21st Century Work Life

Today's episode brings you just two in-depth sections – we like to mix things up for you, and some subjects deserve a deeper dive. So we're pairing a great interview about culture in a distributed organisation, with a discussion about the time we spend at work. What do you think about the format? Please tell us, in our listener survey! https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/hello 04:35 Work-life: Inter...

This week the tide is turning. We're talking 'bout a revolution – bring on remote work! It's making the world a better place. Don't forget to tell us what you think, at https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/hello - and we really enjoyed your feedback on the previous episode, continuing the great 'home-workers dress code' debate… Are you Team Pyjamas, or vehemently opposed to such a travesty?  Have you...

Pilar is taking flexible working to the shores of Eastern Spain this week! A good viewpoint from which to reflect on facilitation, and the differences involved in this practice, from training and coaching. We hope you agree, and we're always curious to hear your feedback, but right now we're asking you about it especially in a survey – please could you spare 5 minutes, to check out http://virtualn...

Really connecting with our core consulting work at Virtual Not Distant, today is all about virtual teams – we talk about the idea of 'virtual distance', and how there are many ways that distance and closeness can be created. Also coming soon, look out for Pilar's book, Online Meetings that R.O.C.K . – expanded and advanced and taking longer than expected due to fantastic insightful feedback from b...

In today's busy episode we look at the networks and constellations that surround us in our work, the human kind and the virtual respectively. Some great guests and conversations come your way, as we connect with unique expertise in the remote working space.   And special thanks to previous guest Gant Laborde for sending us some great new connections, as well his own podcast Building Infinite Red -...

A shorter number of longer sections for today, including an extended featured interview looking at some of the difficulties behind the kind of working we love best. Don't forget to tell us what YOU love best, by tweeting @VirtualTeamW0rk, or visiting virtualnotdistant.com.  04.28 The Voice Behind The Blog : Gant Laborde Today's "voice" is Gant Laborde, author of an article entitled  5 Things that...

Fickle Friday episodes include a mini-rant by Pilar. Today's episode is all about adapting generic advice to your context, and why I'm starting the "unmuting movement". 

Today we return to our regular format, and bring you a featured interview with Alison Jones, a wellbeing segment, a handy tool, and our thought-piece "oh no, my team's gone remote!" If you have an interest in remote and flexible working, there' still time to sign up to Virtual Team Talk's "Internal Affair" – where you'll also get a little free taste of Virtual Not Distant team coaching activities...

These are some of the questions we didn't get to answer during a recent webinar on Leading Remote Teams.  How do you cope with different cultures when working remotely - eg. a team I'm working with has people in Germany, Switzerland and India and can have a clash of cultures which are difficult to express remotely. What about cultures reluctant/not familiar sharing about their opinions on private/...

Intro Today we look at working on the move - we have some great perspectives on this, from professional networks to remote conferences to Gig Teams. Look out for our new fortnightly schedule, as we continue to bring you information-packed magazine-style episodes. And there's lots going on at Virtual Not Distant, so do come and visit us – virtualnotdistant.com , check out our range of specialist se...

Lots going on at Virtual Not Distant right now! Don't forget the upcoming webinar, there's still time to book for the 6th June – all about confident and successful leadership in remote teams https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/blog/webinar-remote-teams-how-to-lead-them-confidently-and-successfully Look out too for announcements about our in-house podcasting service, and also for Pilar's podcast abou...

We have a packed show for you today, looking at strategies and tactics for successfully "working out loud" – We hope you're enjoying our new-style podcast format, we'd love to hear what you think, do tweet us @VirtualTeamW0rk, or just pay us a visit at https://virtualnotdistant.com And don't forget, booking is open for our great FREE webinar in June, in collaboration with Trainingzone -   https://...

We are continuing to mix things up with our new format, and today's podcast also revisits some earlier recordings and articles - we have so much great content in the archives at https://virtualnotdistant.com , so don't forget to visit us there soon! In the introduction, Pilar talks about podcasting with Richard McKinnon who we featured back in October 2017 when we talked about psychological flexib...

