Managers Meet Ups — our reflections from 2020
By: Managers Meet Ups
Tags: People Management, Management And Leadership, 2020 Reflection, Fundraising, Charity

In April this year, like lots of other people on #FundraisingTwitter, the pair of us connected. We got talking about our situations at work. At first, we talked about the important topic of supporting the return of our fundraisers who had been on furlough; managing teams we’d not been there to support through a really difficult time and bringing team members back successfully from furlough.

We realised that whilst we were in different situations, many of our concerns were similar and so surely other fundraising managers would be feeling the same way?

It turned out, they were.

We set up “managers meet ups”; a safe space forum for people managers to come together to discuss current situations and future challenges. We didn’t have the answers, but we knew that with more people, more anchor points of perspective, we stood a better chance of muddling through the island of the unknown. We were all in the same storm, but very different boats.

As the year went on and we held more sessions, we covered other topics such as wellbeing, managing redundancies, managing changes to our own roles and harnessing the good things to have come out through lockdown.

We’ve been really fortunate to have been joined by some brilliant people during our Managers Meet Ups. Wellbeing legend Claire Warner, helped us to facilitate the sessions and contributed loads of helpful perspectives to our conversations, making sure that wellbeing was a golden thread throughout. As did humanity hero Wayne Murray, who offered us invaluable perspectives around human centered strategy. Wayne helped us to remember that at the heart of everything we were dealing with, were human beings.

Here are the reflections we took from our first five Managers Meet Ups and our experience of 2020:

Wellbeing

This turned out to be a thread through all our conversations. Living with the current high levels of uncertainty takes an emotional toll. Looking after ourselves first and foremost was something we needed to do more of. Claire Warner reminded us that we couldn’t pour from an empty cup. As a manager, you are also a direct report, ensure you are getting the support you need. Lead by example — take your lunch break, work the hours you are supposed to, drink more water. By working within boundaries you not only protect yourself, but set a positive precedent for your team too.

We ran a poll in one of the conversations and the results showed that we all felt relatively well supported by our managers, but we also felt that we should have done more to support our team members on furlough. One key takeaway we have got from this experience is that we are our own biggest critic. Come to terms with the fact that this is new territory for us all: and still will be as we move into 2021. We have and will make mistakes along the way, because we’re human. You can’t understand every member of your teams’ experiences throughout 2020, they differ far too much. But actively trying to understand goes a really long way.

Give yourself a break — no one has managed people through a global pandemic before, it’s new for us all, there is no handbook.

Communication is key

Giving your team the opportunity to share their experiences has been, and will continue to be key to creating an understanding of what 2020 was like for them. One manager talked of a ‘Share your war story’ survey that gave furloughed and non-furloughed staff an anonymous opportunity to share their experience of lockdown. The results were published internally for all to read and helped to develop empathy around other experiences.

Whatever your experience has been during 2020, it has been really tough. Acknowledging that, helping your team to understand that, and creating opportunities to share is vital. Nobody has had an easier ride. Avoiding comparison and fostering community instead will be essential as we move forward together.

During one session, Wayne shared that listening to staff is often something that is used as a tactic, rather than something that is done with genuine intent. Don’t go through the motions — actively engage, listen more. Ask your team how they are, and then ask how they really are. Don’t prompt responses, you don’t always need to offer advice. Especially if you don’t have experience in the things that are concerning your direct reports. Ask people what support they need, don’t just assume you know. Check in more regularly, particularly with those who live alone with little other support around them.

Returning from furlough

The formation of Managers Meet Ups was primarily about the challenges around our teams returning from furlough — we knew it was going to be a daunting process.

We heard feelings of shame and guilt about furlough, with returnees concerned that they won’t bring value to their organisation when returning to such a different landscape. With careful planning, we, as people managers, can go some way to support our teams who may feel like this and can continue to do this to support those still on furlough…

Plan their first few weeks back as thoroughly as you’d plan a new starter induction. Create a strong re-cap of changes that have happened and things they might have missed. Support your team to ease back in gently with 2–3 days at a slower pace. Thank those who have been on furlough for contributing to savings; it may not have been their choice to be furloughed, but they did their bit by doing it. It wasn’t a holiday, it will have been an emotional journey for many. They will be pleased to know it served a valued purpose — the survival of their organisation.

One manager moved people away from the pressure of job descriptions and focused on what needs doing specifically right now — offering relevant support if needed, to help them work flexibly.

Harnessing the good things

There have been so many changes to our organisations that have been for the better; faster decision making, less hierarchy, shared learning, stronger relationships and slicker cross team working. How do we make sure that we don’t slip back to “the way things always were”?

Share experiences and feelings from 2020 from across the team to create a blueprint of how you want your team to work going forward.

When creating your blueprint for the future, ask:

What has changed that you want to keep?

If you were furloughed, what can you not imagine being in place now that was before you were furloughed?

If that’s not in place, how do the people who have worked throughout feel about that…is it working better?

Take yourself back nine months, can you imagine coming to work and not having X,Y and Z, how would that have made you feel then?

What do you miss?

Foster a supportive environment during this discussion by reminding everybody of how the others might be feeling.