Optimism amid limitations

I saw a celebratory post this week, published by one of my Australian clients, the Melbourne EA Group (MEAG). Carmel Bond and members marked their first face to face networking event in 12 months. In other countries, as vaccinations are underway, some professional associations and networks have begun surveying members. Leaders are asking members to let them know, for example, whether they’re comfortable with the notion of meeting again in person early this summer.

Not all readers are in such a fortunate situation. Many UK readers are enduring their third lockdown, yet the end is in sight even as promising spring-like weather has begun easing its way into London and other locales.

Here in Vancouver, Canada, we’ve been able to enjoy the outdoors throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, albeit at a distance from one another. Elsewhere, some readers are looking forward to booking their first haircut appointments in a while. In locations including Berlin, such services have been unavailable lately and many businesses are looking forward to opening their doors again. Like many of you, I went weeks past my hair style’s best before date before securing my first pandemic haircut last year. Once our salons reopened in summer 2020, though, they’ve been able to remain open.

Flexibility, and an ergonomic reminder

Also like many of you, I’ve adjusted how I work. Conference and event organisers have had to postpone a number of in person events, while others have gone virtual. Just last week, for example, I presented on negotiating skills for members of the Australian Institute of Office Professionals. In a few weeks, I’ll be presenting to another professional association, CICan: GPOP, Governance and President’s Office Professionals, on choosing resilience over perfection. This week, I’m recording my presentation for a major virtual conference … and plans for in person events are underway. The big BC Health and Education Administrative Professionals (BC HEAP) conference has been rescheduled for this fall, and I look forward to being one of the keynote speakers at this event. 

There are opportunities within even the most challenging circumstances, and COVID-19 has seen me launch my own webinar series and Eventbrite page, which has enabled me to connect with and provide training to assistants in multiple countries since last June. While looking forward to enjoying meeting and working with assistants in person again, I’m planning to continue to offer webinars once we’ve put this pandemic behind us. Many assistants have been able to tap in to training from multiple remote and virtual sources, including conferences they’d not have been able to attend in person.   

Now, about that ergonomic reminder. Some of you may have noticed I’ve been less active than usual online this month. I’ll spare you the details, yet will tell you my doctor’s office is, on average, receiving visits from 10 patients a week who are experiencing shoulder and/or arm problems resulting in limited range of motion.

The GP with whom I spoke attributed this in part to less than ideal home office set ups as so many of us work remotely. So, please, consider this a gentle reminder to do what you can to secure or support a healthy working environment. It also makes sense to step away from the laptop or PC once an hour to give your eyes a break while you stretch and walk around for even five minutes.

How assistants are doing

I asked readers about the longest stretch of time you’ve worked from home during the pandemic. As of November 2020, 48% of respondents had been working from home for anywhere between six and nine months. By January 2021, 62% of respondents had been working from home for anywhere between seven and 11 months. 

How, then, are you doing amid all the last year or so has thrown at us? Consistently since last fall, approximately two thirds of respondents said that, while the pandemic has brought challenges, you’re doing fine overall. There was a significant spike in the percentages of assistants having a difficult time as we approached the end of 2020, and that percentage eased during the first month of 2021.

The percentage of respondents who said they’re doing well also took a dip in November 2020, to 15%. It bounced back in January 2021 to 24%, almost matching the levels of September 2020.

Meeting practices

A whopping 67% of respondents reported in January that all their meetings are conducted virtually. Hybrid meetings have also emerged as a practice, with some participants attending remotely, and more than one person gathered in the same meeting room. Seven percent of respondents said that, by January, all their meetings are hybrid. More than a third of all respondents, 38%, said 25% or more of your meetings are hybrid, and just shy of one in five – 19% – reported that 51% or more of your meetings are hybrid.