Welcome to our new format, magazine-style show!  We hope you like it, and d on't forget to visit https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/ , for more great content, and information about our wide range of services for remote teams. Today's episode is all about staying healthy, whilst working flexibly. 03.40: Feature interview: Paul Read, the Teapot Monk , Paul teaches TaiChi online at t eapotmonk.com, an...

The last of our audio blogs, as next week we'll launch the new show format! In this article, we are reminded that people on remote teams also get sick, but that sick-leave might be more difficult to take.  These links might be of interest to you: https://fitforwork.org/ https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/podcasts/psychological-safety This is the audio version of one of our blog posts.  You can read...

A short update on how we're getting on with the new format, followed straight by the audio version of one of our blog posts.  Some people don't like to brag about their achievements. Some managers don't want to disturb their team members and so, they rarely check in. This results in missed opportunities for recognition and development.  To read the post, visit: https://www.virtualnotdistant.com/bl...

Be honest: how often do you find the time to give and receive feedback in your team? In remote teams, it's very easy to avoid these kind of conversations, when they are some of the most valuable input we can receive from our team members. In this audio blog post we recommend a few ways in which you can embed feedback systems into your team's communications.  This is the audio version of one of our...

In this episode, Pilar explains why the structure of the podcast is changing and the plans we have for the content. Also, you can now find the podcast in Spotify and as an Alexa skill. Plus, we're thinking of launching an in-house podcast service for companies making the transition to remote, looking for creative ways of keeping the workforce connected.  Do send us suggestions for content or any q...

Should technology replace trust? Are there ways of using technology so that we don't have to rely on trust to get the work done in remote teams? How much do we need to trust each other and how much should we show our work? We try to answer these questions in today's episode. visit www.virtualnotdistant.com Are we going back to the good ol' days of clocking in and out by using timetracking software...

Does time tracking software have a place in remote work? Pilar talks to Rob Rawson, CEO of Time Doctor. visit www.virtualnotdistant.com In the introduction, Pilar mentions this article: The CEO of Kronos on Launching an Unlimited Vacation Policy https://hbr.org/2017/11/the-ceo-of-kronos-on-launching-an-unlimited-vacation-policy and refers to this video by Crossover: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

Penny Pullan, author of "Virtual Leadership" talks to Pilar about how project teams operate in the virtual world and the skillset that individuals need to lead them. visit www.virtualnotdistant.com Penny is the author of Virtual Leadership: Practical Strategies for Getting the Best Out of Virtual Work and Virtual Teams Penny's story, how she was thrown into the deep end of virtual work. What does...

There are many valid reasons for resisting going remote in your team, but today we cover those reasons based on myths and common misconceptions about personalities suited to remote work and communication. visit www.virtualnotdistant.com We start with the one piece of often misquoted research, something that really frustrates Pilar in particular: 1) 93% of communication is non-verbal. The assumptio...

What factors in the workplace affect where we choose to work with others? Dr Kerstin Sailer and Ros Pomeroy from BrainyBirdz talk to Pilar about what they're finding out in their experiments. visit www.virtualnotdistant.com What factors in the workplace affect where we choose to work with others? Dr Kerstin Sailer and Ros Pomeroy from BrainyBirdz talk to Pilar about what they're finding out in the...

We continue talking about co-working, this time with Bernie J. Mitchell, who tells us about engineering connections between members of co-working spaces. visit www.virtualnotdistant.com   From freelancing to supporting freelancers. The journey from visitor to key staff member Bernie's role in WorkHubs is connecting people. "Helping people finding their voice with each other." "Finding ways of conn...

Have coworking spaces lost their initial purpose? Maya and Pilar discuss three recent articles about co-working: the diverse types of co-working spaces available, the move of corporations into the co-working space and whether blockchain might well bring back the original spirit of co-working. visit www.virtualnotdistant.com We love co-working spaces because they allow people to choose to work in s...