Organizations and workers were thrust into a transformational change that left both work and home environments in a state of chaos. The need to understand the impact of the shift from the traditional workplace to a hybrid world provides you with the opportunity to realign and navigate how we work.Traditional work/life balance strategies will need to shift to a more integrated lifestyle to support the hybrid working model.

1. “We are a Human Behaviour organisation that uses Technology to
Priority Management South Africa
Karen Hardman l Director
+27 82 883 0332
karen@prioritymanagement.c
o.za
www.prioritymanagement.com

2. Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.c
o.za
+27 82 883 0332
Founded
in 1980
Offices
in 55
Locations
2 Million
Global
Participa
nts

3. “We are a Human Behaviour organisation that uses Technology to
Module 1
Fundamentals of Working in a
Hybrid World

4. Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.c
o.za
+27 82 883 0332
The Root Cause
• Remote work was a solution to ensure Safety of employees in
response to the Pandemic.
• This brought about change that would have happened over a 10-
year period.
• A slower introduction would have given workplace chance to
adapt to new way of work.
• Priority Management has seen Hybrid working models tested prior
to the Pandemic.
• This was a response to requests from 40-year-old and under
workers.

5. Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.c
o.za
+27 82 883 0332
What Should be in Place?
• Ability to Excel in the following Key Performance Areas is
essential;
1.
Self-
Management
• Self-directed
• Work with
minimum
supervision
• Make decisions
2.
Working Well
with Others
• Build
relationships
• Facilitate
communication
&
collaboration
3.
Asset/Resourc
e Management
• Find and use
all available
resources
4.
Task /
Activity
Management
• Work on the
right task at
the right time
for the right
reason

6. Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.c
o.za
+27 82 883 0332
Best Practices
• Set clear, specific standards regarding collaboration and
communication.
• Encourage your Team to plan.
• Leverage your Technology.
• Ensure Hybrid world is effective with policies and stands for
both remote and office environments.
• Create a playbook with the team.
• Improve team members ability to self-manage with clear,
collaborative performance measurement structure.
• Encourage team to build Working Relationships.
• Develop and communicate clear Human Resources policies and
procedures to promote consistently in changing work
environment.

7. “We are a Human Behaviour organisation that uses Technology to
Module 2
Self-Management in a Hybrid
World

8. Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.c
o.za
+27 82 883 0332
What is Self-Management?
• Ability to control your behaviors, thoughts, and emotions
in a productive way that helps you achieve your goals.
• Self-management goes hand-in-hand with emotional
intelligence.
• Those with excellent self-management skills collaborate
well with others, communicate clearly when they need
support, and have a positive mental attitude to keep
their team’s spirits high.

9. Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.c
o.za
+27 82 883 0332
Essential Self-Management Skills
Consistent self-motivation
• Productive, Engaging, and Collaborative people know how to
self-motivate for a challenge.
• Especially in a remote-working world, feeding off the energy of
others is difficult, so you need to be able to elevate both
your own and your team’s motivation levels.
Better time management
• Use your time effectively. This requires different discipline
when working from home versus in the office, as distractions
and interactions are different.
• Break up your day. When you work remotely, video calls can
quickly drain your time. Try using timeboxing to break your day
into different activity types to help you strike a balance
between meetings and personal work.

10. Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.c
o.za
+27 82 883 0332
Use your Technology Tools effectively to Manage Workload (MS
Outlook or MS Teams)

11. Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.c
o.za
+27 82 883 0332
An ability to adapt to change
• Self-managers who deal with change the best are the ones who
can pivot to a new solution without their emotions taking over.
• Learning how to manage change helps you manage your own
emotions too.
• When changing your plans, it’s important to keep control of the
situation, align with everyone around you, and press on
quickly.
Resilience & stress management
• If you manage your stress level effectively, you’ll be better
positioned to manage your time, build relationships, and
perform at your maximum.
• Keep your space clean and organized.
• Staying organized helps give you a clear head to tackle
pressure and stress head-on.

12. Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.c
o.za
+27 82 883 0332
Goal setting, alignment, and achievement
• Have the vision of what needs to be achieved and then the
discipline and self-management to stay on track.
• Not all goals are equal. Big goals are delivered through
little steps. Break your goals down into smaller tasks to keep
you moving forward in the right direction.
• With every task you do, ask yourself how it contributes to the
purpose to ensure you are aligned.
Getting role clarity
• Role Clarity important if you want to master self-management.
• To manage your productivity, you need to fully understand what
you need to do?
• Speak to your manager to define what’s in and out of scope for
your role.