Last year, people shifted gears suddenly and adopted Teams, Zoom or other platforms in order to conduct meetings and communicate remotely. Sometimes, practices we adopt on short notice serve us well in the near term yet are less than ideal as norms. Practices we adopt in times of unanticipated need do not necessarily reflect protocols or routines we might have considered had there been time for planning and implementing new systems. Have you and your colleagues invested time to discuss the effectiveness of your virtual and hybrid meetings? 

I was pleased to see that, in January 2021, 36% of respondents said they’d had such a conversation with their principals (bosses) within the last month. On the other hand, 39% of respondents have not had any discussion with their principals on the effectiveness of their remote or virtual meetings.

This is actually an opportunity, one I’ve been highlighting since last summer as I present webinars highlighting best practices associated with virtual and hybrid meetings (Proactive Planning Amid New Norms: Best Practices for Virtual and Hybrid Meetings). It seems unlikely that virtual or hybrid meetings will fall off the horizon as we embrace our much-awaited pandexit world, and so it can be helpful to establish and document best practices for such meetings.

As of January 2021, one in four respondents said their team (or division, faculty, unit or organisation) had adopted some practices but not documented guidelines or principles. Five percent have been talking about the concept, but not progressed beyond that stage. Another 11% said their teams were actively working on such documentation. More than a third, 37%, had established and documented such best practices by January 2021. 

This is one more instance in which the pandemic has served to create an opportunity to make a positive impact. We can be so busy preparing for, attending and recording meetings that – while we may be aware of inefficiencies or frustrations – we don’t routinely review practices and come up with recommendations. Assistants play a significant role in meeting success, and this may be an opportunity to propose tweaks to meeting practices that save time and/or increase efficiencies and effectiveness.

There’s more to unpack

I posed a number of questions, and you’ll see the data from my January 2021 and November 2020 Weekend Polls below. Rather than reflect on all this interesting data in a single post, I’ll be expanding more in upcoming articles. Please check back or subscribe to my website as I continue to write about the data you see below, and the post-pandemic career.

The results

1. How are you doing at this point in time?

• I’m doing well: 24% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 15% in Nov 2020 and 26% in Sep 2020
• The pandemic has brought challenges, but overall I’m doing fine: 65% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 67% in Nov 2020 and 65% in Sep 2020
• I’m having a difficult time: 11% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 18% in Nov 2020 and 9% in Sep 2020

2. Which of the following best describes your current career situation?

• I was back in the office but am working remotely again:  20% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 10% in Nov 2020
• I’ve worked at the office throughout the pandemic: 11% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 11% in Nov 2020
• I was working remotely and am now back in the office: 2% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 5% in Nov 2020
• I’m been working remotely for months; haven’t yet been back in the office: 45% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 56% in Nov 2020
• I’m out of work and searching for a new role: 3% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 7% in Nov 2020
• Hybrid – I’m working both remotely and in the office: 19% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 11% in Nov 2020

3. Which of the following best describes your sense of job security at this point in the COVID-19 pandemic?

• I feel comfortable that my job security is a non-issue: 61% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 49% in Nov 2020
• I’m slightly concerned about job security: 31% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 36% in Nov 2020
• We’ve been given indicators that there may be job losses: 7% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 7% in Nov 2020
• I’m out of work as a result of the pandemic: 1% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 8% in Nov 2020

4. If you remain employed, which of the following best describes your CURRENT productivity compared to a January without pandemic implications? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• My productivity is consistent and I’m working in the office: 5%of respondents
• My productivity is higher and I’m working in the office: 3% of respondents
• My productivity is lower and I’m working in the office: 7% of respondents 
• My productivity is consistent and my work is remote or hybrid: 55% of respondents 
• My productivity is higher and my work is remote or hybrid: 16% of respondents 
• My productivity is lower and my work is remote or hybrid: 14% of respondents 
• Note: In November 2020, I provided readers three choices to describe their productivity working remotely compared to being in the office. At that point in time, 36% said their productivity was, with some exceptions, consistent. Seventeen percent said their productivity was lower than when in the office, and 47% said their productivity was higher when working remotely.

