Even if workers aren’t in a physical space, they still want a sense of how an organization behaves. Leaders need to find ways to communicate it.

There’s a familiar line in the management world that one simple definition of an organization’s culture is “the way we do things around here.” At least it was simple when we all agreed on what “here” meant.

Offices have proven to be remarkably resilient this year in terms of getting used to Zoom conferences and remote strategy sessions. But the pandemic also has also put pressures on leaders to develop new ways to put their emotional intelligence to use and engage with workers. There’s some evidence that the task is taking a toll. Last week, Gallup reported that compared to May, in June U.S. employees felt substantively less prepared to do their jobs, and that their employers weren’t showing clear action plans in response to COVID-19, or demonstrating concern about employees’ well-being.

“The protracted, dynamic nature of the pandemic has left many feeling weary and longing for the finish line,” says the Gallup report. “But for the employees who look to leadership for communication and direction, COVID-19 challenges are still alive and well. Leaders must reinvigorate their efforts to ensure employees are well informed and prepared.”

Part of that effort can involve communicating to employees what your organization’s culture is, and seek out ways to put that into practice in a remote context. In a recent article for MIT Sloan Management Review, Cambridge Judge Business School Professor Jennifer Howard-Grenville makes a point that reinforces Gallup’s findings—that the shift to remote work presents a threat to the culture that’s been established, which in turn risks eroding productivity and engagement. Now that we all know that we can work over Zoom, leaders need to clarify how best to do that work.

Howard-Grenville writes that part of that task should involve leaders reminding their workers of the kind of culture they’d established before remote work became the norm. “A manager might remind team members that they arrived at a certain approach because they are so skilled at drawing on multiple perspectives for input,” she writes. “Laying bare this aspect of the cultural tool kit not only reminds people of its existence but also signals its value.”

On the flip side, those same leaders need to call out cases where the organization isn’t following its established values, to “visibly censure practices that depart from the desired culture.” Remote work is no excuse for dispensing with the established pillars of your culture, though there are certainly opportunities to make adjustments. We’re all learning new ways to connect, communicate, address social issues, homeschool, and more in this environment, and leaders ought to welcome input about how to bring what everyone has learned to remote work. “We now understand organizational cultures to be much more open and interactive with their surrounding environments—responsive to expectations to be more socially and environmentally responsible, for example—and aligned with other aspects of employees’ experiences beyond the workplace.”

People like remote work, and they say they’ll want to hang onto it after the pandemic is over: A survey late last month from PricewaterhouseCoopers found that nearly three-quarters of office workers will want to work at home at least two days a week. But they don’t want to give up the kinds of things that offices provide: opportunities to network, and the sense that they’ve flicked the off-switch when work is done for the day. Many employers in the survey say they’re understanding: Roughly half say they’re providing more help managing workloads and building relationships. Wherever COVID-19 takes the office, more leaders will need to do that kind of soft-skills work to create the culture they want.

This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Mark Athitakis. 

A lot has changed in the events industry, particularly in the past few months due to the impact of COVID-19. As the industry evolves, so will the skills and job roles required. A look at some possibilities.

A few weeks ago, I came across a blog post I wrote seven years ago about new staff roles for meetings and events.

In it, I called out three that I thought could benefit association meetings at that time: an attendee concierge who would call participants after a meeting to see what they liked most and least, a conference connector who would help attendees engage and network with one another, and an exhibit hall experience manager who would be dedicated to both the form and function of a tradeshow.

While some of these roles may still be useful to your association, a lot has changed since 2013—and even more so in the past few months given the impact COVID-19 has had on the industry. In the current economic environment, hiring new staffers is probably not on the table for most organizations, but here are two roles—one related to the pandemic and one not—introduced recently that may be worth considering if you do have the opportunity, even if through partnering or expanding a current staffer’s role:

Event health advisor. Earlier this month, the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau announced that it was partnering with Dr. David Nash, dean emeritus of the Jefferson College of Population Health, to serve as PHLCVB’s chief health advisor. In this role, he will provide advice and guidance to meeting and event planners about health guidelines and protocols.

