Friday 26 June 2015

Walkabout

This month I relinquished my office and became a mobile worker...without a permanent base.  In this blog I'm reflecting on the experience and how I'm adapting to it. 

I'd also be interesting to hear others experiences of mobile working and whether it has worked for you and your organisations. 

I'd had my own office for longer than I care to remember and had got used to sitting on my own. I'm an introvert and that suits me, I don't need interaction with others in order to do my best thinking or my best work. My favourite office was undoubtedly the last one I had...designed almost for me and with my personality stamped on it. 

But realistically I had a low occupancy rate, probably only being in the office at my desk for about 50% of the time over the last year and every likelihood that this would reduce further in the coming year. So there was no sense in me having an office. 

And so I gave up my office, and have spent a month hot desking at different locations, and working from both home, hotels and coffee shops. Oh, and the car. 

Before I did this I looked at what was happening from a mobile working perspective in the wider economy to try to see what challenges I'd face and what I might enjoy. One of the articles I read was THIS.  Another was THIS. Have a read yourself then come back and compare my experiences. 

So how's it been?

It's had its ups and downs. 

I should qualify what follows by saying that I'm in favour of mobile working and that on the whole I'm glad I made the switch, and it's helped me to understand the transition and feelings of many staff in organisations I've worked in who have gone through the transition too. 

But here's what I had to get used to and what was hard at first...

- no desk means no pedestal/drawers and therefore no storage. Now I hardly used paper anyway so it's not filing I'm talking about. But where do you put your phone, spare pens, charger, and anything else you need to put away somewhere?  

- no drawers means no storage full stop. When people give me paper I have to ask them for an electronic copy or get it scanned myself. Training courses and conferences are the worst for this, they assume you have a filing cabinet to put their laminated brochure in or the printed copy of the slides 

- it also means not carrying a pen with me or having easy access to one so having to beg, borrow and steal these items

- it makes printing difficult on the odd occasions I need to do it, and scanning too. I have to consciously go and log on to a desk somewhere and access the print in that way. But I might not be near a desk for a couple of days

- it means no landline desk phone. I still have an extension, but might only log on to that one day out of five. So I have to use my mobile, which is fine unless I am at home where the mobile signal is terrible. It also means that I'm using my mobile and iPad more in the office, draining its battery and not having access to chargers so I have to charge both in the car during my commute or make sure they are charged overnight

- it means no car park space at the office, which means longer walks from a further away space and which adds to the commute

- it means I don't know where I will sit when I get to one of the offices each day, or even which office to turn up at some days. That can be good (see later), but it means that as I'm hotdesking I can't guarantee there being a desk available at any given location on any day, or even if a desk is still available when I come back from lunch

- it means I can't swear when I put the phone down from a difficult call or when reading a tense email, as there are people around me who can hear! And believe me my solo office was privy to both these things

- finally, by far the worst thing, and if I'm honest the only thing that really bothers me (all the above are tongue in cheek) - I've nowhere to put up a photo of my kids, upon whose faces I would gaze multiple times a day and smile. 

But its been a good thing in general...

- its given me a lot of freedom in terms of where and when I work - I work across three or four offices, plus home, and am not necessarily tied to the times when those offices are open (although the majority of my work is in those times)

- it means traffic jams on the way to work in one office become opportunities to divert and work at another one, so I don't get annoyed at these any more

- its made me more flexible and adaptable to meet customer demands - I can turn up at any office almost at the drop of a hat and not feel like I am a stranger

- the time I get whilst spending more time in the car driving from office to office is actually quite productive, I get a lot of thinking time to plan stuff out and reflect, and I can make and receive plenty of phone calls using the bluetooth connection to the car, meaning I clear a few tasks also

- my use of (and reliance on) technology has gone up, and that's good because I'm constantly connected now to what's going on in my organisation and in my wider networks, and feel I'm only a couple of clicks away from an answer, or at least a question

- I get to see and work with a much wider range of people than before, sometimes different every day, and therefore building more relationships 

- I have access to photos of my kids on every device so they're always with me no matter where I go

- I get to work in the "coffice" (coffee shop / office) and have meetings there as I don't have a meeting table in an office any more, and notice how many other people do the same - its a genuinely nice environment

- And, to my surprise, despite not being tucked away in my own office and being exposed to chit-chat and gossip, I find I am more productive.  I find myself having to work in short bursts rather than one long day, and get more done, and use the extremes of the working day to good effect in this regard.