5. If you remain employed, which of the following best describes whether the pandemic has impacted whether or not you received/will receive an annual raise? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• received/anticipating a raise, at a rate/% consistent with non-pandemic years: 35% of respondents 
• received/anticipating a raise at a lower rate/% than typical, in light of the pandemic’s impact on the org: 21% of respondents 
• received/anticipating a raise at a higher rate/% than typical: 3% of respondents 
• there was no raise in the last year, due to the pandemic’s impact on the org : 41% of respondents 

6. If you remain employed, which of the following best describes whether the pandemic has impacted whether or not you received/will receive a regular/annual bonus? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• I’ve received or anticipate a bonus at a rate/% consistent with non-pandemic years : 25% of respondents 
• I’ve received or anticipate a bonus at a lower rate/% than typical, reflecting the pandemic’s impact on the org: 20% of respondents 
• I’ve received or anticipate a bonus at a higher rate/% than typical: 1% of respondents  
• My role does not qualify for a bonus: 26% of respondents 
• Bonuses are not part of the norm in our organisation: 28% of respondents 

7. Have you received a vaccination against the COVID-19 virus? Note: January 2021 was the first time I posed this question.

• Yes: 9% of respondents 
• No: 91% of respondents 

8.  If you’ve worked remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, what’s the longest stretch of time you’ve worked from home?

• a month or less: 11% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 16% in Nov 2020
• two to three months: 7% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 11% in Nov 2020
• three to four month: 16% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 9% in Nov 2020
• five months: 4% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 16% in Nov 2020
• six months: 0% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 12% in Nov 2020
• seven months: 10% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 0% in Nov 2020
• eight months: 6% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 29% in Nov 2020
• nine months: 1% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 7% in Nov 2020
• 10 months: 12% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 0% in Nov 2020
• 11 months: 33% of respondents in Jan 2021, compared to 0% in Nov 2020

9. What’s your primary means lately of communicating with your principal (boss)? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• email: 22% of respondents 
• face to face – in person: 9% of respondents 
• messaging through one platform or another: 16% of respondents 
• phone – audio conversations: 5% of respondents 
• through a screen – virtual meetings: 46% of respondents  

10. What’s your primary means lately of communicating with colleagues in general? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• email: 26% of respondents 
• face to face – in person: 3.5% of respondents 
• messaging through one platform or another: 29% of respondents 
• phone – audio conversations: 3.5% of respondents 
• through a screen – virtual meetings: 38% of respondents 

11. How long has it been since you and your principal last discussed/checked in on how effectively the two of you have been communicating with one another amid the COVID-19 pandemic? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• within the last week: 35% of respondents 
• within the last month: 26% of respondents 
• within the last quarter: 11% of respondents 
• it’s been three to six months: 5% of respondents 
• it’s been six to 12 months: 3% of respondents 
• we’ve not had such a discussions: 20% of respondents 

12. How long has it been since you and your principal last discussed/checked in on the effectiveness of your working relationship? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• within the last week: 26% of respondents 
• within the last month: 27% of respondents 
• within the last quarter: 14% of respondents 
• it’s been three to six months: 4% of respondents 
• it’s been six to 12 months: 11% of respondents 
• we’ve not had such a discussions: 18% of respondents 

13. Thinking about the conversations you and your principal have, what percentage of such conversations reflect focus on the effectiveness of your working relationship? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• 0%: 12% of respondents 
• 5% or less: 32% of respondents 
• 6-10%: 16% of respondents 
• 11-15%: 8% of respondents 
• 16-20%: 12% of respondents 
• 21-25%: 4.5% of respondents 
• 26-33%: 1% of respondents 
• 34-50%: 4.5% of respondents 
• more than 50%: 10% of respondents 

