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Working remotely? Run effective meetings with Fellow.

To hold effective meetings, you must know why they're necessary in the first place. Here are 5 reasons why team meetings are crucial to your team's success.

'Meetings suck', 'Stop the meeting madness', and 'Death by meeting' ☠️.

Those are some of the titles that show up when you search for the term "meetings" online. And it seems to be a common sentiment in workplaces.

It's no secret that team meetings get a bad reputation... but the best managers are still having them. Why? Because they know that meetings are one of the most effective tools to showcase their leadership, make important decisions, and strengthen relationships across their team.

"Meetings are there for you to both push information (share news, changes, key messages) and pull information (gather feedback, check the team's temperature, and hear fears and rumors that haven't made it to you otherwise), especially when that information requires additional context," says Lara Hogan in the book Resilient Management.

In this post, we'll show you why all the advice saying that team meetings are terrible is wrong, because bringing people together to align team goals is one of the most important things you can do as their boss.

To hold effective meetings, you need to know why they're necessary in the first place. Here are five reasons why team meetings are an indispensable part of your team's success:

1 Ensure that the team is aligned

Well-structured, efficient team meetings help you ensure that all team members understand their role and the priorities they should be focusing on.

"The most important thing in growing a company or team is to, of course focus on getting things done," says Steven Sinofsky, partner at the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. "There is no doubt that a group of people not meeting will get a lot of stuff done. It can be said with equal confidence, however, that by not meeting the stuff that will get done will lack cohesiveness, quality, and a shared set of values - the wrong stuff."

Rather than being productivity killers or time-sucks (as a lot of people frame them), weekly team meetings can help increase productivity by helping everyone on the team prioritize their tasks for the upcoming week.

"An effective staff meeting has three goals," says Kim Scott in the book Radical Candor. "It reviews how things have gone the previous week, allows people to share important updates, and forces the team to clarify the most important decisions and debates for the coming week."

Your teammates make a lot of decisions every day. Reviewing key metrics and agreeing on next steps will help you ensure that everyone is working on impactful priorities. It's an effective use of time.

2 Strengthen relationships and team cohesion

In the book High Output Management, Andy Grove outlines the five categories in Maslow's hierarchy of needs: physiological, safety, social, recognition, and self-actualization.

As a manager, you'll implement and facilitate many initiatives to make sure that those five needs are met. One of those initiatives are regular team meetings:

"The social needs stem from the inherent desire of human beings to belong to some group or other," says Grove. "But people don't want to belong to just any group; they need to belong to one whose members possess something in common with themselves."

By hosting regular team meetings, you'll create a culture of shared values and open communication. These meetings should be a safe space where the team learns about each other's preferences, discusses new ideas, and develops a sense of belonging.

"Staff meetings are where a group of peers get to know each other, and where the presence of a common supervisor helps peer interaction to develop," says Grove.

Connections are the heart and soul of how teams function and company cultures are born. These connections begin with your one-on-ones and team meetings.

Better 1-on-1s and team meetings

We built an app to help you have more effective 1-on-1s and team meetings, exchange feedback, and track goals - all in one place! Try it for free at www.fellow.app

3 Share information and encourage an open discussion

Even though some updates can be shared via email or communication tools such as Slack, informational meetings can be more effective than bulletin boards, mailing lists, and group posts when communicating controversial ideas.

"Sensitive, difficult, or surprise information-like the context for a big roadmap upheaval, a staffing change, or anything else that involves managing emotions-is best communicated in person first (and followed up with an email)," argues Lara Hogan. "This way, you can pivot your message based on the questions or reactions in the room, and you can add extra color with your words, your body language, and your tone of voice."

In The Making of a Manager, Julie Zhuo argues that a great informational meeting is interactive, conveys a message clearly, and evokes an intended emotion - whether inspiration, trust, pride, courage, or empathy.

"For example, if you want everyone to know about a potentially controversial policy change, sharing that news in person allows the group to ask questions or express their reactions," says Zhuo. The second benefit is that a well-prepared informational meeting is usually a lot more interesting than a bunch of words on a page."

4 Exchange feedback about projects and ideas

In a talk titled Running an Effective Staff Meeting, Claire Hughes Johnson (COO of Stripe) argues that there's an exception to the " praise publicly and criticize privately " rule: exchanging project feedback during team meetings.

