Some key takeaways from the interview: Lessons learned from being an entrepreneur Differences between good and bad investors Qualities of successful founders Deadliest mistakes commonly made by founders The current state of the startup industry Why there are so many "Unicorns" (and if that's good or bad news) Are you an thriving entrepreneur? Share some of your founder tips and advice in the comments.
Interview with Nir Eyal: How to Get Your Customers "Hooked"
Facebook, Amazon, Gmail, Spotify, Netflix... what do they all have in common? They all have us hooked on their products. They found a way to wiggle their product into our routines, and as a result, we've formed a habit dependent on their product that we simply can't break. What is so gut-wrenchingly addictive about these products and why can't we seem to shake the obsession? We were able to speak with entrepreneur and investor, Nir Eyal, about his recent book Hooked: How to Build Habit Forming Products, focusing on his acclaimed "Hook Model," and the secret to obtaining loyal customers. According to Nir, building a "hook" or a habit has nothing to do with being the best product out there. [inlinetweet prefix=" " tweeter="" suffix=""]"Engaging products don’t happen by mistake. Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat know this." —@NirEyal [/inlinetweet] A few things you'll learn as you watch the video: Why he wrote Hooked What the Hook Model entails, and how it will help you understand your customers better Why going "viral" isn't always the goal How to create a habit out of a non-habit forming product What trends are up-and-coming that people aren't paying enough attention to Watch the full interview below! Tweet this! [inlinetweet prefix=" " tweeter="" suffix=""]"It's the product that has the "mind monopoly" that succeeds." —@NirEyal [/inlinetweet] Nir defines the "Hook Model" as consisting of these four steps: Trigger Action Reward Investment These steps define the various ways we engage with a product; whether it be reading their content and perceiving them as subject experts, or just feeling so comfortable using the product that you don't want to bother learning how to use a new one. Are you hooked on a product or service? Let us know in the comments what products have managed to hook you!
Drive the Future of Your Work With Wrike’s New Work Intelligence™
Wrike is thrilled to announce Work Intelligence™, the most comprehensive artificial intelligence and machine learning-based engine that taps into millions of user actions to increase automation, make recommendations, and predict outcomes.
How Big Data Gives You Smarter Insights
As someone once said, the problem with Big Data is that it's... well, BIG. Long before the term exploded into the vocabulary of the general public in mid-2011, industries everywhere have delighted in the fact that Big Data can provide them with much-needed insight. By looking for Big Data both internally and externally, organizations can gain the intelligence needed to become more responsive to customer needs, stand out from their competition, and ultimately, be more profitable. Here's a quick look at the four qualities of Big Data that make it a unique tool for generating actionable business insight: Volume: Why Big Data is Big Everyday, people are spending huge chunks of time working and socializing in the digital world, which generates an enormous amount of data. According to a 2014 infographic by DOMO, every minute there are 277,000 tweets posted to Twitter, 216,000 photos uploaded to Instagram, and 8,333 videos shared on Vine. Now imagine being able to tap into all of that social activity to identify how consumers are finding your website online, or how much time they spend using your SaaS tool on a weekday. That's what Big Data is about — allowing users to access this mind-boggling volume of information and then process it in order to pinpoint actionable items. Variety: Handling Structured and Unstructured Data Generally, structured data is information that's highly organized and easy to search using straightforward search engine algorithms. A concrete example would be spreadsheets — information is presented in columns and rows, making it easy to search and sort. Unstructured data, on the other hand, is the opposite. It usually consists of human-generated and people-oriented content that may not fit neatly into database tables. The best example of unstructured data: email. Let's face it, information in email is chaotic. If you had to force all the data in your inbox into the grids of a spreadsheet, you'd soon understand the problem. And yet, Big Data can do so much more using both structured and unstructured data. There are newer, better machine learning algorithms that can differentiate signal from noise. Look at Google Flu Trends, which is able to predict the number of flu cases in a certain country based on search data surrounding keywords such as "flu," as opposed to relying directly on health reports. It's one example of how Big Data can parse even unstructured data (e.g. web searches), resulting in a useful tool. Velocity: Delivering Insights in a Snap Moore's Law states that the overall processing power of computers doubles every two years. As technology's capacity grows exponentially, it allows Big Data to deliver insight to its users at a greater velocity. Data is generated in real time, so users can demand actionable information in real time. A decade ago, this would have been impossible. But today, it's a reality that is opening new doors. Value: The Goal is Intelligence All this comes back to the fact no organization collects data just for the sake of having data. They're doing it to derive actionable insight. This is the value you want to extract. And it will only happen if all three previous V's are addressed in equal measure: volume, variety, and velocity. How has Big Data helped you and your organization? Hit the comments and tell us.