14. What percentage of the meetings you attend and record are conducted virtually, with everyone participating remotely? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• 0% of our meetings: 0% of respondents 
• 25% or less of our meetings: 7% of respondents 
• 26-50% of our meetings: 2% of respondents 
• 51-75% of our meetings: 8% of respondents 
• 76-99% of our meetings: 15% of respondents 
• 100% of our meetings: 68% of respondents 

15. What percentage of the meetings you attend and record are hybrid, with some participants attending in person and others remotely? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• 0% of our meetings: 62% of respondents 
• 25% or less of our meetings: 14% of respondents 
• 26-50% of our meetings: 5% of respondents 
• 51-75% of our meetings: 5% of respondents 
• 76-99% of our meetings: 7% of respondents 
• 100% of our meetings: 7% of respondents 

16.  How long has it been since you and your principal last discussed/checked in on the effectiveness of virtual or hybrid meeting practices for your committees, division(s), team(s) and/or board? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• within the last week: 9% of respondents 
• within the last month: 26% of respondents 
• within the last quarter: 21% of respondents  
• it’s been six to 12 months: 5% of respondents 
• we’ve not had such a discussions: 39% of respondents 

17. Has your team/division/faculty/unit/organisation established and documented best practices for the conduct of virtual or hybrid meetings? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• No: 22% of respondents in Jan 2021 
• Not yet; we’ve adopted some practices but not documented a set of guidelines or principles: 25% of respondents 
• We’ve been talking about it but haven’t progressed beyond that stage: 5% of respondents 
• We’re actively working on this now: 11% of respondents 
• Yes, we have: 37% of respondents 

18. Which of the following best describes the extent of performance feedback you’ve sought/received during this pandemic? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• I’ve both sought feedback AND have been offered it without asking: 24.5% of respondents  
• I’ve sought feedback and received it: 44% of respondents 
• I’ve sought feedback and received none: 7% of respondents 
• I’ve been offered feedback without seeking it: 24.5% of respondents 

19. When you seek performance feedback, which approach do you take? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• I ask for general feedback: 26% of respondents 
• When I ask for feedback, I ask my principal to ID something specific so I know where I should focus my professional development: 22% of respondents 
• I ask for feedback on specific projects, initiatives or undertakings: 36% of respondents 
• I don’t usually ask for feedback: 16% of respondents 

20. Have you set career-related goals or performance objectives for 2021? 

• Yes, I have or soon will – it’s an employer expectation: 42% of respondents; 44% of respondents selected this same response in November with respect to 2020 career goals/performance objectives 
• Yes, I have or soon will ; it’s an employer expectation and I’d do so even if that wasn’t the case: 22% of respondents; 18% of respondents selected this same response in November with respect to 2020 career goals/performance objectives 
•  Yes, I have or soon will – I do so of my own initiative; it’s not an employer expectation: 18% of respondents; 10% of respondents selected this same response in November with respect to 2020 career goals/performance objectives 
•  No: 18% of respondents; 28% of respondents selected this same response in November with respect to 2020 career goals/performance objectives 
• Note: In November 2020, I asked readers if they planned to set career goals for 2021. At that point, 66% said yes, 8% said no, 16% said they’d not given it any thought, and another 10% said they’d thought about it but were not sure.

I also asked readers in November 2020 to select responses that best described their progress with their 2020 goals. You’ll see responses below.

• I’ve achieved them all, or am on track to achieve them all: 22% of respondents
• I’ve achieved or am on track to achieve some, but not all, my goals: 34% of respondents
• I’ve tried, but found focusing on goals difficult given the pandemic: 31% of respondents
• I put this year’s goals on hold as a result of the pandemic; I have enough other things on my plate: 13% of respondents

21. a) Have you set personal goals, independent of your career, for 2021? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• Yes: 65% of respondents; 56% of respondents selected this same response in November with respect to having set personal goals in 2020 
• No: 35% of respondents; 44% of respondents selected this same response in November with respect to having set personal goals in 2020 

21. b) Do you typically set goals each year? Note: I posed this question in November 2020