"There is criticizing an idea, and there is criticizing a person or a behaviour," says Hughes Johnson. "Let's fight it out in public and say we disagree with each other about an idea or an action we're going to take, that's not a personal criticism."

Team meetings are the ideal scenario to discuss ideas and exchange feedback about team projects and work in progress:

"Sometimes, this might end with an uneventful 'this looks fine.' Other times, the feedback can result in significant deviations from the plan," says Julie Zhuo.

According to Zhuo, a great feedback meeting gets everyone on the same page about what success for the project looks like, clearly frames key decisions and known concerns, and ends with agreed-upon next steps (including when the next check-in will be). These are all things you can do at your recurring team meeting.

5 Showcase leadership and motivate your fellow teammates

Finally, one very important benefit of team meetings is that they're a space where you can put into practice most of the skills we think about when we speak about great managers (or supermanagers):

Building psychological safety

Setting goals and motivating

Keeping employees engaged

Communicating effectively

Driving accountability

Unblocking issues

And more...

Team meetings empower managers to "rally the troops" and ensure that the team feels heard and motivated.

"How does a manager motivate his subordinates?" asks Andy Grove in High Output Management. "Motivation has to come from within somebody. Accordingly, all a manager can do is create an environment in which motivated people can flourish."

💡 Pro tip: Use Fellow.app to create a shared meeting agenda and ask for feedback to ensure that everyone is benefitting from your team meetings.

I don't think team meetings deserve the bad reputation that they get. After all, they are one of the only moments when managers can ensure that their team is working on the right things, develop a culture of trust, and motivate everyone to do their job well.

As Paul Axtell, author of Meetings Matter argues, a quality experience meeting leaves attendees feeling connected, valued, and fulfilled. That's exactly how every employee should feel after your weekly team meeting.

"High-quality conversations with broad participation allow people to get to know each other in ways that lead to friendship and collaboration," says Axtell. "It's the act of being with other people in an attentive, caring way that helps us feel that we are all in this together. Crafting a quality experience in your meetings takes time, but it's worth it."

About Fellow.app

Fellow helps managers and their teams have more effective 1-on-1s and team meetings, exchange feedback, and track goals - all in one place!

Try it for free - your team will thank you 😉

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The 5 Crucial Benefits of a Well-Run Team Meeting - Fellow.app

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Working remotely? Run effective meetings with Fellow. To hold effective meetings, you must know why they're necessary in the first place. Here are 5 reasons why team meetings are crucial to your team's success. 'Meetings suck', 'Stop the meeting madness', and 'Death by meeting' ☠️.

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#1. Keep everyone informed

Lack of information can be very harmful to an organization. This can result in failure of the managers to share vital information with the members. Whether it is face-to-face or online meeting, every member of the organization will have a chance to participate.

#2. Solve problems

It is hard to solve a major issue single-handedly. A manager may be struggling for a solution to the business problem only to find that the worker can fix the issue. In this case, a team meeting can provide an opportunity for members to share their problems and concerns. In fact, it will save an organization the effort and time of tackling the business challenges.

#3. Promote leadership

It can be very challenging to lead people who are not behind you. In this case, leaders can use team meetings to engage with the followers and create positive work environment.

#4. Opportunity for performance feedback

Members can use team meeting to offer feedback to each other. In this case, the staff can talk directly to each other when there is a problem. They can share their concerns to those involved instead of gossiping behind other people’s back. Also, team meetings provide a perfect opportunity for managers to do appraisals. Direct feedback will let the members know if they have done the job well or need improvement.

#5. Provide training opportunities

Members of an organization can take advantage of the training opportunities offered in the team meeting. Most of the successful organizations bring external speakers and experts to discuss specific topics. Moreover, the members can have the opportunity to learn from the fellow staffs that have expertise in specific areas. Whether it is a physical meeting or virtual meeting, the members will get great opportunities for training.

#6. Room for innovation

A team meeting provides a perfect opportunity for members to showcase their new ideas. The meeting is not just about problems, but the members will share their dreams and suggestions. In this case, the team will work together to turn the dreams into reality.

#7. Compliance with policies

Team meeting provides the members with time to review the policies and operating procedures of an organization. In this case, the leaders will have a chance to know if the rules are being followed. Also, the team meeting provides an opportunity to modify, edit, or update the existing policies.

