11 minute read
Health & Safety
Team management in the age of remote working
Following the recent sharp rise in people working from home, Scott Crittell of the Association for Project Management considers how to successfully manage a team from a distance.
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In the previous issue, I introduced the Association for Project Management (APM) as the Chartered Body for the project profession, which covers all industry sectors as a benchmark for progressive change. I now want to talk about one of the distinct skill-set areas, or ‘competencies’, of project management. The APM currently identifies 27 competencies that project professionals should understand and use.
In the current climate, among the most important competencies is active team management, which remote working makes even more challenging. Teams are made of individuals and if even one individual is not fully integrated, the team will be less productive or sometimes, at worst, implode! It only takes one individual to spread discord and undermine the team’s operation.
It is clear that while remote working has its place (even after the virus), it still poses new considerations for team management and productivity. Prolonged isolation can be stressful, with team members potentially filling contact voids with their own perceptions that may be incorrect. To prevent problems, ongoing meetings of the team as a group, and separately with all the individuals of the team, are needed.
This will be time consuming for the team leader, but it allows a full assessment of the team collectively and of its members individually. It will also help to avoid any potential misconceptions. Sadly, having a chat over a coffee with one, some, or all of your team may not be as easy in the future, and it will take longer (when doing so remotely) to gain the same emotional connection or for everyone to feel included. Some will also need time and space to adapt to online meeting technology and to contribute in this manner. If someone is quiet, perhaps follow up with the individual after the call.
There are two further considerations to mention. Firstly, you may find that your team members have different preferences for working hours. Some will not be able to work as effectively in the day due to children or other distractions. Flexibility of working hours is also likely to be more normal as remote working becomes more prevalent. However, it remains key to find a time to bring team members together: all team members must understand that working together may now require even greater sensitivity to achieve success.
Secondly, some team members may lack the right equipment or have poorer connectivity performance than others, which a team leader should quickly identify. Performance resolution would be a different article but it is relevant to mention providing IT equipment for staff homes as this moves business continuity into normal operation, and perhaps saves on dedicated recovery space. This may be important also in reducing stress for team members, who may be trying to use home devices which are not business-safe or which, perhaps, are in demand elsewhere within the household.
It seems clear that large-scale remote working has been a success and will surely continue as part of the future workplace. It will require us to pay more attention to the people though rather than the technology, if remote working is to be truly effective, which adds a new twist to team management. Reducing email communication and increasing time to use audio and visual media instead may help. Just don’t be surprised if a child, pet, or partner appears in the background, hopefully not doing anything too embarrassing!
WORKING WITHIN LOCKDOWN
As the island moves towards a ‘new normal’, chair of the Guernsey Chamber of Commerce Construction Industry Group, Tim Guilbert, reflects upon and records some of the experiences that he and others in the industry have had this year during the Covid-19 crisis.
WE CAN SAY THAT ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE EXPERIENCES OF THE LAST SIX MONTHS OR SO HAVE BEEN TOUGH AND VERY SAD THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN REFLECTIONS AND SUCCESSES TOO.
Of course, I can only start by saying that none of us could have possibly foretold the way in which this pandemic not only swept through the world but swiftly affected every possible aspect of our business lives, not least by leading to the ceasing of trading for all but the smallest number of critical businesses.
Quite understandably, the States of Guernsey and their health advisors were plunged into a completely new world and naturally found themselves thrashing around for every possible piece of evidence and advice to guide our Bailiwick through this torrid time. One has to say the emergency spawned a period, which at first appeared to be a new and exciting form of government with bold leadership, evidence-based logical, but cautious, advice, backed quickly by legislation and a different feel about the way in which business was done, including a new sense of working together.
Sadly, as our emergence from lockdown has progressed and our new normal has become increasingly tangible, we have seen some return to the old way of doing things, but I, and many others with whom I have spoken, hope that the experiences of working together to overcome what was a largely unknown foe will in fact refocus our collective minds on working together in the future.
So why might we say this? Well, for a start, I believe the Covid period showed that we have some amazing home-grown talents and an unbreakable spirit of standing shoulder to shoulder in times of trouble. Within days, everything from food banks to shopping for neighbours and just remembering to ring the elderly had become the norm and surely nobody could have missed the tangible feeling of ‘Guernsey Together’ which was of course so much more than a mere saying!
Many businesses reported what could have been called a catastrophic collapse of income and profitability and of course many business owners stared down the proverbial barrel of financial ruin. However, I experienced many phone calls with many such people and very few of those conversations consisted of the desperation we may have expected - with most rooted in hope and in confidence in the future.
Of course, any summary of reflections of Covid would not be complete without acknowledging that there were also many successes. Some companies quickly adapted to do different things and quite a few people found a new “me” amid the turmoil, finding rare time for family and downtime in the lockdown that shall for ever colour their lives as we experience the new norm.