Your Customers Can Help You in Crisis
Today, no company can be immune to the current economic situation. So it is the time for many businesses to analyze their business model and risk profile. Economics experts join their voices stating that the best thing you can do to withstand the crisis is to improve your customer service and be attentive to customer needs. Terry Leahy, the head of TESCO, a British-based international grocery and general merchandising retail chain, noted in one of his recent interviews that staying close to customers is the key to surviving the current, difficult economic conditions. “We learned some lessons, and the message is simple – stay with your customers. Listen to your customers.” For project managers, it’s important that you treat your customers as stakeholders. John Mackey (CEO of Whole Foods) and Kip Tindell (CEO of The Container Store), who drove their companies with a constant growth over good and bad times, explain their take on stakeholders in this very interesting interview. It’s a must-read for executives in the current economic conditions. Lots of companies now will have a closer look at the opportunities offered by Web 2.0 tools. Online communities, blogs and social networks are great sources of information about your customers, their opinions and their needs. Corporate blogging has become a popular trend. Books are written about it. Blogs have become effective in allowing customers to speak to each other. There are hundreds of superb examples on the Web. Take the Starbucks Gossip blog, for example. It’s a powerful communication channel for the largest coffeehouse company in the world. Each post on Starbucks Gossip gets up to 200 comments. This is an endless source of hands-on information and valuable ideas from Starbucks lovers. Blogging is just one example. It’s important to be open to your customers, so in this respect, all means of communication are good -- blogs, forums, e-mail, phone, you name it. This will help you to lend an attentive ear to your customers’ voices and perceive their unmet needs. Companies that are not afraid to be open to their customers reap the rewards of customers’ trust. Yet another advantage is that they can implement ideas coming from their customers’ community to make the product or service better. The closest example to me is our project management software. We prioritize the development of Wrike’s new features, based on our users’ feedback and requests. Every voice counts, as we believe that a happy customer makes our business thrive. We can say that our customers help us improve the product, giving us tips on what direction of development to choose next. So listening to your customers is important for being able to survive in a harsh economic situation. But what’s even more important is being able to change your business based on your customer feedback and to do it quickly. Paying attention to your customers’ needs is the first step. The next one is being agile and adaptive to the changing requirements. Here’s where Project Management 2.0 practices and supporting tools can be of great help. Project Management 2.0, which is based on the vigor of collective intelligence and power of emergent structures, can help you incorporate customer feedback into your tactical plans much faster. First, a project blog, wiki or a project collaboration solution makes your project work more transparent for your clients. Having this insight into how you deliver the product or service your customers can introduce their ideas and thoughts on how it can be improved. Let’s say a customer leaves a comment on your blog or drops you an e-mail with a really brilliant idea that no one from your team had before. Still, it’s just an idea. Only you and people from you team know how to apply it to the project. This idea then can be input into your collaboration system, so that each member of your project team can develop this idea into something bigger and offer a way to incorporate this idea into your project. The project manager can then find the best way to fit the idea into the project development, so that it benefits all the stakeholders. The project then will be a result of the collective work of many minds. Emergent structures employed in the Project Management 2.0 applications will be the engine that makes this work possible. The whole process of incorporating customers’ feedback into the project development becomes much faster and easier. The company becomes truly agile and responsive. This means it will be more resistant to economic downturns. I would appreciate it if you could share your experience of fitting your clients’ feedback and requests into your project work. Have you used Web 2.0 and Project Management 2.0 tools for that? Please leave a comment below.