#8. Bonding and celebration

Whether holding an online or face-to-face team meeting, the members will get a chance to bond with each other. Besides forming the friendship, the staff will have a chance to celebrate their personal and professional achievements. This will improve not only cohesion but also the dedication of the members to the mission of the team.

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Nowadays, the success of an organization depends on the collaboration of its members. Without teamwork, it is hard to achieve the business goals. In a place where the meetings are non-existent, most of the workers will have no idea of what is going in the organization. Most of the managers talk to their members only where there is a problem in the organization. In this case, it is important to have a team meeting frequently to achieve the business objectives.

What is a team meeting?

What is team meeting? It is a gathering of members of a team in an organization. Team meeting can either be held face-to-face or remotely. There are numerous tools such as ezTalks Meetings that helps you to hold convenient and hassle-free virtual meetings. ezTalks Meetings software has excellent audio and video quality that never disappoints the meeting participants.

Benefits of a team meeting

A regular team meeting can be very beneficial to every organization. As a meeting member, what to talk about in a team meeting. Here are top team meeting benefits that you should know;

#1. Keep everyone informed

Lack of information can be very harmful to an organization. This can result in failure of the managers to share vital information with the members. Whether it is face-to-face or online meeting, every member of the organization will have a chance to participate.

#2. Solve problems

It is hard to solve a major issue single-handedly. A manager may be struggling for a solution to the business problem only to find that the worker can fix the issue. In this case, a team meeting can provide an opportunity for members to share their problems and concerns. In fact, it will save an organization the effort and time of tackling the business challenges.

#3. Promote leadership

It can be very challenging to lead people who are not behind you. In this case, leaders can use team meetings to engage with the followers and create positive work environment.

#4. Opportunity for performance feedback

Members can use team meeting to offer feedback to each other. In this case, the staff can talk directly to each other when there is a problem. They can share their concerns to those involved instead of gossiping behind other people's back. Also, team meetings provide a perfect opportunity for managers to do appraisals. Direct feedback will let the members know if they have done the job well or need improvement.

#5. Provide training opportunities

Members of an organization can take advantage of the training opportunities offered in the team meeting. Most of the successful organizations bring external speakers and experts to discuss specific topics. Moreover, the members can have the opportunity to learn from the fellow staffs that have expertise in specific areas. Whether it is a physical meeting or virtual meeting, the members will get great opportunities for training.

#6. Room for innovation

A team meeting provides a perfect opportunity for members to showcase their new ideas. The meeting is not just about problems, but the members will share their dreams and suggestions. In this case, the team will work together to turn the dreams into reality.

#7. Compliance with policies

Team meeting provides the members with time to review the policies and operating procedures of an organization. In this case, the leaders will have a chance to know if the rules are being followed. Also, the team meeting provides an opportunity to modify, edit, or update the existing policies.

#8. Bonding and celebration

Whether holding an online or face-to-face team meeting, the members will get a chance to bond with each other. Besides forming the friendship, the staff will have a chance to celebrate their personal and professional achievements. This will improve not only cohesion but also the dedication of the members to the mission of the team.

What makes a good team meeting?

Here are things that can help you lead a successful team meeting;

Use the right tools: Leading an effective team meeting can be very difficult if you don't have the right tools to do so. There is excellent online meeting software such as ezTalks Meetings that can make your work easy.

Choose a meeting leader: Chaos will ensue if there is no leader to chair the meeting. In this case, the person who called the meeting should be given the responsibility of keeping things in order.

Control the number of attendees: Having too many people in the meeting may dilute the information shared. It may result in participants having too many opinions and endless discussions. Therefore, it is important to have a manageable number of participants in the meeting.

Be accountable: Assign someone to the responsibility of taking notes during the meeting. In this case, the ideas developed will be used to create an action plan of the organization.

Conclusion

To achieve the business goals, every organization should organize regular team meetings. This can either be done physically or remotely through online meeting software. If you want to lead efficient team meeting remotely, you should consider using ezTalks Meetings.

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What Are the Benefits of a Team Meeting?

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Nowadays, the success of an organization depends on the collaboration of its members. Without teamwork, it is hard to achieve the business goals. In a place where the meetings are non-existent, most of the workers will have no idea of what is going in the organization.