“By instituting the proper public health protocols, our hospitality industry should be able to safely and effectively support and protect travelers when the time comes …,” Dr. Nash said in a press release. “By incorporating the already sound and thoughtful guidelines presented by the CDC, as well as state and local public health officials, I’m confident we can develop a safe and healthy plan for all visitors.”

He’ll also work closely with PHL Health Advisors, an 18-member committee of experts from the city’s medical community. Together, they’ll relay updates to PHLCVB regarding medical information and local medical advancements in the fight against COVID-19. The team will also be tapped as an internal review board for the PHLCVB on public health and safety best practices and protocols.

Meetings accessibility coordinator. Last summer, the American Anthropological Association brought Nell Koneczny on board as its accessibility and meetings coordinator. In this role, Koneczny is responsible for accessibility and accommodation initiatives for AAA’s meetings, conferences, and communications. She also supports logistics and the call-for-papers process for several of AAA’s meetings.

In an interview with CEO Update last month, Koneczny said her role is about more than complying with the legal requirements for accommodating people with disabilities.

“My position actually goes a step beyond that, to include disability culture and to actually think about accessibility more broadly … instead of waiting for a disabled person to reach out to us and request an accommodation,” she said.

Since joining the team, Koneczny has done several things, including updating the associations’ poster session guidelines for accessibility, creating an annual meeting location accessibility and health information webpage, and expanding the accessible presentation guidelines.

In addition to these roles, as more associations host virtual and hybrid meetings, I imagine we’ll see current meetings teams learn new skills and take on new roles like event producer or virtual meeting concierge.

This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Samantha Whitehorne. 

The recently released 2020 Association Communications Benchmarking Report found that while the pandemic has dampened expectations of nondues revenue, associations are making changes to bridge the gap, including more webinars and tailored communication to members.

While generating revenue has long been a concern for association communications teams, the COVID-19 pandemic has ramped that up and led to changes to the way those teams do business, according to Naylor Association Solutions’ 2020 Association Communications Benchmarking Report.

The report surveyed associations during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a real-world glimpse at the way communication efforts have been affected by the crisis and some of the changes they’ve made in response.

“We’ve been doing the report for nine years, and revenue has always been a worry for associations,” said Sarah Sain, CAE, Naylor’s director of content and member communications. “It saw quite an increase, about 10 percentage points from previous years.”

The report noted that the pandemic caused a decrease in nondues revenue generated from advertising and sponsorships. Associations also expect the revenue declines to last for a while. “Most believe improvement is not going to happen in one day, where things are going to open up and revenues will be back to where they were before the pandemic,” Sain said.

To help counter those revenue losses, association are getting creative and trying new ways to use communications to bring in revenue. “Associations have had to pivot so quickly,” Sain said. “It’s had them make out-of-the-box, courageous decisions in terms of trying new things [like] customized sponsorship packages and new digital communications. … In the past, they would have taken months to decide. Now, they say, ‘Let’s try it. We have to give ourselves permission to try this new opportunity. If we fail, we’ll fail fast and test the next thing.’”

Not surprising, one thing associations are doing more of is webinars. “Webinars ranked as the number-two communications channel,” Sain said. “It has been in the top 10 before, but it made a huge jump this year.”

With the virus forcing people to stay at home, associations have stepped up the number of webinars and the complexity, Sain said, moving beyond just a speaker and a PowerPoint, to more interactivity.

“Having that balance between live and online learning is going to be really important,” she said. “Associations have had to embrace webinars and online learning out of necessity. Even once live events return, members are going to want to have both of those options.”

Another way communication departments are pivoting is by sending targeted emails to certain groups or interest areas. This is something that has been increasing each year the survey has been conducted, but it has been particularly effective in recent times.

“With all of the event cancellation, and movement to an online format, they found they had to reach their members in a new way,” Sain said. “They had to reach them quickly and communicate important information, often related to COVID or legislation like the CARES Act. They had to get that information out quickly and made a big leap in the last six months.”

In addition to webinars and improved targeting, associations are also embracing podcasting—and Sain suspects the medium will see more prominence in the future. “It is a communication channel where you could meet someone where they’re at,” Sain said. “You can listen to a podcast when it’s on your time. That is very attractive to members. They can fit some of this education into their schedule with more ease. It allows them to stay engaged.”