The Key Difference Between Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0
Surfing the Web, I come across different interpretations of the notion of Enterprise 2.0. Since the initial term of Web 2.0 refers to a perceived, not a defined, second generation of Web-based communities, there is no strict, common definition of Enterprise 2.0. So it’s not surprising that many people get confused and mix up Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0. So I decided to sum up my thoughts on this topic here to make the matter clearer. I suppose that the key difference between Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 is in the side that benefits from the technology utilization. On one hand, there are applications designed for consumers and primarily used by consumers. On the other hand, these applications are sometimes used for a company’s needs. Web 2.0 technologies were designed for consumers’ everyday use. Let’s take a look at Flickr, MySpace, or thousands of other sites made for the personal use of people. These services are mostly free and are made for people to share their photos, thoughts, contacts, interests and what not. People get personal benefit from using such a community and socializing. Therefore sites like Flickr represent Web 2.0. However, these sites can sometimes be used for business purposes, if a company needs to share files on the Web, for example. This can be a great opportunity to reach its existing and potential customers, get closer to them and therefore keep them more satisfied. If this is the case, you can call it an example of Enterprise 2.0, as the company benefits from using a community site. If we talk about wikis, there are also different examples of their usage. The biggest wiki used by people all over the world is the well-known Wikipedia. Wikipedia is used by different people who need information for their studies, work or to broaden their mental outlook. This is a clear example of Web 2.0. But can we treat wikis as Enterprise 2.0? We surely can because intranet wikis like socialtext.com were designed as enterprise tools and are mostly used by enterprises. Blogs were originated for sharing personal ideas and for self-expression Livejournal.com is an excellent example of an online personal diary. However, if you use a blog as a Web-space to discuss your company's products with customers, then we have an example of Enterprise 2.0. Some bloggers use terms like Enterprise Web 2.0 and draw a distinct line between this term and Enterprise 2.0. They say that Enterprise 2.0 tools change the organizational structure and relationships inside of a company and that Enterprise Web 2.0 technologies are less powerful and are not able to bring profound shifts in organizational paradigm. I guess if there is a slight difference, then it’s too vague to actually separate these two terms. Both types of technology, that designed especially for enterprises and that brought to organizations by user communities and by employees, influence collaboration patterns within companies. This change in collaboration can affect management standards and the structure of a company. Anyway, I guess it is a good topic for discussion, so I’ll be happy to get your feedback on this post.
Moving Beyond PTO & WFH: 5 Companies With the Best Work-Life Balance
As millions of office workers around the world juggled their home and working lives in the same space last year, one thing became clear — work-life balance is arguably more important than it ever has been. According to Bloomberg, we are working an average of three hours extra a day. And the companies who do not prioritize work-life balance for their employees are likely to lose out and fall victim to the ‘Great Resignation.’ In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, some four million Americans quit their job in July 2021. The Harvard Business Review found this is most likely to impact 30-45-year-olds who work in health and tech and attributes a lot of it to high burnout associated with increased workloads. So, who are the companies with the best work-life balance and what can we learn from them about recruiting and retaining the best talent? And what lessons may work best at our own organizations? Read on to find out how companies with good work-life balance are coming out on top, post-pandemic and what that may mean for the future of how we work. 1. Capital One’s holistic approach to wellbeing Named in The Washington Post’s Top WorkPlaces of 2021 list, this financial giant employs 40,000 people and takes the approach that our financial, physical, and emotional wellbeing are closely linked. To maintain this, the group offers on-campus healthcare centers and access to affordable mental health care for their families. Capital One also encourages staff to get involved in community mentoring programs and increased paid time off for parents and caregivers during the pandemic. The company also encourages their staff to discuss important societal issues (such as the killing of George Floyd) with dedicated town halls and has pledged $200 million to support Black and Latinx small businesses. 2. Better.com’s emphasis on family support Topping Fortune’s 2021 Best Workplaces in New York™ list, mortgage company Better.com had big plans for an on-site daycare ahead of the pandemic. To support parents working from home last year, they launched a virtual day camp called Better Birds to give their staff parents a much-needed break. As Alex D’Amico, senior director of talent strategy, told Fortune.com, it’s all about listening to your staff’s needs and reacting to them: “We always speak about being first-to-market and being nimble in the delivery of our product to our customer. And I think from an HR side, from the people team, we want to meet that model for our employees.” Photo: Alexander Dummer via Unsplash 3. Sisense’s long weekends every quarter For employees at data analytics software company Sisense (another one that made it onto Fortune’s 2021 Best Workplaces in New York™ list), work-life balance is helped immensely by ‘Coming Up For Air’ days. A unique perk, Sisense gives every staff member in the company the first Friday following the end of the quarter off. Nurit Shiber, chief people officer at Sisense told Fortune: “The intention was to allow us to recharge after each quarter by spending more time with our loved ones, participating in a fun activity, or by just taking a break and getting ready for the next quarter.” To really commit, the company bans emails and phone calls during this time. Each employee has two self-care days every quarter to rest up. 4. Forster Communications’ rewarding healthy commutes Trying to change the culture of PR, an industry not known for work-life balance, Forster Communications not only developed a toolkit to help others in the sphere, they practice what they preach. Developed with Public Health England, the toolkit is free to download for employers in the UK and provides insights into physical activity, healthy eating, mental health, sleep, and recovery. To help encourage time out from the office, staff at the company who walk or cycle to the office are rewarded with extra PTO days and can gain money back from every mile they actively commute to meetings. 5. Expedia’s travel allowance for loyalty Once called “The Happiest Workplace in the UK” by Business Insider, travel company Expedia rewards staff who stay at the company for at least 12-18 months with a travel allowance of between £6,000 (around $8,176) and £10,000 (around $13,626). The company also encourages staff to pursue activities of their choice with a wellness allowance of between £400 and £1,200 ($545 - $1635). Staff can spend these on items such as running shoes, tennis rackets, or gym memberships to help them switch off from work. Whether you would benefit most from a healthier commute, an on-site daycare, an amazing free holiday, access to Nike’s 286-acre sports center, or Netflix’s full year of parental leave, companies with the best work-life balance are changing the landscape. They are showing us that there are more ways to reward employees than just salary or seniority and that now is an important time for companies to really listen and provide for their staff’s work-life balance needs.