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Overview

Zoom unifies cloud video conferencing, simple online meetings, and group messaging into one easy-to-use platform. Our solution offers the best video, audio, and wireless screen-sharing experience across multiple platforms. Follow this article to learn about the basic features of the Zoom client on Windows and Mac.

Prerequisites

This article covers:

Sign in and join

After launching Zoom, click Join a Meeting to join a meeting without signing in. If you want to log in to start or schedule your own meeting, click Sign In.

To sign in, use your Zoom, Google, or Facebook account. You can also log in using SSO. If you don't have an account, click Sign Up Free. If you have a Zoom account but cannot remember your password, click Forgot.

Home

After signing in, you will see the Home tab, where you can click these options:

New Meeting: Start an instant meeting. Click the downwards arrow to enable video or use your personal meeting ID (PMI) for instant meetings.

Join: Join a meeting that is in progress.

Schedule: Set up a future meeting.

Share Screen: Share your screen in a Zoom Room by entering in the sharing key or meeting ID.

Date and time with background image: To change the background image, hover over the picture and click the camera icon.

Upcoming meeting: Displays the next meeting for the current day. Add a third-party calendar service if you want to sync upcoming meetings.

Click your profile picture for these options:

Add a personal note.

Settings: Access settings you can change in the client.

Change your status to Available, Away, or Do Not Disturb.

My Profile: Open the Zoom web portal to edit your profile.

Try Top Features: Opens a web page detailing some of our most used features.

Help

About Zoom: Provides info about the Zoom client you currently have installed, as well as other relevant company info.

Help Center: Opens the Zoom Support site

Report a Problem... Send Zoom a problem report

Check for Updates: Check if Zoom is up to date.

Switch to Portrait View: Switch the Zoom window to portrait view if you prefer a narrower window.

Switch Account: Used to quickly switch between multiple accounts

Sign out

Upgrade to Pro (if you are on a free account)

Chat

Select the Chat tab to view private conversations with your contacts or group conversations in chat channels.

You can access these features in the left-side panel:

Jump to search box: Search for a contact or channel.

< > : Allows you go back or forward between recently used chat windows.

Starred Messages: View messages you have starred.

Contact Requests: View recent contact requests you have received from other Zoom users.

All Files: View files you have shared in chats, all files you have access to within chat, and any saved Whiteboards from meetings.

Click your name to use your personal chat space.

Add icon (next to Recent): Start a new chat with one of your contacts, create a channel for group chats, or join an existing channel.

Under Recent:

Select a contact to view chat history and continue to chat with them. Contacts have a status icon before their name.

Select a channel (indicated by the group icon before the name) to view the channel's chat history and send messages to channel members.

After selecting a contact or channel in the left-side panel, you can use these features in the chat window:

Star icon : Add the contact or channel to your starred list, giving you quick access to those contacts or channels. Starred contacts or channels will be listed between your personal chat space and the Recent section, for quick and easier access.

Video icon : Start a meeting with the contact. If a channel is selected, this will start a meeting with all members of the channel. Click the ˅ next to the icon to select if you want to Meet with video or not.

Phone icon : Start a phone call with the contact. Only available if you have access to Zoom Phone.

New window icon (hover your pointer over the contact or channel name to display this icon) : Opens the selected chat in a new window.

Info icon : View additional options for the contact or channel. Also gives you quick access to files, images, and starred messages in the selected chat.

Message box: Compose and send messages to your contact or channel. You can also send screenshots, files, code snippets, audio messages, and animated GIFs.

Phone

Select the Phone tab to make phone calls, view call history, and play voicemail messages using Zoom Phone.

Note: Zoom Phone license is required.

Learn more about using Zoom Phone features.

Meetings

Select the Meetings tab and click Upcoming to view, start, edit, and delete scheduled meetings.

You can click the following options after selecting a scheduled meeting in the left-side panel:

Add icon : Schedule a new meeting.

Refresh icon : Refresh the meeting list if you don't see your scheduled meeting.

Start: Start the scheduled meeting that you have selected in your upcoming meetings.

Copy Invitation: Copy the scheduled meeting's invitation text, allowing you to manually paste into an email, instant messenger etc. Click Show Meeting Invitation if you want to view the invitation you're copying.

