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Third Workplace – A Plea for More Flexibility

Third Workplace – A Plea for More Flexibility

by Aline Deporter | Sep 20, 2022 | Best Practice, Leadership Tips, MDI Inside | 0 comments

Third Workplace – A plea for more flexibility

And here I am, sitting in Croatia, on the decked patio, at the dining table with my work laptop and a sleeping cat – that came with the all-inclusive holiday home ?

Work from Anywhere

Spontaneously I decided in the morning to have a “Work from Anywhere” day instead of my current holiday day – because the weather is not looking inviting. Instead, I put my holiday day on next Monday. With bright sunshine, a day at the beach is simply more fun and the relaxation factor is much higher.

Transparent communication

Luckily, our CEO feels the same way – one WhatsApp message later, the plan is set. Partner and holiday companions have flown out, so the necessary rest is guaranteed. Let’s get started!

I immediately informed our team via Microsoft Teams message @all – about the changes in my availability. When you are not visibly on site, transparent communication is all the more important. Some team members quickly took the opportunity to clarify urgent issues with me.

About Aline

Aline joined MDI in 2020 as a Marketing Manager with over 10 years of B2B marketing experience. She is primarily responsible for the overall coordinated organisation of MDI’s advertising activities and the management of marketing projects. This includes, among others, the MDI Business Unit SDI as well as Leadership Horizon and personalist.at. Aline is a strong marketing all-rounder with a passion for leadership development, digital transformation and event organisation.

In this article, Aline shares her personal experiences and some “Third Place Working” learnings.

What do I need to work effectively from anywhere?

  • A good internet connection (this is probably not a big surprise). It’s best to clarify the internet performance again by phone or email directly before you go on holiday
  • Shade when working outdoors. That way the laptop screen is not blinding
  • An extension cable (sounds trivial, but this way you can really work from anywhere)
  • If you have the possibility of renting a holiday home/hotel room with a furnished workstation or at least a PC screen, it’s even better
  • Think of enough screen breaks
  • A certain time structure and work packages with breaks
  • Water, coffee, refreshments of choice

Get to know your own working style

Personally, fewer distractions are better for me. By that I mean children, family, friends, etc. In other words, people who are not working with me at the same time. Because I am definitely a “people person”. If other people who are not working talk to me frequently, I get distracted more quickly.

So my tip here would be: get to know your own working style. I am very creative, for example, in moving forms of transport (plane, train, bus, car, etc.) or when things are happening passively around me (coffee, park, waiting room, etc.).

It shouldn’t be too quiet for me. I love music in the background and vary the style of music according to the motivation I need (chill out always works, classical music helps me to concentrate, 90s songs motivate me and encourage me to sing along loudly).

It’s also good to have several seating options so that you can remain at least somewhat ergonomic. A pool to cool down and get some exercise in between is of course a big plus. But a yoga mat or a short walk will also do.

Pro Tip – Coworking Spaces:

If there is little/no opportunity to work quietly or more ergonomically, look for co-working spaces (with daily or weekly rates) in your area. There are now an increasing number of them. Apart from the better quality of work, you can network during breaks and make new, exciting contacts.

In my area, currently Pula, there is for example the Club Kotac with free admission, air conditioned, fast internet (30/20 Mbit/s), 10-18h Mon – Fri. A great alternative!

Currently, however, I don’t want to abandon the cat, so I’ll stay ? .

There are already some search tools to help you with your quest here:

  • coworker.com
  • coworkbooking.com
  • heydesk.com
  • instantoffices.com
  • desksnear.me
  • coworkingnomads.com

Flexibility as a motivating factor for work?

Employer Attractiveness – Trends and Tendencies

By coincidence, the new issue of Personalmanager is lying next to me at the moment. The main theme of the issue is “Employer Attractiveness”.

So, what makes an employer attractive to me?

I don’t have to think about that at all: definitely high flexibility, personal responsibility, fair compensation as well as opportunities for further development, the team and the common purpose. If you look at the latest surveys on this topic, then I am not alone in this.

Needs of Gen Z & Millenials

Deloitte surveyed 23,000 Gen Z’s and Millennials about their workplace experience. The strongest topics communicated were purpose & financial security. Due to the current global situation, both generations are worried and uncertain. This has an impact on loyalty. Almost 40% (Generation Z) want to leave their job in the next 2 years.

As an employer, you should take a closer look here. Flexible working hours & locations, purpose as well as fair remuneration should be at the top of the list of must-haves.

The Hybrid Work Concept

We at MDI have been embracing the hybrid work concept, also known as the synchronous hybrid model, for some time now. Our team likes to work this way and, according to a study by Cisco, it is also very popular with other employees.

Specifically, this means a mixture of office, home office and third workplace (on the road). MDI’s hybrid work concept currently includes 60% office, 40% home office and 3 weeks third workplace (e.g. workation). I combine one week of this with a week’s holiday in Croatia, for example. The other two weeks will be spent by two other MDI colleagues and me in Greece (Rhodes). This strengthens team bonds and increases the motivation to work on location.

Open and authentic corporate culture

Of course, the respective work concept has to fit the company. The larger, the more organisationally complex.

The right way will look different for every organisation. However, I think it is important to have a clear, open and authentic corporate culture.

Potential new employees should know exactly which working concept applies and which working modalities have to be dealt with. That way, they can get a clear picture of the future work in advance. As a company, this can also reduce the fluctuation rate.

Trust & Flexibility –
Third Workplace – A plea for more flexibility

I nevertheless plead (where possible) for more flexibility. As an organisation and/or leader, have the courage to trust – because flexibility boosts mutual trust.