The report also had a couple of other findings worth noting: While so much has gone digital in today’s environment, the third most appreciated type of communication was the association’s printed magazine.

“It’s always in the top three,” Sain said. “It is very clear that print is held very valuable by associations.”

Another item Sain saw as a bright spot was a willingness of communication departments to outsource some tasks. She noted that only 8 percent of associations said they intended to permanently lay off staff, so the outsourcing wasn’t to replace staff. Rather, it was a recognition that some of the newer, more creative things communications teams want to do may require outside help.

This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Rasheeda Childress. 

A new report from PwC finds that consumer spending took a dramatic move away from in person thanks to COVID-19, moving up the timetable on digital transformation in the process.

The world has shifted in a lot of ways over the past six months, and that’s changed how consumers behave, too.

And a new report from PwC aims to help businesses make sense of the shift. The latest edition of the company’s long-running Global Consumer Insights Survey leans heavily on coronavirus-related information, driven by two surveys—one pre-outbreak, with more than 19,000 respondents, and one post-outbreak, with around 4,400.

The results are telling. The report finds that 36 percent of consumers globally are spending less due to the outbreak, a sharp shift from the earlier survey, which found that nearly half of consumers (46 percent) were likely to spend more in the next year. And the outbreak has shifted what consumers are more likely to spend money on.

“Since the outbreak, people are spending the most on groceries, in-place entertainment and home projects,” the report states. “For food items, they’re making fewer shopping trips—45 percent say they are shopping less often for groceries—but filling up bigger baskets. For most nonfood items, consumers are buying online and, with the exception of entertainment and media, spending significantly less.”

A SHIFT TOWARD DIGITAL SPENDING

Beyond groceries, digital spending has surged in the past year, with 45 percent reporting more online purchases via smartphones and 41 percent buying more via their laptop. Previously, mobile shopping was below in-store options, but respondents say that their in-store shopping has decreased by roughly half.

The report finds that consumers across the globe are going out far less, which is leading them to spend less. To make up for the lost in-person access, roughly half are spending more time using social media and 56 percent are watching more television. And signs seem to suggest that people’s habits are likely to continue in the more digital-friendly direction even after social distancing practices have ended for good.

PwC says that, as a result, “companies with the technology and imagination to design great experiences in the home” are likely to excel in the given environment.

PwC’s Steve Barr, who heads up their global consumer markets department, says that the results show evidence that trends already on the rise have been pushed forth at an accelerated speed.

“While certain trends have been on the upswing for quite some time, our research shows that the pandemic has sharpened consumers’ desire for transparency, sustainability and convenience,” Barr said in a news release. “The companies that will reap the most rewards are the ones that have established trust with the consumer, invested in a seamless and frictionless end-to-end customer purchase journey and prioritized the consumers’ health and safety.”

This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Ernie Smith. 

A new survey from the HR tech firm Topia finds that workers want less busywork and fewer random perks—and instead want an employee experience that lets them show off their true personality.

When younger employees sign on with an employer, they don’t want to feel like they’re leaving themselves behind all for the sake of a job.

But when culture gives way to busywork and doesn’t let workers show their true selves, it can cause disillusionment—and that could soon lead those employees to start looking elsewhere.

This is the central idea of “Adapt or Lose the War for Talent: Why Your Employee Experience Needs an Upgrade”, a new report from HR technology company Topia, which finds that fewer than 20 percent of workers give their employer an exceptional rating for employee experience. Notably, general workers tend to give their employers lower experience ratings than HR employees do—implying a disconnect on the employee experience front for the rank and file. A reason for that, the report argues, is that the employee perks of old just don’t resonate anymore.

“The world of work is evolving, and employee expectations are evolving with it,” the report states. “Shifts in culture shape our values and priorities, and these changes are reflected in what people want from their employers. A decade ago, foosball tables and a kitchen full of snacks got candidates interested. Now, it’s less about perks and more about purpose.”