Edit: Edit the meeting options for your scheduled meeting.

Delete: Permanently delete your scheduled meeting.

Join from a Room: Start the meeting and have a local Zoom Room also connect to the meeting.

Contacts

Select the Contacts tab to view and manage your contacts.

Contacts tab: View a directory of all your contacts, including starred, external, and auto answer contacts. If your organization has Zoom Rooms, you will also see a list of Zoom Rooms.

Channels tab: View a directory of your channels (used for group messaging). Starred channels appear at the top of the list.

Add icon : Show options for contacts and channels. You can add a contact, create a contact group, create a channel, join a channel, or add an app from our Marketplace.

In-meeting controls

Once you have started or joined a meeting, you can access the meeting controls located at the bottom of the meeting window (move your mouse in the Zoom window to display meeting controls).

Learn more about meeting controls for hosts, co-hosts, and attendees. You can also join a test meeting to familiarize yourself with meeting controls before joining a scheduled meeting.

More resources

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Zoom unifies cloud video conferencing, simple online meetings, and group messaging into one easy-to-use platform. Our solution offers the best video, audio, and wireless screen-sharing experience across multiple platforms. Follow this article to learn about the basic features of the Zoom client on Windows and Mac.

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Effects of Work From Home Scheme on Productivity

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Effects of Work From Home Scheme on Productivity

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As companies around the world are forced to telecommute amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are grappling with the reality of working from home for extended periods of time.

Everyone seems to have strong feelings about "WFH" life.

And the truth is, it's much more complicated than just laptops and video conferencing. For instance, what does working from home do to your performance, productivity and creativity?

There's research on that, and it suggests that working from home actually makes you better at some tasks, and worse at others.

For instance, a 2012 study found that people performed "dull" tasks better in a controlled cubicle setting than they did in a less-structured remote environment.

The reason? If you're in a less-structured environment, but you're faced with a boring assignment, ordinary distractions (like walking your dog, doing your laundry or watching TV) seem more interesting, Glenn Dutcher, assistant professor at Ohio University who has studied the effects of telecommuting on creativity and productivity, tells CNBC Make It.

Productivity can also suffer, but not for the reasons you might think.

When a team works from home, everyone contributes less (even those in the office), simply because they believe they're going to be less productive, Dutcher says. He also sees a sort of "free rider" affect: Nobody wants to be the one person still performing while others try to coast on their hard work.

On the flip side, the 2012 study also found that when faced with a creative task, people were more productive working from home. Other research suggests that structure kills creativity.

So if you're working from home, there are a few things you can do to optimize your performance.

While people might excel at creative tasks while working remotely, "the sharing of ideas is extremely important for creativity," Dutcher says.

Since that's harder when working from home, find other ways to stay in constant contact with your team, Dutcher says. For instance, set reminders to send a Slack, email or call at a certain point in the day.

"We just have to sort of make sure that it becomes part of the norm as we start working from home," he says.

"Try and take advantage of the sort of open environment" away from the confines of a cubicle, Dutcher says.

This could be the ideal time to get going on a project or endeavor that you know requires creativity or quiet introspection, Dutcher says.

To further boost creativity, take breaks to go outdoors if can. Not only can it be very important for breaking up your day spent at home,but studies suggest that a walk outside "opens up the free flow of ideas."

You know yourself best, so try to plan your day in a way that makes sense for your working environment, Dutcher says.

For example, if you find you're less distracted by things around the house in the morning, do the work tasks that you find more boring then, he suggests. That way, you'll be less tempted to get off-task.

Another option: Dutcher says he likes to do his more "boring" responsibilities in the office, and then takes his more interesting work home. While the office might not be an option, you can still find ways to force yourself into a more controlled environment, he says. Perhaps setting up a dedicated work space in your home or switching up where you work throughout the day would help.

Just as the news about COVID-19 changes rapidly, so might your feelings about working remotely. The novelty of telecommuting might "wear off after a while," and you might find that your productivity wanes, Dutcher says.

"The key is to recognize that," he says. It's also a good idea to prepare - tips like going for a walk work here too. Or make adjustments like turning off all social media to help you focus.

Dutcher says this may be a great opportunity for employees and employers alike to experiment with telecommuting. "For the employees who have wanted to prove to their supervisors that they could effectively telecommuter, here is the chance to do so," he says.