So, I think we can say that although some of the experiences of the last six months or so have been tough and very sad, there have also been reflections and successes too.
I’d like to finish by congratulating our government on what was a strong performance, both from leadership and a communications perspective, but also to urge those that are successful in the upcoming election to embrace the amazing skills and sense of belonging and togetherness that we as true Guerns possess and which we showed, once again, when faced with adversity.
The 2000s: a decade of opportunities and challenges
In the previous issue of this magazine, secretary of the Guernsey Building Trades Employers Association (GBTEA), Brian Singleton, considered the origins of the organisation and its historical achievements since it was formed in 1918. In this column, he looks back to records from the turn of the century to consider its more recent history.
The start of the 21st century was a very busy time for the industry in Guernsey. Major States projects such as the building of schools and the new airport terminal coincided with a flurry of activity in the private sector including the Admiral Park development. It was a period of opportunity but also challenges.
2003: According to our president at the time, the industry was facing one of its sternest tests. He believed the construction industry in Guernsey was in danger of collapse if the States didn’t act decisively and quickly.
The problem wasn’t due to the industry overheating. Rather, it seemed the way the States was managing its projects was totally inappropriate for Guernsey. They were adopting UK practices with extremely expensive UK consultants. These practices made it difficult, even near impossible, and at the least very unattractive for local companies to tender for projects that they were well capable of carrying out.
If this trend continued, we envisaged all States projects being carried out by UK contractors. The result of that would be the disintegration of our local industry, including no training or employment of locals, and all revenue going out of the island. This would filter down to all levels, affecting all local main contractors and their subcontractors.
2004: As the decade progressed, the appearance and nature of the building industry was quite different from that encountered at its start.
When some of the large construction projects finished, including the airport, the Savoy development and the first phase of the Royal Hotel development, they were not replaced with projects of a comparable size. This resulted in a surplus of labour, especially as some of the UK workers involved wished to stay in the island. We had to ensure wherever possible that we used local labour, provided they had the requisite skills to do the job. The fact there were fewer major projects work and the States was cutting back budgets means that the industry was likely to continue at a lower level of turnover. This inevitably filters down to all levels of the building industry and we were already seeing smaller builders becoming short of work with less planned for the near future.
2007-2008: These proved to be challenging years for some members, with cutbacks in States expenditure bringing a declining workload to some sectors of the industry. 2008 saw the introduction of the Zero 10 tax strategy, although we were optimistic our members would meet that challenge and continue to prosper.
A Waste Forum was established in which the GBTEA played an active part. Waste disposal was becoming an increasingly significant issue within the industry as waste charges continued to rise and land for disposal continued to shrink. The recycling of construction waste continued to be a growth area.
Land for industry was still a major concern and we continued to lobby this point at every opportunity.
2009: Our president was unsure what effect the recession was having on our industry as the bigger firms were committed to the larger projects; however, these were starting to come to an end and they were looking to take on smaller works which have traditionally been undertaken by the smaller contractors.
With this article taking us up to the turn of the decade, look out in the next issue of the magazine for the achievements of the GBTEA over the past 10 years to the present day.
GUERNSEY PROPERTY & CONSTRUCTION AWARDS
Covid-19 and our local lockdown has had a major impact on the industry this year, with projects delayed and work stopped on many sites. Following such a turbulent time, and with a certain amount of uncertainty ongoing, the organisers of the Guernsey Property & Construction Awards have made the difficult decision to cancel the event scheduled for Thursday 12 November 2020.
“There is an enormous amount of work leading up to the gala dinner involving inviting nominations, submissions, judging etc and due to the very difficult position everyone within the industry is facing at the moment, it is not felt appropriate to hold the awards this year,” said a spokesperson for the organising committee.
“It was also felt that to hold a gala dinner in November will be too early for those in the industry after coming out of a very unsettling period of time.”
While the 2020 event has been cancelled, work is already progressing on planning next year’s gala evening, which will be taking place in November as usual. The organisers are determined that the 2021 event will be worth the wait, and with two years of successes to celebrate, the construction industry will no doubt be keen to showcase their achievements.
WATCH THIS SPACE
The date and arrangements for the Property and Construction Awards gala evening in 2021 will be announced shortly and we will have full details in the magazine, along with the all important information on how to nominate and enter next year’s awards.
CATEGORIES
With the 2020 awards cancelled, there will be even more competition among the entries in 2021 so it’s definitely worth planning your nominations early. While there may be some tweaks next year, the 2019 awards included the following categories:
• CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONAL
OF THE YEAR AWARD • COMMERCIAL PROPERTY PROFESSIONAL
OF THE YEAR AWARD • RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY PROFESSIONAL
OF THE YEAR AWARD • ASPIRING STAR AWARD • INDUSTRY SUPPLIER AWARD • ENGINEERING PROJECT OF THE YEAR AWARD • INNOVATION AWARD • LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