• Yes; I set personal and career goals: 41% of respondents 
• Yes; I set personal – but not career – goals: 8% of respondents 
• Yes; I set career – but not personal – goals: 21% of respondents 
• No: 15% of respondents 
• I have in the past, but not in recent years: 15% of respondents 

21. c) When you set goals, do you typically establish metrics by which you can measure success? Note: I posed this question in November 2020

• Yes: 59% of respondents
• No: 41% of respondents

21. d) When you set goals, do you typically establish timelines by which you want to meet them? Note: I posed this question in November 2020

• Yes: 69% of respondents
• No: 31% of respondents

21. e) When you set goals (career or personal) for yourself, do you typically identify new practices and/or strategies to help you achieve your goals? Note: I posed this question in November 2020

• Yes: 72% of respondents
• No: 28% of respondents

21. f) When you set goals (career or personal) for yourself, do you typically identify practices and/or habits you should stop or change? Note: I posed this question in November 2020

• Yes: 79% of respondents
• No: 21% of respondents

21. g) When you set goals, do you typically communicate them to others? Note: I posed this question in November 2020

• Yes; I need to document them for my employer: 39% of respondents
• Yes; I do so to hold myself accountable: 20% of respondents
• No; I’m uncomfortable sharing goals, in case I don’t meet them: 28% of respondents
• No; people might be surprised by the scope of my goal: 3% of respondents
• No; I’ve not thought to do so: 10% of respondents

22. Have you been intentionally focusing on nurturing your resilience since the pandemic began? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• Yes: 68% of respondents 
• No: 15% of respondents 
• No, though I think I should: 17% of respondents

23. Have you been intentionally focusing on physical wellness during this pandemic? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• Yes: 60% of respondents 
• No: 8% of respondents 
• No, though I think I should: 32% of respondents

24. Have you been intentionally focusing on mental wellness during this pandemic? Note: January 2021 marked the first time I posed this question.

• Yes: 69% of respondents 
• No: 8% of respondents 
• No, though I think I should: 23% of respondents

24. a)  Do you feel you’ve had a positive impact on your colleagues and/or operations during the COVID-19 pandemic? Note: I posed this question in November 2020

• Yes: 80% of respondents 
• No: 20% of respondents 

24. b)  Have you influenced any workplace decisions made (in 2020) with respect to meetings, communications or other matters during the COVID-19 pandemic? Note: I posed this question in November 2020

• Yes; my colleagues have been receptive to ideas and recommendations I’ve offered: 36% of respondents 
• Yes, to a certain degree: 26% of respondents 
• On occasion: 26% of respondents 
• No; I haven’t proposed much in the way of ideas or recommendations: 10% of respondents 
• No; I think it would be seen as beyond my scope to offer recommendations: 2% of respondents   

24. c)  Do your colleagues generally see you as influential? Note: I posed this question in November 2020

• Yes: 62% of respondents 
• No: 5% of respondents 
• I’m not sure: 33% of respondents 

24. d) Which of the following best describes how you feel about stress and working remotely compared to working in the office? Note: I posed this question in November 2020

• My location doesn’t impact the degree to which I feel stress: 36% of respondents 
• I encounter less stress working from home than in the office: 34% of respondents 
• I encounter less stress working in the office than at home: 23% of respondents 
• I don’t encounter stress, regardless of where I’m working: 7% of respondents

24. e) Which of the following best describes how you feel about stress and working remotely compared to working in the office? Note: I posed this question in November 2020

• My location doesn’t impact the degree to which I feel stress: 36% of respondents 
• I encounter less stress working from home than in the office: 34% of respondents 
• I encounter less stress working in the office than at home: 23% of respondents 
• I don’t encounter stress, regardless of where I’m working: 7% of respondents

25. and 26.  In January 2021, I asked readers to identify the most important career and life lessons this pandemic has brought.  There are so many responses that I’ll provide and reflect on these in a separate post.