4 Ways Digital Transformation Is Changing Project Management
Are your operational processes behind the tech curve? Learn exactly how a digital transformation strategy can streamline project management and help deliver superior outcomes. Read more for examples on how your organization can embrace digital transformation.
5 Digital Transformation Challenges and How to Overcome Them
Digital transformation has been happening since the personal computer was invented and was turbocharged when the internet came along, as people were able to communicate instantly across the globe. The “cloud” was the next big revelation, as teams worldwide could access their data securely no matter where they operated. Fast forward to 2020, and the pandemic forced many organizations to shift how they worked together overnight as digital transformation came to the forefront once again. McKinsey notes that responses to the pandemic have sped up the adoption of digital technologies by several years and that many of these changes could endure long into the future. After all, Zoom is now a household name thanks to millions of companies transitioning to remote work and embracing virtual collaboration. The workplace will continue to evolve as organizations look to work smarter and be more efficient. But what is digital transformation? What should organizations be aware of as they continue to move towards the future of work? And how can you overcome the biggest digital transformation challenges to reach success in this new environment? What is digital transformation? Digital transformation is different at every organization. It involves having an open mindset to establish new paradigms with how teams work internally with each other and externally with customers. It’s about leveraging modern technology to inform how a business is run and encompasses everything from improving business processes, to revamping your internal culture, and enhancing customer interactions. With the massive shift to digital, the increase of emerging tech has led many companies to experience digital fatigue as they adopt more apps and software to “always be on” while working remotely. It’s not just about adopting technology, though. It’s also about having a forward-thinking growth mindset. On the corporate side, being able to innovate faster and keep up with the times are at the top of the priority list of why organizations embrace digital transformation. There are many reasons why you might consider investing in technology, but successfully implementing it often comes with the following digital transformation challenges. Five common digital transformation challenges Establishing executive buy-in Getting executive buy-in is often the biggest hurdle because they may have established workflows or invested in tech that were once effective but are now outdated. The pandemic may have changed all that. At the beginning of 2020, 67% of U.S. CEOs expressed concerns about migrating all of their business to the cloud. At present, most companies have had no choice but to embrace digital technologies. That initial hesitation quickly switched to necessity — so much so that 70% of CEOs say that the creation of new digital business models and revenue streams has been accelerated by months or years due to the pandemic. Hard to argue with results like that. To keep up with the times, not giving new technology or processes a chance can be even riskier than doing nothing. Dealing with employee pushback On the flip side, your executive management team may be now challenging the status quo they established when the company was founded and going all-in on digital transformation. Just because the C-level may be convinced that disrupting business processes and investing in newer digital tools is the new way to go, doesn’t mean everyone in the organization has bought in. So, if getting executive buy-in is priority one — since they approve the budget — then getting departmental buy-in from team leaders and their employees is priority one-A. They’re likely the ones using these tools on a daily basis so they need to buy-in more than anyone. With any new tech on the job, your team might be uncomfortable using it at first. That’s normal because they’re accustomed to familiar processes and by introducing anything new, that familiarity is disrupted. “That’s the way we’ve always done it” can’t be a valid response when an organization looks to outpace its competition and scale. Just make sure the reasons for embracing digital transformation are for the long term. Remember, your digital transformation journey doesn’t belong to one individual or department. Keep employees engaged during the onboarding process by encouraging them to ask questions and be involved with the deployment. Doing this can empower them and have them feel more involved in the decision making rather than being mandated to use the new tech. Furthermore, already having (or implementing) an agile strategy can help your team navigate uncertainty as you roll out new technologies or processes during the Next Normal. You’re relying on legacy tools too much Imagine if your team was limited to pen and paper; using sticky notes to communicate, desk calendars to schedule meetings, and relying on phone calls to check in on projects. It’s hard to fathom any business in 2021 being able to scale and collaborate efficiently with such primitive methods when there’s many sophisticated solutions now available. If you’re relying on legacy tools like email and spreadsheets, which are no doubt a step above handwritten notes and phone calls, these