So has it been good?

Yes.

Would I go back?

It was nice having my own space, but I've needed to redefine what "my own space" actually means - its about relationships, whether virtual or IRL, and its about use of technology to stay connected.  Its about having several spaces and feeling comfortable wherever that is as long as you're connected.  And its about making better use of the time available to be productive.

So I'm all for mobile working.

But I wonder what the future holds if others start to feel the same way.  Already at GGHT over 50% of staff work in this way.  If that's a growing trend, maybe future offices will be more like shared spaces for meetings and collaboration.  Maybe the "coffice" will be a second home to some?

What do you think?

Till next time...

Gary

PS in other news, the holiday surrounding the wedding is booked, and a honeymoon destination chosen (a cruise to Norway).  And my fiancee goes back to work next week following the end of her maternity leave, meaning a) a change of jobs since she had to leave her previous one when she couldn't return there part-time, and b) Poppy goes to nursery at the tender age of 8 months!  All change!

Tuesday 16 June 2015

Manifesto

At the moment I'm standing for election to the CIH North West Regional Board.  If you've had an invite to vote, then I'd be ever so grateful if you'd cast your vote for me.

Obviously you don't have to, and I've no way of knowing if you have or haven't, but I think you should, and in this Blog I'll try to explain why.

The CIH NW Regional Board sets out on its website its main purpose: "We believe that access to decent, affordable housing in safe, prosperous places that respect the environment really makes a difference to individuals, families and communities in the North West. We work to make this a reality in our region."

That's a really noble cause.  According to statistics, the population in the North West is set to grow by 3.6% by 2022, of which 20% will be people aged 65+.  Its estimated that almost 20,000 new homes will be needed across the region to meet this population growth, and there was already a shortfall to begin with.  House prices in the region are below the national average but there are significant affordability problems in some pockets of the region.  Whilst there's plenty of private rented accommodation available, it is estimated that an income of £30,000 is required to do this comfortably, and less than 40% of the region's population attain that salary level.

The NW Board have accurately summarised what they feel the region needs:
  • Increased investment through grant funding to deliver greater numbers of new social homes, to improve affordability
  • Increased investment in low cost home ownership/ shared ownership
  • Raise the borrowing cap to allow local authorities to build more homes
  • Review the right to buy to ensure that it delivers a 1 for 1 replacement of a social home
  • Incentivise new players into development including small and medium enterprises – this will also support local economics and job opportunities
  • Measures to unlock more land for housing development
  • Incentivise landlords in the private rented sector to provide more stable/longer term lettings and to increase quality
  • Ensure that we build not just numbers but homes that will meet the needs of current and future populations, including addressing the size of new homes, the ability to adapt for future needs (Lifetime homes standard) and specialist homes.

Again, this is easy to understand and is a cause I'd be happy to champion if elected.  I think my network of contacts both online and face to face would enable me to reach areas and sectors that have not been touched previously, and when combined with my CIPD Ambassador status I may be in a unique position to bring the HR and Housing sectors together and highlight the good work going on in each to the other.

Torus is uniquely placed as a new and powerful player in the region to influence and directly impact many of these aims, so I'll be able to bring some of that knowledge and influence to bear within Torus and within the CIH NW Regional Board.

I've been involved with the CIH for 11 years now since I entered the housing sector but my involvement has been limited to HR and people-type issues, so its about time I started widening my contributions as I think I've got a lot to offer.

Since 2005 I've been involved in the delivery of CIH qualifications, both in GGHT as an accredited centre and directly via CIH Distance Learning.  I've tutored over 150 students in learning about housing - most of these have been GGHT employees but many have gone on to other organisations - and some have been from other NW-based housing organisations.  The Distance Learning students have been nationally based.  So I've had exposure to lots of ideas about housing and how it can be improved both regionally and nationally, and could be in a position to influence that even more via the NW Regional Board, bringing an element of housing professional education into the mix and spreading ideas via learning aswell as other means.

As an HR professional I think I can also offer a different insight into housing, having worked outside housing for half of my career.  Like HR, housing tends to be low down on schoolchildrens' career choice - its not something anyone ever tends to mention when making GCSE or A-level choices, and I can't recall talking to anyone about going into HR or housing when I grew up.