In my opinion, employees should be given the highest possible flexibility in order to even be able to fulfil their role as a strong and reliable member of the team.

From my own experience, I can report that this increases motivation and loyalty immensely. And sometimes all it takes is a simple WhatsApp message …

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by Marina Begic | 31. October 2024 | Best Practice, Digital Transformation, Leadership and AI | 0 Comments

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6 things you can do to support your hybrid team

6 things you can do to support your hybrid team

by MDI Guide - Hybrid Leadership | Mar 22, 2022 | Best Practice, Leadership Tips, Training Insights | 0 comments

6 things you can do to support your hybrid team

A hybrid environment brings change for all of us. We’re often unfamiliar with certain transitions and can’t keep up with the new pace. That’s why it’s even more important that you, as a leader, keep a cool head and take the pressure off your employees as much as possible. With these 6 tips, you get 6 things you can do to support your hybrid team with their current challenges. 

Empathy and understanding for your employees

In this ever-changing work environment, it’s especially important to pay attention to everyone on your team. We often don’t know under what conditions our employees must do their work at home now. Whether they have screaming children in the background or their partner is playing Playstation loudly on the side – it’s your job as a leader to treat your employees with empathy. This strengthens their sense of well-being and makes them much more motivated to work.

Actively care for the team

In addition to increased empathy, it is also helpful to regularly check in with your employees and ask how they are doing, thus strengthening the informal relationship level.

It is also clear that the transition from present to hybrid working is not easy for most people. So you need to make sure there is a steady balance in the team – this could be in the form of coaching, training or just a “no emails on weekends” policy.

Improve technical equipment

Sure, this is nothing new. We all understand by now that a strong Internet as well as good software are among the basics of hybrid implementation. But new programs are constantly being developed that will make hybrid work even more exciting and effective. Virtual reality, 3D meetings or Microsoft Mesh, among others, are currently being tested to make virtual get-togethers even more exciting later.

Update legal knowledge

It is difficult to adopt laws on hybrid work to work on an international level. Different arrangements apply in each country; but even within a country, it is often difficult to agree on specific regulations. The issues of commuter allowances and the definition of an accident at work alone present challenges. Here, it is up to HR to deal with the legal issues and to work with the leader to crystallize the guidelines for the company.

Optimize self-leadership

As a leader, your most important task is of course to take responsibility for others and lead them in the right direction. But what about the most important leader in your life – yourself? Tools like task managers, time tracking apps and more can help you structure yourself. The advice of Stephen Covey, who always sets up jour fixes with himself, can also be helpful here to improve your own management.

Regularly question the business model

As more tools and technologies for hybrid working come onto the market, it becomes more necessary to go through the existing services and ask yourself some questions: Do I still need this service? Can I make it more efficient, such as through automation? Could someone else provide it better or cheaper? That way, you can make sure the right thing is still being done in the hybrid setup.

Want to learn more?

In our guide Successful hybrid leadership – The 3 success factors of hybrid leadership you will get some more tools and tips to increase trust when working hybrid …

… or join our LinkedIn Leadership Community

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5 tips to increase trust when working hybrid

5 tips to increase trust when working hybrid

by MDI Guide - Hybrid Leadership | Mar 22, 2022 | Best Practice, Leadership Tips, Training Insights | 0 comments

5 tips to increase trust when working hybrid

Team cohesion and stability are more important now than ever before. Especially in a hybrid setup, where some new challenges await you and the dynamics of your team are constantly changing, you need to be able to trust each other. Here are 5 tips to increase trust when working hybrid.

Build an informal exchange

Even in a hybrid environment, it’s important to exchange ideas with each other without constantly focusing on work. However, you don’t have to take a coffee break together every day for this – it’s enough to turn on your camera in meetings and engage in conversations. When any kind of communication is cultivated, you can cooperate more easily and effectively as a team.

Attract employees to the office

Especially in times like these, you want to keep the number of office days as short as possible – who wants to commute across town when you can join a meeting from the comfort of your bed? That’s exactly why it’s significant for you as a leader to give your team a reason to take the trip. This could be in the form of a “lunch fix,” for example, where you meet at the office on a specific day of the week to eat lunch together. This way, employees are immediately more interested in doing their work from the office.

Strengthen community in business meetings

In parallel to informal meetings, it is of course just as relevant to strengthen cohesion in business meetings. The most important thing here is not to discuss individual topics with separate employees while others are present. If you’re already sitting down together, you should only discuss areas that affect everyone. In addition, it is legitimate to ask your employees personally what their ideas are and how they think cooperation can best be strengthened.

Encourage development and innovation

People often learn best in a community – this can be a good motivating factor. If you set a goal as a team to further your education and expand your general knowledge, one way to do this would be to learn something new every office day. For example, every week someone else could bring an article or blog post on a current topic and then discuss it in the group with the colleagues. That way, you’ll always be up to date on the most important issues for the company.

Improve structure and organization

To ensure that everyone knows their way around and that working in a hybrid setup runs as smoothly as possible, it is important to create clear structures and stick to them. If all employees adhere to certain rules, they can plan and arrange their lives much better. This way, you can significantly reduce chaos and confusion in the company.

Want to learn more?

In our guide Successful hybrid leadership – The 3 success factors of hybrid leadership you will get some more tools and tips to increase trust when working hybrid …

… or join our LinkedIn Leadership Community:

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by Iris Burner | 28. June 2023 | Digital Transformation, Leadership Impact, Leadership in the digital transformation | 0 Comments

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or maybe this?

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