Right now, many companies are facing up to the challenge of temporarily changing how their people work – putting in place travel bans and remote working requirements as part of their efforts to help stop the spread of coronavirus.

Like a snow-day, the novelty of the situation soon wears off, and people across the globe (particularly in China and Hong Kong, where people have been facing this situation far longer) are struggling to make the situation work. Put simply, most of us just don’t know how to work effectively outside of the office. 

We’ve dedicated this week’s podcast (and some of our wider sharing with the business community) to this area – Jane, Chris and the team have been producing support materials for organisations wanting to help people remain connected, positive and effective. In this burst we share some quick tips and thinking to get people into the right mindset for remote working and virtual collaboration.

There’s more to come on this – we are determined to do our bit and help people in this difficult period. Keep an eye on our social feeds for more tips and tools, and take a moment to sign up to our upcoming web-cast on this topic.

2020 has made a dramatic entrance, with a number of world events putting the issues of global warming, climate change and carbon reduction at the very front of all of our minds. The changes needed run through every culture – local, national, global and, critically, organisational. To make lasting shifts that will slow global warming, we need organisations to take significant action. 

We got the opportunity to find out how one company – Standard Chartered Bank – is driving this change with its shifting focus onto ethical investment. Samantha Bramley, Director, Environmental and Social Risk Management, joined us on our latest Deep-Dive podcast to talk about how the bank is re-focusing on ethical issues and the impact this is having on the organisation.

Samantha draws out a story of change that it compelling and cause for hope. The impact of her and the wider team’s work is major, both for the organisations they fund and for the culture of the bank. They’ve started a positive movement that is changing the way people think and act. And that can only be a good thing.

As we all wind down to the end of 2019, to the end of a decade and enter what will no doubt be a very interesting period, we wanted to share five things you can do for yourself and those around you. They are small things to help prepare for the festive period and to set yourself on the right track for 2020.

Chris and Jane share their five top tips for you – they are easy, positive and ones you can involve others in. Simple ideas around staying hydrated, saying thank you and getting your 2020 To Do list off to a flying start.

Enjoy them, try them and have a great festive season.

The Bank of Me team

Heather Golding is the founder of TonyG – a company that has created branding and campaign materials for some of the world’s biggest retail brands. Every listener will have experienced their outputs in some way, their work with global brands appears on our high streets and in stores across the world.

We took some time to talk to Heather in her Warwickshire office and, helped by the local birdlife, we asked her to share views on creating creative cultures. Her take on this hard-to-grasp area is as surprising as it is practical. It’s not about slides, music or targets, it’s about trust, playfulness and great leadership.

To get you started, Heather shares her three tips on building creative organisations, and how to bring in people not normally given the ‘creative’ label. She’s a delight to talk and listen to – we loved recording this, and think you will love listening to it

It’s Stress Awareness Day, and there are many conversations and ideas around the topic – causes, symptoms and (critically) cures. Inevitably the majority of this will focus on the workplace. It’s a sad state that stress in our careers has become such a presence – there’s no doubt that it has only increased in the last decade.

However, it’s also heartening that it’s a topic we are more comfortable talking about (as with mental health, which is a close conspirator with stress). It’s something we constantly raise through our work, taking about the causes and the cost, but also how, in an adult way, we can tackle it. We will never have a stress-free world, but managing what stress we do allow in our lives is an important coping factor. In this Burst, Jane shares thinking and practical ideas on this pertinent topic.

We wholly support the increased focus on personal, team and organisational wellbeing. Supporting individuals to work and live their lives in ways that deposit into their personal bank account (keeping them in the ‘black’ in our terms) creates cultures that sustainably achieve business targets, are amazing places to work and attract the best talent.

But it’s also a confusing area – what is and isn’t ‘in scope’ for wellbeing, and where to begin? Jane Sparrow shares how we outline wellbeing, and the areas we see as critical to focus on. As we say, ‘it’s not rocket science, it’s people science’. And we can all do it.

Rapid international growth is a major challenge for many young organisations. Aside from the inevitable logistics, one of the most frequent issues (or indeed opportunities) is the cultural differences that are encountered as companies move into new markets and territories.

This has been the case for DAZN – the first OTT live sports broadcaster – as it seeks to rapidly build a global brand from a UK base. Joining us on the Bank of Me podcast this episode is their SVP of Talent and Resourcing, Suzana Thurston. She has been at the sharp-end of this growth – sourcing and developing a 3,000 strong workforce – and has seen first-hand how the blend of Asian, European and American cultures has developed.

Owen, who has been working with DAZN to help managers work through the complexity of international-management, took some time with Suzana to talk through the journey and challenges and successes that the company has experienced.

Passion today, passion tomorrow, energy from people – Jane Sparrow shares the three questions she encourages the leaders and teams to consider when they are facing long-term challenges and change.

During these times it’s easy for things to grind us down, to lose sight of the positives and to be drained by the tasks at hand. In this short podcast Jane gives some practical tips on fuelling your ‘Bank Account’  and finishing a challenging work thinking ‘I learnt and grew’.

For this episode Jane is joined by Steve Thorn, Executive Director, Digital at Civica. We’ve been wanting to feature him on a podcast for some time – he’s long been a source of inspiration for us and his experience and approach to his career is something we are always keen to share.

Steve has the most amazing tips and stories on leadership – from the names and roles of 272 people aboard a Royal Navy ship to the ’25 names game’ – his approach to managing and growing people helps him, and others, overcome the challenges we all face when working in large teams. In particular, he shares his ideas on ensuring virtual teams work well together – many of his pieces of advice will have you slapping your forehead at your own lack of ingenuity to think up the things Steve puts forwards.

There’s a reason why we’ve featured him in both books, and there’s a reason why you will love every minute of this podcast. So, sit back and let Steve share some of the best advice you will ever be given.