In fact I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up.

When I was younger I wanted to be a professional wrestler for the WWE (then WWF), or perhaps a professional footballer but only for Manchester United.  As I turn 40 in a month, I think both of these may now be beyond me although I've not given up hope yet.

But housing does offer a lot to those looking for a prospective career.  Its progressive, reasonably high profile, offers a great deal of individual satisfaction and empowerment, and seems to be grasping the opportunities that new technology provides to interact with customers and colleagues.  Housing probably offers everything except really good pay, and that's something that won't change overnight but in all my dealings with housing students, none of them have been too bothered about pay either - think Herzberg's theory of motivation (Motivators and Hygiene Factors), something I use with students often to explain why they chose housing as a career.  But I don't think housing sells itself and its plus points enough, and that's something I'm keen to develop on the regional board.

Beyond HR though I think I could bring a fair bit of experience to the regional board, if elected.  I've been a key part of the teams that led GGHT to 3 stars excellent prospects from the Audit Commission, and one of the more successful stock transfers in the North West.  I've been part of the teams that saw GGHT gain G1/V1 ratings from the HCA and deliver 95% of offer document promises.  I also oversaw the creation of GGHT's initial involvement in worklessness and employment initiatives, and was part of the team that saw GGHT being the first to achieve the HDN SHEF framework.

But I digress.

I've a lot of thoughts on how housing (and employers in general) need to rethink their approach to workforce management and talent attraction in the future, and will cover this in a future blog post.

Right now I'm hoping the election, which closes on 19 June, goes my way and I'm able to enhance and promote the good work the CIH NW Regional Board are already doing.

Fingers crossed.

Till next time...

Gary

PS in other news, the holiday/flights/honeymoon that surround the wedding are ALMOST booked and we've paid the deposit on the wedding - its getting closer!

Wednesday 3 June 2015

Mentor me, mentor you

I've been to the Housing Diversity Network (HDN) annual mentoring conference today and it's prompted this blog reflecting on the experiences I've had of mentoring on this and other programmes, and of being mentored myself. 

What role has mentoring played in my and others professional lives? How high up the list of development methods does it lie?

This week is Volunteers Week  - and so the conference was well timed. Mentors usually give their time for free and volunteer their lessons, experience and advice to those they mentor. 

The conference itself was at the superb Fazeley Studios venue in Birmingham and was well attended. It's an annual celebration of the year long HDN Mentoring Programme. GGHT usually has five staff on the programme as mentees, attending a mix of classes, activities and having a senior manager mentor from another organisation to meet with them half a dozen times in the year. My own involvement, aside from co ordinating the programme from a GGHT perspective, has been to act as a mentor myself to other organisations staff on the programme, and to deliver some of the workshop sessions to groups of mentees. 

I find it's a good programme and one where the mentees gain a great deal of skills, knowledge and experience that serves them well in the future. At GGHT I was proud of the 40% success rate of people moving into new roles having been on the programme. 

So the conference celebrates what has happened the previous year and showcases some good practice examples of mentoring in action. Last year I was asked to speak at the conference and enjoyed every minute, but this year I've enjoyed just sitting in the audience and watching. 

I've mentored in the programme for three years now and each mentee I've had has been very different, with different reasons for wanting a mentor and wanting to talk about different things too. It's been a fantastic experience for me and I'm genuinely sad that a change in job roles means I'm unable to continue with mentoring on the programme and delivering workshops next year. The workshops I delivered were around goal setting, personal effectiveness, handling conflict, time management and personal development planning so I hope they were helpful for the mentees who attended. 

HDN as an organisation has its roots in, surprise surprise, diversity, and most of its activities are in that sphere. As I commented in my speech at the conference last year though, the mentoring programme has gone far beyond that and is mainly about talent management now and less about diversity. 

I've enjoyed being a mentor. I started off thinking how I could possibly be of benefit to any mentee given where I am in my own career, as well as my many weaknesses and foibles. But then I realised that a mentor doesn't have to be a superstar senior manager, just someone who can act as a critical friend and sounding board, and someone who has more experience than the mentee and can therefore share those experiences and particularly lessons learned. So I always now approach mentoring from a position of total honesty - I've learned a lot in my career, often through making mistakes, and if I can help a mentee to understand what NOT to do, that's as good as sharing with them some of my successes. 