13. 13
Why Planning Helps Manage Stress
• Putting the future into a perpetual holding pattern tough on mental health.
• Studies have shown strong ties between an unclear future and anxiety.
• Scheduling helps limit stress through a cognitive process called proactive coping
• Planning alleviates anxiety by dealing with cognitive clutter.
• A model of mental processing called cognitive load theory indicates that the human
brain processes a limited amount of information at any given time.
• This clutter is known as the ‘Zeigarnik effect’. Named for a Russian psychologist who
first wrote about the effect in the late 1920s.
• Unfulfilled goals tend to persist in people’s minds. There’s a lot going on in the
unconscious.
• All these unresolved thoughts and objectives – pile onto our cognitive load. That can
quickly become overwhelming, which breeds anxiety and causes intrusive thoughts

14. 14
“We are a Human Behaviour organisation that uses Technology to enable the change”
Module 3
Working Well with Others in a Hybrid World

15. 15
Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.co.za
+27 82 883 0332
Best Practices
• Maximise the ability to collaborate. Create opportunities to support. Work well
together. Build trust and psychological safety.
• Seek first to understand before being understood.
• Clarify expectations and establish what engagement looks like.
• Clarify expectations and establish what success looks like.
• Take time to celebrate the team and individuals.

16. 16
Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.co.za
+27 82 883 0332
Team Interactions
• Unconscious biases: social stereotypes about people that individuals form outside their
own conscious awareness.
• Proximity biases: employees with proximity to their team and leaders will be
perceived as better workers and ultimately find more success.
• Civility: Workers are respectful and considerate in their interactions with
each other, as well as customers, clients and the public. Based on
showing esteem, care and consideration for other and
acknowledging their dignity.
• Influencing: Interactive process to build relationships with people that will lead
to change of idea or behaviour without using force or authority.
• Psychological safety: being able to show oneself without fear of negative consequences.
Psychologically safe team's feel accepted and respected.

17. 17
Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.co.za
+27 82 883 0332
Building Relationships
Make the Most of Your Time In-Office
• Being in the office together is an opportunity for building relationships at work.
• Planning team activities and meetings on in office days helps colleagues connect.
Important for collaboration, productivity, and company culture.
Encourage Virtual Watercooler Chat
• Engaging in casual conversations similar to those that occur around the office water
cooler build relationships.
• Consider setting up online chat groups on Microsoft Teams by creating a dedicated
Watercooler channel for non-work-related topics.
Make Virtual Meetups a Regular Habit
• Consider setting up specific days or times each week to meet online.
• Maintaining a set schedule lets everyone know when to expect the meetup, making
them more likely to participate.
• Encourage team members to take turns hosting and choosing activities to keep things
fresh and engaging.

18. 18
Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.co.za
+27 82 883 0332
Analysers
Analytical, logical and
Problem solving
• Try to be patient with
people you think are
fluffy.
• Recognise that other
personalities need team
building activities
Players
Curious impulsive and
Playful
• Listen more & speak less
• Don’t take on too many
projects
• Don’t interrupt people
and finish their sentences
for the.
Safekeepers
Practical, Careful &
Organized
• Not everyone has the
same ordered mind as
you
• Consider that change
may be beneficial
Carers
Sensitive, spiritual &
emotional
• Willing to make decisions
based on fact not emotion
• Recognize some “bottom
line” decisions have to be
made.
• Don’t take it personally
if someone disagrees
Team Communication: Learn what Makes your Team Click

19. 19
“We are a Human Behaviour organisation that uses Technology to enable the change”
Module 4
Managing Human Assets, Tasks & Activities

20. 20
Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.co.za
+27 82 883 0332
Building Resilience in a Hybrid World
What is resilience?
• The ability to recover from a challenge and to
use that challenge as a learning opportunity.
• In the workplace, resilience can mean solving
problems, facing challenges and recovering
from mistakes.
How does resilience impact the
workplace?
• Encourages a positive work environment and
enables employees to feel more confident
and mentally tough.
• Ways that resilience can make a positive
impact on the workplace:
- Increases productivity
- Creates leaders
- Encourages adaptability

21. 21
Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.co.za
+27 82 883 0332
Tips for building resilience
• Develop positive habits. Work-life balance and taking time to care for yourself could
help you remain more positive at work. Try to get enough sleep and manage your
stress.
• Reflect on challenges. Reflect on the situation so that you're more knowledgeable next
time. Reflect on what components of the situation made you emotional and what
decisions were most effective.
• Embrace a positive attitude. The more passionate and engaged you are at work, the
better you may be able to navigate unexpected circumstances.
• Build trust with your manager and colleagues. Strong relationship with the people you
work with could help you feel more comfortable taking risks and developing solutions
with them.
• Focus on what you can control. Remember that you're only responsible for your
response to the circumstances.
• Take breaks. Controlling burnout is vital when building resilience. Take regular breaks
in your workday and take advantage of any time off you may receive to rest and
unplug from work.

22. 22
Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.co.za
+27 82 883 0332
Managing Tasks & Activities in a Hybrid World
Create a single Screen for fixed time commitments using Outlook (Tasks & Calendar)

23. 23
Displaying The To-Do Bar in the Calendar View
• In your Calendar, click the View tab. Click the To-Do Bar button and check Tasks

24. 24
Displaying Your Daily Task List
• On the View tab click the Daily Task List button, then check normal. (make sure you are
not in month view)

25. 25
Setting up Tasks

26. 26
Opening in Calendar
• Click the File tab, then click
Options in the panel on the left.
• Outlook Options dialog box
appears.
• Click Advanced in the panel on
the left, and under Outlook start
and exit, click Browse, select
Calendar. Click OK.

27. Karen Hardman
karen@priortymanagement.c
o.za
+27 82 883 0332
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