The trouble might be rooted in the complexity of basic upkeep, the report notes, with complicated tasks proving to be a major deterrent for many workers. More than a third of respondents (37 percent) say filing PTO requests is particularly annoying, while slightly less than a third are frustrated with the processes of understanding HR benefits (31 percent) and filing expense reports (29 percent). These menial tasks get in the way for many workers; just 41 percent of respondents call their HR tools “simple or easy” to use.

WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERS FOR EMPLOYEES

Of course, tools aren’t the only factor when it comes to employee experience. The study finds that many respondents think that the team will become more geographically distributed over time, with a wider range of backgrounds and experience—a trend likely to increase thanks to COVID-19. Accordingly, more than three quarters of respondents (76 percent) agree that it won’t matter so much if everyone is in the same location.

But one thing that will matter is a stronger focus on diversity and inclusion, something 79 percent of respondents say leads to more creativity and innovation. Despite this interest in stronger diversity, roughly a quarter of employees say they feel like they’re having to hide their political beliefs from their coworkers, while another quarter also say they have to hold back elements of their identity.

“Making diversity a priority is definitely important, but what is equally important is open tolerance of diversity—in all its forms,” the report adds.

In comments on the report, Meghan M. Biro, CEO and founder of TalentCulture, noted that the trend lines highlight the need for fewer perks and busywork, and more organizational support.

“HR teams must recognize and adapt to the reality that free lunches and foosball tables aren’t enough anymore, especially in a challenging year like 2020,” she said in a news release. “Employees want genuine opportunities, authenticity, and empathy from their employers.”

This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Ernie Smith. 

One association’s unwavering commitment to achieve a membership goal sustained it through a crisis, allowed it to reach its goal, and gave it a blueprint for future success.

The Association of Proposal Management Professionals was firing on all pistons headed toward a lofty goal of reaching a 10,000-member milestone when the pandemic struck. Instead of suspending membership dues, Rick Harris, APMP’s CEO, decided on a counterintuitive approach. He doubled down on the membership goal and kept moving forward, conducting business as usual.

APMP amped up promotional and outreach efforts, and members responded. “When things are so disturbing and upsetting, there’s a comfort in normality,” Harris said. “We took the approach: We’re all in this together and we’re all moving forward as a team, an association, and an industry.”

Harris recalled using a similar strategy after 9/11 when he was at the helm of a much larger association. During that crisis, some associations relaxed on membership, but Harris had a hunch that wasn’t the right approach. It was important to “work through the pain,” show continued engagement, and deliver value, he said. APMP encouraged members who were experiencing hardship to call if they needed help. Fewer than 10 people called.

Since COVID-19 arrived, APMP has increased its standard one webinar a month to as many as four per month. Harris’ team knew that members needed the influx of information on navigating the pandemic and combined that stepped-up content delivery with an ongoing membership push to 10K.

Their steadfast dedication paid off: They reached the milestone at the end of May. It was an impressive achievement—even more so because they did it in the midst of a pandemic. “Reaching the milestone was one of the most gratifying things that has happened to me in 32-plus years as an association executive,” Harris said.

A 10-YEAR EFFORT

APMP set the goal 10 years ago, and in nine of the 10 years it has experienced a 10 percent or higher growth in membership. Harris attributes this to leadership and staff buy-in—from top to bottom—and an absolute commitment to reaching the goal.

APMP branded everything with the 10K initiative. Every new staff member was asked to commit to the drive to reach 10,000 members, and the goal was formalized in the strategic plan. In making decisions about programs and other expenditures, the staff committed to looking at three things before investing even one dollar: Will the investment grow membership? Does it escalate the professional development of current members? How soon will we see a return on investment on the first two points?

Over time, the increase in membership began to fuel APMP’s financial growth. With more money, they could create more programming for members, which improved member retention: It was a circular process that board members understood, and it helped solidify their support.

THE SECRET SAUCE

Harris credits the book The Art of Membership by Sheri Jacobs as the guiding principle for reaching APMP’s membership goal. His main takeaway? “Keep membership front and center, and make it the center of your universe. Everything is ancillary after that.” For any association, particularly a small one, to grow, he said, “membership is your secret sauce.”

