september2021 - 5

THE LEADERSHIP ADVISOR
TECH AND
POLICIES FOR
COLLABORATING
IN THE
AMY VETTER, CPA.CITP, CGMA
Mindful Technologist &
Keynote Speaker
@AmyVetterCPA
HYBRID
AGE
WITH THE DELTA variant and
the end of summer ensuring that
we're still a long way off from " back
to normal, " whatever that even means at
this point, most firms will be dealing with a hybrid
work environment for at least the rest of the year. While we've all had time to adjust our
own personal working habits to the unprecedented circumstances caused by the pandemic,
many businesses are still figuring out how we can best work together while most of us are
still spending a lot of time apart. Putting a comprehensive plan in place can be the difference
between seamless hybrid collaboration and endless back-and-forth frustrations.
Creating an ideal foundation
for teamwork requires leaning in
on a combination of policy and
technology. You need to establish
ground rules that keep everyone on
the same page but also maintain
enough flexibility that nobody
feels uncomfortable or boxed in.
It's not an easy task, as evidenced
by a recent WeWork study (https://
tinyurl.com/xj9tbvs7) that found
brainstorming dipped by at least
15 percent during the pandemic.
Luckily, we have more technological
tools than ever before to help
smooth the transition and allow for
all types of collaboration. Think
creatively, listen to your team, lead
with confidence, and you too will be
able to devise a system that works
for your firm.
PRIORITIZE SAFETY AND
AVOID CONTROVERSY
The first step toward fruitful collaboration
is ensuring that all team
members feel comfortable. Maybe
you're fortunate enough to have an
entirely vaccinated staff who all feel
okay about working in the office.
Most workplaces aren't so lucky,
though. And if you try to force
people with different views about
health and safety to comply with a
unilateral policy, you're only going
to cause resentment and foster
antagonism. Your strategy needs to
allow for the entirety of the team
to feel secure, whether that means
allowing everyone the option to
work from home or only opening the
office to those who are vaccinated
or test negative for Covid.
MAKE TIME FOR SMALL
TALK
With everyone's calendar full of
Zoom links, it's obvious that we've
figured out how to have meetings
remotely. But what do those meetings
look like? Does everyone arrive
in time for a formal discussion and
leave as soon as it's over? If so,
you're losing the benefits of casual
conversation, which can sometimes
generate powerful and important
ideas. Try leaving 10 minutes at the
end of the meeting for an unguided
session of chit-chat. You may also
want to leave open sessions for
members of teams to get together if
they want, creating a virtual water
cooler of sorts, a place where people
can freely collaborate without the
pressure of a formal meeting.
USE ASYNCHRONOUS
TOOLS
Asynchronous collaboration means
allowing collaborators to work on
the same project at different times.
A classic example is the relationship
between writers and editors.
In many working relationships, a
writer submits a piece, an editor
edits it, and it's then sent back to
the writer. This process can happen
in all sorts of team environments,
especially in a world where we have
the tools to share nearly everything
in the cloud. Sometimes, everyone
on a team will need to work on
something simultaneously. But
more often than not, giving folks the
time and space to work on projects
when it makes sense for them will
yield better rewards. Users can ask
questions via commenting features,
share thoughts in suggestion mode,
and brief their coworkers on what
they've been up to. Allowing for a
certain amount of asynchronous
collaboration will also give team
members the freedom to do their
jobs in a way that makes sense for
them.
HAVE LEADERS CHECK
IN INDIVIDUALLY
There are always going to be some
workers who flourish less in a group
setting, especially when that setting
is part virtual. It's a good idea for
members of leadership to reach
out to their team on a one-on-one
basis to check in on everyone. These
check-ins will make team members
feel seen and heard, and they may
also provide crucial feedback about
improving your hybrid policies.
MAINTAIN A FLEXIBLE
MINDSET
I probably don't have to tell you at
this point that everything regarding
work policy is subject to change at a
moment's notice. Hybridity allows
us to adapt quickly, but only if we're
willing to do so. ■
SEPTEMBER 2021 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
5

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september2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of september2021