have their own set of limitations. Your inbox and spreadsheets still have a place, but modern teams need more than these foundational tools. The biggest issues are scalability and versatility. Searching your email for project updates and asset feedback is tedious and time-consuming. Questions like, “Where is the most recent version of the demo video?” and “Which one-pager do I need to give feedback and approve?” would be difficult to resolve scouring your email inbox. With spreadsheets, not only are they mind-numbing to look at, but even with advanced formulas and formatting, they lack the versatility of cloud tools. And you can forget about saving files to spreadsheets or setting project reminders because that’s nonexistent with Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. Features like online visual asset proofing provide widespread visibility into time-sensitive feedback along with automatic user notifications, which speed up approval times. Collaborating is easier than ever today because everything lives in the cloud. When you manage your work in a collaborative work management (CWM) solution like Wrike, it’s a master system of record that stores all your comments and file updates, automates approvals, tracks your team’s hourly rates, and a whole lot more. Plus, with built-in features like the @mention and cross-tagging, you can keep everyone in the loop. It’s your paper trail that details everything happening with ongoing and future work. When an organization’s goal is to be agile and scalable, relying on legacy tools might be “familiar” but not the best business decision. Updating your tech stack would be best for the long term, even if there are short-term struggles with getting your team onboard. Overcoming budget constraints Adopting a digital transformation mindset is necessary to innovate faster and be more resilient, but your budget may be limited to move away from legacy processes into more modern tools. Building the business case for a new technology can be intimidating because it’s often seen as your “one shot” to get budget approval. When it’s time to introduce a new technology to your team, it’s easier when there are low barriers to entry, like a software free trial. As you begin building the business case, give examples of how your team missed a deadline or is constantly experiencing bottlenecks with its work and not meeting its KPIs. Then, experiment by managing a few projects in a new software and document your team’s experience. What was superior compared to the old system? Could they track project progress better? What were the bottom-line results? Analyzing the project and answering these types of questions can go a long way in getting budget approval. Wrike Free, for instance, allows unlimited users to manage their work in a centralized hub, typical of how enterprise and hypergrowth organizations manage their work. Unlimited users means nobody on your team is excluded and gets to work out of the same platform. With 200 subtasks available, it’s a fantastic entry point for organizations looking to experience the benefits of a robust CWM system. Syncing all your tech As you consider adding new tools to your tech stack, figuring out how to make them pass the relevant data back and forth can be overwhelming. Unless you have a strong IT or technological background, dealing with APIs can be confusing and too much “tech speak.” When you work in Wrike, integration is a breeze because Wrike Integrate enables you to sync more than 400+ prebuilt connectors to cloud and on-premises enterprise applications. It also lets you connect Wrike to thousands more using universal connectors to apps with accessible APIs. What’s even better, it’s a no-code system, and very intuitive for any user skill set. Don’t let digital transformation challenges overwhelm you Whether you’re looking to adopt new technologies or revamp your business processes, don’t let it overwhelm you. When you’re ready to experience how hypergrowth and enterprise organizations manage their work with a CWM, go here to start your Wrike free trial.
Moore’s Law and the Productivity Problem
As the year draws to a close, developing strategies for how to be more productive and finish the year off strong is on every team’s mind — regardless of department or industry. According to a study by California-based management platform Redbooth, the month of the year that we are at our most productive is October, followed by November, then September. The fall provides a feeling of a new start for many businesses, with the desire for shiny new productivity tools and aids bringing us back to our school days. But, while a new pencil case or a multi-colored pen can work wonders, today’s organizations are looking to much more sophisticated tools to boost their productivity. Note-taking apps, instant messaging platforms, virtual to-do lists, calendar tools — our desktops are overflowing with software designed to make us our most productive selves. But, with so many conflicting apps clouding our vision, it can often be difficult to get anything done at all. So, why are we so inclined to constantly invest in new technology, believing it will exponentially increase our productivity levels? This concept is commonly referred to as Moore’s Law, and it’s important to understand it if you’re concerned about your team’s or your own productivity levels. What is Moore’s Law? Let’s start off with a simple enough question: what is Moore’s Law? The origins of Moore’s Law lie in IT and computer hardware. It is the principle that the speed and efficiency of a