How to Engage Remote Staff encouraging innovative design

Transcription

1 How to Engage Remote Staff encouraging innovative design

2 Why should you engage with remote workers? Over the course of the e21c research project it has been clear that many of the participating organisations (and indeed many organisations across the industry) have a significant proportion of their workforce which works remotely. Remote staff are considered to be personnel which don t regularly work at a permanent office, are site based or have a mobile role and may include: - operational or maintenance field staff working individually or in small teams - site or project based teams - mobile support personnel It is recognised that such expertise is extremely valuable for capturing hands-on experience, providing an understanding of practicalities and can also be a key area of innovation generation. Many centrally based mechanisms for enabling innovation have the potential for exclusion of such individuals and losing that valuable input and expertise. By providing an easily accessible and unthreatening mechanism to engage with remote workers, this valuable input can be captured and acted upon. Core Principles The following core principles apply to all of the suggested solutions identified in the matrix; without putting in place a framework which enables these, it is unlikely that any solution will be effectively embedded in the organisation. Feedback, feedback, feedback! As part of the research process, the project team spoke with a range of remote workers from different organisations and roles, including both direct and sub-contract or agency staff. A common theme from most of the interviews was that feedback on any suggestion is essential; ideas should not disappear into a black hole. Feedback should cover elements such as take-up, roll-out, whether similar initiatives already exist. Any feedback better than no feedback at all, even if the idea does not end up being implemented. Taking an independent look Everybody thinks their ideas are the best. In order to assess the effectiveness, viability and suitability of suggestions, an independent assessment mechanism needs to be built into the process. This may form part of an existing process, or could be stand alone.

3 How will these solutions work? No one solution will work in every organisation. The matrix aims to demonstrate the wide variety of approaches which could be implemented; some organisations may want to implement a single option; others may choose to select a combination of approaches. The essential element for all the options is to provide a focal point with accountability for making the tools work and to recognise and reward performance. How to use this guide This guide offers up a range of techniques which could be implemented within your organisation to enable you to engage with your remote staff. The techniques are identified in the accompanying matrix and categorised by purpose, recognising differing levels of interaction (such as frequency of visits to offices or depots and IT infrastructure). It is suggested that you review the techniques for suitability for your organisation and further investigation. Typical users are identified below to give an indication of different job roles who could be targeted by each proposed option. One or more of these can be investigated, considered, and if appropriate, implemented within your organisation. Typical Users Field Staff Site Based Operatives Mobile Specialist Description Mobile operational or field staff working individually or in small groups. IT and/or phone access; may make regular visits to a central office or depot. Site based personnel in team ranging in size. Typically engineering and project management disciplines. Project based, but typically static in one location for at least 1 week. IT and phone access. Site based operational personnel. May be direct labour or subcontract staff; typically no or limited IT access. May have phone access. Mobile specialist support or advisory personnel. IT and phone access; may make irregular visits to central office or depot

4 Case study 1 Inspirational Talks Tapping into experts in their field and innovative thinkers can inspire or stimulate individuals. Do Lectures and TED demonstrate how this can work. Do Lectures The idea behind Do Lectures is that people who do things can inspire the rest of us to go and do things, too. Annually people are invited to talk about what they do on a wide-range of topics, with the intention of inspiring others to also do things. TED TED is a non-profit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. The TED website provides a resource of free knowledge and inspiration from the world s most inspired thinkers, with talks lasting just 18 minutes or less.

5 Case study 2 2degrees Network 2degrees is a business community which aims to drive growth, efficiency and profit through sustainability. 2degrees is a managed service, including an active sustainable business community. Members can attend live webinars, access a back catalogue of webinar recordings, and network with other members.

6 Case study 3 Arup Discussion Forums Arup have a number of online discussion forums to address a wealth of topics. Staff are encouraged to subscribe to forums that are of interest and after subscribing they receive copies of new postings on the forum directly into their inbox allowing them to easily monitor the subjects being discussed. All of Arup s Skills and Business Communities of Practice (networks) have an associated forum used by its members to share knowledge and experience and ask questions of their colleagues wherever they might be located within the Arup world, and to host facilitated discussions on a given topic. This ability to gain answers to questions and benefit from Arup s collective knowledge enables delivery of greater value to clients. Many discussion topics straddle disciplines, so threads can be posted on more than one forum, avoiding duplication, but benefitting from the wider feedback. This entry demonstrates the type of progressive, optimised knowledge tool that many organisations need, and indeed want, but only a few really have Intranet Innovation Gold Award, 2010, judges comment

7 Case study 4 Lab in a Lorry Lab in a Lorry is an interactive mobile science laboratory staffed by practising scientists and engineers. The aim of Lab in a Lorry is to give young people aged the opportunity to do experimental science in the way it actually happens; exploratory, accidental, informed by curiosity and intuition, but also bounded and guided by the experience and insight of practicing scientists. Each Lorry is a self-contained experience it rolls up and is ready to go. Prior to each event volunteers are given a full briefing on the experiments and guidance on how to help young people explore and learn by themselves. Our aim is to make the experience as enjoyable and inspiring for our volunteers as it undoubtedly will be for our younger visitors.

8 Case study 5 Bupa Live Bupa implemented an online internal social media platform; BupaLive, as a single place to communicate, collaborate and share across the global business. The network has been used to drive social employee engagement and increase leadership visibility. BupaLive enables collaboration (across teams / business lines / geographies / timezones) to deliver: - Searchable employee networks - Sharing of knowledge, products, services, best practice - Social media capability and coordinated strategy - Increased innovation / idea generation - Decreased duplication of work / silos - Faster communication - Rapid integration of new acquisitions - Accelerated delivery of Bupa s Group-wide corporate strategy BupaLive figures: - 5,000+ user generated groups - 91% work, 9% social - 85% of desk based users - 90,000 documents shared - 60,000 comments - 55,000 discussion threads - 12,000 blogposts - 10,000 videos

9 Case study 6 United Utilities E-learning Hubs In 2012 United Utilities launched e-learning hubs at sites across fourteen locations the North West for staff without regular access to PCs. The launch was publicised in One+, United Utilities internal magazine (see article below).

10 Case study 7 TUI Green Ideas Factory TUI recently ran a Green Ideas Factory competition gave staff the chance to get creative about sustainability and submit their ideas on how we can be more green whilst improving the business. 120 ideas came in from 18 countries with nearly 1,500 staff voting for their favourite concepts. 10 finalists developed their ideas with the help of mentors from across the business. The two overall competition winner ideas focused on replacing airside cars with electric vehicles at airports and creating a central system to collect and investigate new sustainability ideas for TUI s airlines.

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12 Contacts: Forum for the Future (Project Manager), Arup, Environment Agency, Interserve, Galliford Try, National Grid, United Utilities,