Dear MG Family,
Firstly, happy World Password Day. Staying cyber-secure is more important than ever whilst working remotely. So when it comes to your password, keep it strong, keep it safe, and most importantly, ensure it’s difficult to decode! We’re urging all our employees to strengthen their security online through good practices to better protect themselves e.g. using complex passwords, use multi-factor authentication and not sharing passwords. Indeed, our IT department is continually helping all our employees understand and abide by security policies outside the office.
“Manning Global has always strived to be at the front of technology in its internal environment. It was exactly that pro-activity that allowed Manning Global to quickly allow all staff to work from home to ensure their safety during this pandemic. We are proud to work with our strong partners to ensure the security of our systems and the continuity of our service to our customers around the globe.” Michel Dassen, Manning Global.
We’re now in week seven of this unique, remote working environment. We know it’s natural to romanticise the idea of returning to ‘normal’; dressing up for work, crowded cafes etc. – all of these one-time annoyances seem almost pleasant compared to the current day-to-day of life in lockdown. Many of us would settle for ‘normal’ again. But why settle? Instead of returning to a new ‘normal’, let’s work harder to elevate our recruiting and candidate sourcing in ways that will continue to resonate long after the current crisis has passed. Afterall, recruitment has always been – and shall continue to be – about building relationships that will serve you in the future.
Future is the key word in this week’s message; it’s also central to how we react to market changes outside of our control, allied with our ability to thrive after a crisis. In a rapidly changing world, the future of innovation is hard to pin down, but agility, sustainability and thoughtfulness look set to be the hallmarks of success going forward into Q3-4 2020.
We’re trusting our employees to be agile as we focus on remote working and distributed teams for the foreseeable future.
COVID-19 has caused all our conferences, meetings and employee training to go virtual, meaning we’re now fully realising our telecommuting abilities!
Part of the pre-COVID era was that the in-person meeting was the one tool we had to deploy against all manner of problems. Lockdown life has made all of us competent in remote collaborations, doubling our toolset for getting work done and allowing us to select the best tool for the job at hand rather than the only tool at our disposal.
We always hear about how team leaders can create more efficient teams, but there are some things team members can do themselves to contribute. Firstly, develop a stronger sense of ‘we’. Each team should have its own vision and set of established values that guide its interactions. Team efficiency depends on a team working well together at all times.
Secondly, own your work.For teamwork to really make the dream work, each team member needs to have a well-developed sense of accountability. This is not only in your work quality, schedule, and deliverables, but also your behaviour and interactions with the rest of your team. This sense of accomplishment helps your team continually seek additional improvements and strengthens your team’s connection.
Above all, when team members recognise they are part of a team, self-govern, and choose to be innovative and accountable, it facilitates efficiency and greater output.
We realise a good remote workplace culture is twofold: as crucial for morale as it is for all our business objectives – after all, no one can be certain how long these work from home measures will continue.
Ultimately, remote working can only be successful if we have effective digital collaboration and communication tools that are accessible to everyone. Now, more than ever, we also need employees who are connected, collaborative and feel optimistic about the future.
Finally, never forget the value of people. Recruitment is a people business and at the heart of every email, phone call and video interview is a human. Now is the time for us to share our success stories!
Oh, and please remember….
Together we can do anything! | Juntos podemos hacerlo todo! | Gemeinsam können wir alles schaffen! | Împreună putem face orice! | Razem możemy wszystko! | Zajedno možemo postići sve!
Stay safe and stay global!
Rachael, Michel & Team MG.