computer can be expected to double every two years, while the cost decreases by half. Moore’s Law is named after Gordon E. Moore, the co-founder of Intel, who made this observation of exponential growth in 1965. You will have no doubt experienced Moore’s Law for yourself over the last decade, as the need to purchase a new phone or laptop normally begins to creep up every two years or so. While the technical capabilities of your gadget will have grown hugely, the price largely remains standard. We then begin to fall into a cycle of purchasing new technology as a habit, stretching our view to include phones, computers, exercise aids, entertainment systems, and, yes, productivity tools. Moore’s Law and endless productivity tools Of course, Moore’s Law has huge benefits for the technologically-driven society that we live in. The standards of the technology that we rely on can even be linked to Moore’s Law. The overarching idea of Moore’s Law — that speed, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of technology is constantly evolving at a rapid pace — could apply to productivity tools and solutions. The need to update and reinvest in the ever-growing ecosystem of productivity tools and software every few years sees many teams losing themselves to too many apps. In 2015, the average number of cloud applications per company was 73. In 2020, that number had increased to 163. So much so, that 56% of IT executives are now reporting having to use manual spreadsheets to keep track of all their SaaS apps — defeating their productivity goals before they’ve even started. This concept is commonly known as ‘SaaS sprawl,’ a term that refers to the dilemma of an organization’s tech stack being so expansive that it becomes unmanageable and causes visibility problems across departments. $40 billion is estimated to be spent on unused software each year, and the number of apps we are downloading continues to rise. Many teams believe themselves to be more productive than ever, when really, spending so much time flicking between apps, tools, and software stifles creativity and raises burnout to an all-time high. How your team can effectively invest in productivity If your organization has fallen foul to overindulgence in productivity tools and gadgets, don’t worry. There are plenty of ways to empower your teams and teach them how to be more productive without overwhelming themselves with dozens of productivity platforms. Consider toxic productivity The concept of toxic productivity relates to an unattainable desire for increased productivity, at the expense of other priorities, such as family or health. Toxic productivity is a real issue for many teams, especially if both our personal and work devices are overrun with technology that is constantly drawing us back to working mode. Consider whether your team could benefit from a digital detox of work-related technology, and set boundaries for after-hours work communication. Turn your attention to other methods of increasing productivity There are plenty of ways to increase productivity and wellbeing at work that have nothing to do with technology. For example, has your organization invested in a flexible work structure, allowing employees to choose where they work best? Could your business go the extra mile and trial a four-day workweek? Could your employee recognition programs use some extra love? These are all areas to consider when brainstorming how to be more productive across the board. Making the most of all-in-one technology like Wrike Of course, technology will always be a cornerstone of a successful business, and continuing to use productivity tools in some way at work is non-negotiable. But which tools should you invest in? What are the most important features of work management software that can actually increase productivity by up to 40%? Workflow automation: With Wrike’s custom request forms and automated task assignment, your team will never miss important tasks and details because of a cluttered workspace. App integration: Using so many apps can be tiresome and inefficient, with details and updates often being missed by team members. Wrike’s work management includes over 400 app integrations, so the constant context switching can stop. Single source of truth: Trawling through emails and messaging apps to find important documents and updates is time-consuming and frustrating for teams. Keeping everything organized in one centralized hub, where users can comment, edit, and give feedback, is a life-saver for teams who wish to be more productive. Collaborative features: Whether your team works in-office, remotely, or under a hybrid model, breakdowns in communication are one of the most common challenges to successful projects. Wrike’s collaborative features, including @mentions, real-time editing, and email and chat app integrations means that your team all have the same view, no matter where they are. Want to know more about how Wrike can boost your team’s productivity? Try out a free two-week trial today.
Keeping Up With the Computers: The Exponential Growth of Technology