Likewise, employers who have considered this in the past, can embrace this challenge and see how it works for their set of employees. "If it doesn't work as planned, then they can always go back," he says. "But if some of it does go well, then they now have another tool to increase productivity."
Check out: The best credit cards of 2020 could earn you over $1,000 in 5 years

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Working from home actually makes you better at some tasks and worse at others-here's what you need to know

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As companies around the world are forced to telecommute amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are grappling with the reality of working from home for extended periods of time. Everyone seems to have strong feelings about "WFH" life. And the truth is, it's much more complicated than just laptops and video conferencing.

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On the evening of 16 March 2020, the President of the Philippines declared that an enhanced community quarantine (" ECQ ") was to be imposed on the island of Luzon. Effective from 12:00 a.m. of 17 March 2020 to 12:00 a.m. of 1 May 2020, the ECQ is a key government measure for addressing the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the ECQ, only private establishments providing basic necessities and such activities related to food and medicine production, operating on a strict skeletal workforce to support operations under strict social distancing measures and/or Flexible Work Arrangements (" FWAs "), are allowed to be physically open. Business Process Outsourcing and export-oriented industries are allowed to operate only if they provide appropriate temporary accommodations or transportation arrangements to its employees.

Other private establishments are required to temporarily close their physical offices during the ECQ period, subject to the adoption of Work-From-Home (" WFH ") arrangements and/or other alternative FWAs which are consistent with the imposition of the ECQ.

Parallel to the imposition of the ECQ, government agencies, including the Department of Labor and Employment (" DOLE "), came up with various issuances and regulations to address the rapidly evolving government response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a time of uncertainty, with government policies to be divined by companies from varied issuances written in legalese, this article is designed to guide employers as they navigate the fundamentals of government regulations affecting employment during the ECQ.
FWAs Available to Employers
Faced with the physical closure of their establishments under the ECQ, the first question that may come to an employer's mind is "how can the company continue to operate during the ECQ?"

Employment relationships in the time of the ECQ are largely governed by Labor Advisory No. 09 Series of 2020 (the "COVID-19 Flexi-Work Advisory"), issued by the DOLE on 4 March 2020, prior to the imposition of the ECQ.

Under the COVID-19 Flexi-Work Advisory, employers are encouraged to adopt FWAs to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including reduction of workhours and/or workdays, rotation of employees and other alternative work arrangements in order to cushion or mitigate the effect of the loss of income of the employee. To adopt an FWA, employers are obliged to notify the appropriate DOLE Office having jurisdiction over the company's workplace by submitting the Establishment Report on COVID-19, with employers and employees being primarily responsible for the FWA's administration.
WFH Arrangements
While there are no specific regulations issued by the DOLE on the adoption of WFH Arrangements during the ECQ, WFH arrangements have emerged as one of the primary FWAs utilized by employers to allow them to continue operating during the ECQ despite the physical closure of their establishments.

Generally, a WFH Arrangement qualifies under the COVID-19 Flexi-Work Advisory as an "alternative work arrangement in order to cushion or mitigate the effect of the loss of income of the employee." It may be adopted as an accommodation to employees as an alternative to the employees' complete loss of income springing from the physical closure of the workplace under the principle of "no work, no pay."

While no specific regulations for such WFH Arrangements have been issued, its closest analogous law or regulation is the Telecommuting Act, under which a WFH Arrangement may be considered as "telecommuting" which refers to: "a work arrangement that allows an employee in the private sector to work from an alternative workplace with the use of telecommunication and/or computer technologies[.]"

The principles of the Telecommuting Act require "fair treatment" of WFH employees as opposed to on-site employees in terms of: (a) mandatory legal benefits, (b) workplace standards, (c) training and career development opportunities, and (d) the exercise of an employee's collective rights. Applying this analogously to WFH Arrangements, an employee engaged under a WFH Arrangement is entitled to receive full pay for a full day's work. However, this list does not extend to other incidental conveniences provided by the employer at the workplace, such as: internet speed, ergonomic chairs, or brewed coffee.