Not that any of them have shown any interest in following me in doing the Argentine Tango, but you never know. 

I can also be honest with them about things they are doing and give an unbiased opinion on their activities, strengths and areas for development. So it's good. And it's so good to see the mentees developing through the year and trying out new things in their career. Tom McGuire from Riverside Housing spoke at length this afternoon, in a very entertaining and passionate way, about what mentees can develop and how they can do good work as a result. 

And I get something out of it too. I get to connect with younger housing and HR professionals, and expand my network, and learn from what they are doing just as much as they learn from me, if not more so. Terrie Alafat, new CEO of the Chartered Institute of Housing, kicked off today's conference and made some similar points, as well as highlighting how housing as a profession faces significant challenges attracting younger workers (watch out for a blog on this subject soon). 

I've also been involved in a joint CIH/HDN Middle Managers mentoring programme for the last year and found it a similar experience, very positive all round. I find helping new managers very rewarding and given that I deliver training on such subjects, working one on one with individuals becomes more coaching than mentoring sometimes but often achieves the same goals. 

I think every new manager or manager who wishes to develop themselves should have access to a mentor, someone who can be honest and truthful with them and to whom they can unload their frustrations, and discuss their hopes and fears. When I first started managing I didn't have that - I had a few people who mentored me on HR stuff and some who still do, but I didn't have anyone who could help me understand the intricacies of people management from anything other than a procedural perspective, so I learned through bitter experience and feel I'm still learning too. So again if I can share my experiences, I'm happy to do so. 

I've also mentored aspiring HR professionals both formally through CIPD and NHF mentoring programmes, but more often informally - I used to deliver CIPD programmes at Mid Cheshire College and as students left the programme and continued studies elsewhere and developed their career, many kept in touch and still do, meaning I can learn from their experiences and offer ad hoc advice on HR issues or assignments etc.

So professional mentoring has been a very positive thing for me. 

Last year the CIPD launched their Steps Ahead Mentoring scheme, a partnership with some government agencies to get senior HR leaders Involved in mentoring young unemployed people and helping them to find work. It's a really noble cause and one I was very happy to get involved in, but it's not been a fantastic experience I have to say despite its good intentions. Many of the young people I've been paired with have not really known why they are on the programme and seem to have been referred onto it by someone who has not explained it to them. So some of them haven't been keen, whereas others have been keen initially but by the time the pairing process has matched us and we have made contact and agreed to meet up, they have found work and have opted out of the programme altogether. That, to me, defeats the object of mentoring on Steps Ahead. It's not just to get someone into work, it's about keeping them in work afterwards and ensuring they learn key employability skills. Senior HR professionals are well placed to give this support, but I'm not sure the Steps Ahead programme has been sold to young people, or the government agencies, in such a way, as both seem to opt out once a job has been started. It's a shame. 

And in GGHT we've had an internal mentoring programme for some years where I've co ordinated the matching of talented staff with senior managers and mentored actively on that programme. Internal mentoring is quite different as you can often talk about issues that affect both of you and it can become more like joint problem solving, although that's not a bad thing in itself. 

But it's not been easy to convince people to take on mentoring roles, and I wonder whether that's because the advantages aren't as clear as they could be?

So here I am, an experienced mentor facing my first year in many without any formal mentoring to do. All my current mentoring relationships, from the HDN, Steps Ahead, and GGHT internal programmes have all come to a (natural) conclusion and my changed job duties mean I'm not able to devote the time to it in the next year, which is a real shame. 

But I'll be back. Someone needs to learn from my mistakes. 

But it doesn't mean that I'm done with mentoring completely. Conscious of my own development needs, I've sought a mentor myself and am due to meet with them next week. Someone who can help me to improve things I need to improve and who I can use as an impartial sounding board and critical friend. 

I think I'll have a lot to tell them. 

And it's about time I sat on the other side of the mentoring relationship. It might help me to become a better mentor in future too. 

How have you used mentoring in your career? Has it helped you to develop? How important is it that senior leaders take on mentoring roles?

Till next time...

Gary

Ps in other news, bridesmaids dresses have come, and all bridesmaids and best man etc have been appointed. Wedding stationery is next...