Ever feel like the world of technology is whizzing past and you just can’t keep up? That’s fair. It seems we barely have our hands on a brand-new smartphone before the manufacturer announces an updated model. In this age of planned obsolescence, where devices are purportedly designed to become worthless in a short space of time, it’s hard to keep up. Since the burst of the dot-com bubble in 2000, technology has advanced at an astonishingly rapid pace. The World Economic Forum notes that in the past two decades, the percentage of the global population online has skyrocketed from 7% to more than half. Broadband access is no longer considered a luxury but a basic human right. The math teachers who told you you wouldn’t always have a calculator in your pocket were wrong. Before the internet became a mainstay in many of our lives, two years might not have yielded a huge amount of technological innovation. Nowadays, two years is a lifetime. That’s all down to the exponential growth of technology. What does exponential growth mean? Exponential growth is a mathematical term that refers to the process of greater increases in quantity as time passes. For example, if your savings account was growing exponentially, you might have $500 this year, which would increase to $1,000 the following year, $2,000 the year after that, and so on. As Thomson Reuters reminds us, exponential growth is not the same as linear growth. Figures are multiplied rather than simply added, meaning things advance a lot more quickly. So, what does exponential growth mean for tech consumers? It means we can barely comprehend the speed at which new, shiny toys are presented to us. Things move at hyperspeed — a decade in the tech world can be a lifetime when it comes to innovation. Today’s millennials might laugh at the clunky cellphones of the 1980s, but these were state-of-the-art devices for their time. Similarly, Gen Z might ridicule the Blackberrys and Motorola Razrs that dominated the early noughties, despite their former position as the ultimate status symbol. Who knows what future generations will think of our current innovations? This echoes the sentiments of famed astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson, who said: “I have stopped commenting on the advances of things, because I know in a short number of years that follow, it would be laughable given what we would have then achieved. When you live on an exponential growth of anything, it looks like all the greatest advances just happened, just for you, just in that moment. That is the nature of exponential growth.” To truly get to grips with the exponential growth of technology, we must familiarize ourselves with Moore’s Law. [caption id="attachment_468895" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Photo by Brian Kostiuk on Unsplash[/caption] What is Moore’s Law? Moore’s Law is a theory developed by Gordon Moore, co-founder of chip manufacturing giant Intel. In 1965, he predicted that the number of transistors on a microchip would double every year (later revised to two years), but the cost of computers would be cut in half. Put simply, this means the speed of our computers will continue to increase as their price continues to drop. This pace has begun to slow somewhat in recent years, leading some to ponder: ‘Is Moore’s Law dead?’ According to Mike Gianfagna of Synopsys, this is not the case. He posits that “the explosion of hyperconnectivity, big data, and artificial intelligence applications has increased the pace of innovation and the need for ‘Moore’s law-style’ improvements in delivered technology.” Though the theory itself may soon reach its limitations in terms of chip size, ASML’s Martin van de Brink adds that Moore’s prediction was “more focused on the march of innovation than just shrinkage.” And that march shows no signs of slowing down. How to keep up with the exponential growth of technology OK, so you’ve completed your crash course in the exponential growth of technology. But what next? Panic as you realize you could never possibly stay up to date with the latest tech trends? Not quite. Though the constantly changing nature of this industry can be daunting for the less technologically adept, it’s a likely unavoidable aspect of your career. As employment website Indeed points out, “technology is an important part of almost every job today.” This means it’s essential to keep an open mind when it comes to learning new things. Here are some tips on how to keep up with tech news at work: Do some research Take the time to research key influencers in the tech industry. Find people whose tone of voice resonates with you and who you find interesting. Follow them on social media to sprinkle a few extra tech tidbits into your daily life. Set up an RSS feed This is the simplest way to get the latest tech trends and insights from company blogs, industry experts, and more in one place. Set aside a time block on your calendar to catch up with these articles once a week, if not daily. Create a training goal Many organizations are willing to subsidize training courses to help their employees upskill. Set yourself a goal to gain a new certificate or accreditation in your chosen area of tech within the next six months. Invite your colleagues to join you for extra motivation. Attend tech events This is a fun way to stay up to date with new advances in the technological industry — why read about it when you can see it in action? Look online to see if there are any tech conferences or trade shows taking place in your locality. Ask for help If you need a hand getting to grips with a new software platform, ask a supervisor or member of the IT team. No need to be embarrassed — if you’re having trouble with it, chances are some of your colleagues are, too. Finally, don’t get disheartened. Yes, the exponential growth of technology can be mind-boggling at times, but if you focus on your own industry and stay abreast of the advancements relevant to your role, you’ll be up to speed in no time.
How Will Recruitment Be Different in a Post-Pandemic Office?