The upshot? Harris and his team will adjust their tactics based on what they have learned in the past several months and use that information to inform how they move forward. Harris said they learned their members want them close in a crisis, and they appreciated the additional content and support, so APMP will continue to be a beacon in the storm—and beyond.

Someone recently asked Harris what’s next. “Easy,” he said, “20K.”

This article was sourced directly from Associations Now here, and is written by Lisa Boylan. 

Beaumont People have a specialist team dedicated to servicing the Association and Membership sector. We are here to support you with all your recruitment, selection and strategic needs at speciality rates. The team of Louise, Jo and Kristina collectively have over 28 years’ experience in recruitment and HR and are passionate in supporting the growth of our sector.

The services we provide include 360 recruitment solutions for both temporary and permanent staff across all business functions including, Reception, Administration, Finance, HR, Membership, Marketing, Policy, Advocacy and Executive.  We work in a consultative approach, partnering with you to develop, build and refine staffing decisions and structure, through strategic advice and guidance. 

Let us know if you are interested in being part of one of our working groups, an opportunity to collaborate, share ideas and learn from your peers in the sector to help us collectively innovate and grow. We also provide a range of complimentary resources and tools including weekly webinars, articles, and videos for individuals and organisations alike. 

We also offer personalised career coaching and transition sessions, as well as a complimentary half day Recruitment and Selection workshop customised for Association’s to focus on building your knowledge of recruitment best practice. We give you tips and practical advice to ensure your future hiring success.

We are on hand everyday so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you want to know more, or even if it’s just to have a friendly chat!

Louise@beaumontpeople.com.au 

Jo@beaumontpeople.com.au 

kristina@beaumontpeople.com.au 

One of the biggest gripes we hear from association members is “old mate down the road is using the badge on his website, and he’s not even a member, so why am I paying for it?”

There was no easy way to police the use of your association logo.

With over a million new websites set up every single day, it is virtually impossible to control who is using your association badge.

Until Now.

You can now make your association badge exclusive to your members, giving your members the prestige and value, they deserve, and it is very simple to do.

Introducing Badge Secure™ a brand-new technology that gives you full control of who is using your logo and makes it almost impossible to steal, it is also a great tool for increasing membership and retention.

Imagine you want to “borrow” an association badge for your website, (as you know it has value), when you try to copy it from an association member’s website you get a message: “Logo protected by Badge Secure™ click here to join the association”.

I am sure you will be “impressed” that the association values its badge and the badge has even more value than you first thought, as a result you join the association.

Badge Secure™ can do this, and a lot more, such as automatically remove the badge from a members website if they don’t renew their membership, and if you want to change your logo, you can change the badge on all your members websites, with just 3 clicks. It is that simple.

To find out more about Badge Secure™ go to https://www.badgesecure.global/

The world-class chefs at the Brisbane Showgrounds have been putting their lunch-making skills to the test. On Monday 8 June they gathered in the Royal International Convention Centre kitchen to make more than 1,000 sandwiches for Eat Up. The not-for-profit organisation provides school lunches to students who would otherwise go hungry. The Brisbane Showgrounds chefs will now be making sandwiches each Monday.

Dr Matthew Miles was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the RACGP in July 2020 after an extensive national search.

A veterinarian by training, Matthew joined the RACGP after achieving great success working across the university, membership and not-for-profit sectors. He brings extensive leadership, executive management, media, finance, marketing, operations, sponsorship and fundraising experience to the RACGP CEO role.

With a deep understanding of and respect for the role GPs play in supporting community health, Matthew brings his wide-ranging business leadership, government relations, change management and business development skills to lead and strengthen the RACGP.

Matthew has a Bachelor of Veterinary Science undergraduate degree from the University of Queensland and spent over 10 years as a veterinary clinician in Australia, the UK and Singapore.
He is a former member of the Royal College Veterinary Surgeons in London and a Chartered Member of the Australian Veterinary Association.

He is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management and a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He has an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management, for which he received a coveted distinction average.

Matthew is married with two children and is based in Sydney.

Article sourced from: https://www.racgp.org.au/the-racgp/governance/executive