Over the last 18 months, industries and teams around the globe have had the challenge of adapting to a newly distanced workforce. Every process has been subject to unprecedented changes and alterations, as the COVID-19 pandemic swept through the world’s businesses. Now, as organizations begin to move back towards a hybrid or office-based workforce, teams are faced with the challenge of adapting a ‘new normal’ — using what they have learned during the pandemic to make offices a safer, more productive environment for employees. Hiring and onboarding have been some of the hardest challenges when it comes to COVID-19’s impact on the global workforce. Millions of employees faced job losses and temporary layoffs, and many were forced to pivot their careers in a totally new direction. At the same time, HR teams were re-focusing their energy on remote hiring — finding interviewing, and onboarding candidates virtually Many of those who started new jobs in 2020 have still never met their colleagues in person. Now, HR teams are preparing a return to an in-person framework for recruiting and onboarding new employees. What changes should HR professionals prepare for in returning to the office? How should they approach in-person onboarding as the pandemic continues? What are the priorities that HR teams can target to improve employee experience? How has hiring and onboarding changed since the pandemic? In April 2020, the U.S. unemployment rate reached its peak of the pandemic, at a huge 14.7%, with 20.5 million people out of work. The sudden flood of newly unemployed and furloughed people into the candidate pool meant that many had to upskill or even make a career pivot to remain afloat. According to a survey of 4,000 workers by Aviva earlier this year, 60% of UK workers intend to make changes to their career as a result of the pandemic, including finding a completely different vocation (9%) or taking on a role that helps others (8%). While the prospect of unemployment can be a great motivator, it’s not the only reason that workers worldwide are considering a career change. According to Prudential Financial’s Pulse of the American Worker survey, of the 26% of workers surveyed who plan to switch jobs post-COVID, 80% are doing so because they’re concerned about career advancement. It’s up to HR and hiring managers to bridge the gap between disengaged candidates and their new career goals. Such disruption in the hiring industry can be seen as a hindrance, but it’s also a huge opportunity for innovation and growth. So how can you harness that opportunity and prepare for the return to the office? What will change when we return to the office? So, what will the post-pandemic office look like for new hires? There are a number of factors to consider when it comes to migrating back to an office environment — including social distancing measures, cleanliness and hygiene standards, and the possibility of a hybrid model for employees. The post-COVID workspace will be much more flexible, with the focus shifting from nurturing a strictly in-office culture to an emphasis on work/life balance and being adaptable to employee’s lifestyles. Managers should be aware of what they need to do to ensure a safe and supportive workspace for their team members, with hiring teams especially responsible for new hires’ first impressions of the office. Onboarding will also take on a different look for the post-COVID workforce. While hiring teams have spent the last 18 months adapting to remote interviews, digital contracts, and Zoom ice-breakers, now is the time to take what you’ve learned during the pandemic, and put it to use for a new generation of workers. How to implement in-person hiring So, what are some best practices to consider when it comes to in-person hiring? From sourcing to signing contracts, here are some of our top tips: Look past location for sourcing new talent: Hopeful candidates have been upskilling and honing their interview techniques for 18 months now, so your hiring team should have no issue finding fantastic talent for open positions. However, make sure not to fall into old habits and only stick to tried-and-tested parameters for potential hires. Look past location (remote working has been proven to work well for many industries), previous experience (many have pivoted to new career paths), and backgrounds to dig deeper into what makes a truly great candidate. How do you want your post-COVID workforce to look? If diverse, multi-skilled, practical, and problem-solving are your answers (hint: they should be), you may have to cast a wider net to find the perfect fit. Consider your candidate’s circumstances when reaching out for next steps: You’ve found a fantastic candidate and you want them to come in for an interview. But remember, we are in the ‘new normal,’ and it’s essential to be considerate of your candidate’s unique circumstances when inviting them into your office. Are they able to travel? Is the office accessible to them? Can they comfortably comply with COVID measures in the office? It’s important to hash these issues out early, as these factors will become important in the next stages. Implement a strict process for in-person interviews: When bringing multiple candidates in to interview, it’s imperative to keep your office as safe as possible while the pandemic is ongoing. Social distancing measures, proper cleaning and hygiene protocols, and contact tracing processes must be in place before interviews can take place. Ask for candidate’s feedback and be sure to take any criticisms they have on board going forward. Don’t relax your standards once hiring ends: When your candidate has signed their contract, this doesn’t mean that your COVID policy can be forgotten. A positive onboarding experience is essential to a new hire staying in your company for the long haul. Ask about the working model that is best for them, and what would make them more comfortable in your workspace. Habits to keep from remote hiring and onboarding While you may be looking forward to getting back to meeting candidates in-person, keep in mind the habits and lessons from remote hiring and onboarding that you’ve learned so far. Flexibility is key We’ve learned throughout the pandemic that innovation can be found anywhere where flexibility is prioritized. When you allow your candidates to be creative with their applications, their interviews, and their ways of working, you open your organization up to be the best it can be. Life/work balance — not the other way around The pandemic has forced organizations worldwide to reckon with the pressure they put on employees. Late nights spent at the office does not necessarily mean that your employee is being more productive or doing their best work. It’s important to prioritize a life/work balance for your new hires moving forward. What does that look like for them, and how can you facilitate that to encourage their best work? Great communication makes for great hires Working remotely has lead to teams everywhere reconsidering their communication levels. How we check in, how often, and in what way really matters in allowing your employees to feel secure and supported in their work. Remember this throughout the onboarding process for new hires — allow them to flourish, while remaining on-hand for anything they need. How Wrike can help your hiring process post-pandemic Need some extra support to navigate the changing hiring landscape? Wrike’s work management platform gives hiring managers complete transparency and control over their onboarding processes. Keep track of all job listings and potential hires with an organization-wide view of projects, all in one place Stay connected and give feedback in real-time to your hiring teams with Wrike’s collaboration tools Remote work templates allow your teams to jump right in and streamline their processes from the very beginning Give it a try with a two-week free trial.