However, it must be emphasized that a distinction must be made between regular telecommuting and WFH Arrangements arising from COVID-19 - WFH Arrangements arising from COVID-19 are adopted as an accommodation to employees and as an alternative to a complete loss of income. As such, while under regular telecommuting, a higher burden for providing the "same treatment" ( i.e. in providing tools necessary to perform work such as an stable internet connection) is imposed upon the employer, under a WFH Arrangement, an employer may impose reasonable requirements such that only qualified employees ( e.g. those with existing reliable internet connections) are eligible for the WFH arrangement for the duration of the ECQ.

Further, companies may also adopt hybrid arrangements by pairing WFH Arrangements with (a) reduced workdays/workhours, (b) rotation programs, or even (c) temporary partial closures or suspensions of operations for non-eligible employees in order to address the company's business needs while at the same time adopting such alternative work arrangements available in order to cushion or mitigate the effect of the loss of income of the employees.
Reduced Workdays/Workhours
For essential private establishments which are still eligible to operate under the ECQ, an FWA that reduces the number of workdays and/or work hours of an employee in a work week may exclusively be adopted as an option. Under a reduced workhours/workdays arrangement, employees will continue to receive their salaries, albeit reduced in proportion to the reduction of workhours/workdays.

For such employees, hours worked shall continue to be governed by the principles on working time under the Labor Code such that an employee is considered to be working for (a) all hours they are required to give the employer while on duty, (b) when the employee is suffered or permitted to work, as well as (c) time when the employee is considered as on call.

The period of the reduction of workhours/workdays shall not be paid pursuant to the principle of "no work, no pay." This temporary reduction of salaries arising from the reduction of workhours/workdays do not violate the rule of non-diminution of benefits given that the adoption of a reduced workweek/reduced workhours requires the consent of employees.

Employers must be cautioned, however, that a unilateral direct reduction in salaries without adopting an FWA under the COVID-19 Flexi-Work Advisory is considered as a violation of the rule on diminution of benefits.
Rotation of Employees
Employers may also adopt a rotation program in which employees are alternately provided work within the week. This arrangement allows an employer to maintain its operating hours during a work week, albeit with reduced productivity due to the reduction of the number of employees present.
Closures of Business and Lay-Offs
For employers of non-essential establishments which are unable to adopt WFH Arrangements or other FWAs, and are thus unable to continue their operations during the ECQ, the next question to be addressed is "what other alternative is available for the Company?"
Temporary Closures on account of the ECQ
Given the government-mandated requirement for non-essential establishments to physically close down their workplaces during the ECQ, companies which have not adopted FWAs are legally required to temporarily close and/or suspend their operations, with such employers not being required to pay the salary of their employees during the closure period, consistent with the principle of "no work no pay." While such establishments were effectively placed on temporary closure by the ECQ, it is advised that such establishments report their temporary closures with the appropriate DOLE Office using the Establishment Report on COVID-19 prescribed under the COVID-19 Flexi-Work Advisory.

Such temporary closures arising from COVID-19 and effective for the duration of the ECQ may be distinguished from a bona fide suspension of work operations allowed under Article 301 of the Labor Code.

Under Article 301 of the Labor Code, the bona fide suspension of the operation of a business or undertaking for a period not exceeding six (6) months will not terminate employment, and in all such cases, the employer must reinstate the employee to his or her former position without loss of seniority rights if the employee indicates his or her desire to resume work not later than one (1) month from the resumption of operations of his or her employer. During this period of temporary suspension, employees are placed on a "floating status" and are not entitled to any salary or financial benefit provided by law. To implement a bona fide suspension of operations under Article 301 of the Labor Code, case law requires that the appropriate DOLE Office be notified at least one (1) month prior to the effectivity of the suspension of operations.
Permanent Closures and Lay-Offs of Employees
Despite the imposition of the ECQ, permanent closures of establishments and lay-offs of employees continue to be governed by the Labor Code. For this reason, employees may be dismissed from their employment on account of the any of the following authorized causes for termination: (a) Business Closure, (b) Redundancy, or (c) Retrenchment, only upon compliance with the substantive and procedural requirements for an authorized cause dismissal. This includes the requirement to give notice of termination to both the employee and the appropriate DOLE Office within thirty (30) days from the date of termination of employment, and the payment of the appropriate separation pay to the employees.
Use of Leaves by Employees
Employers which have adopted the appropriate measures to continue their operations during the ECQ may also have concerns regarding the use of leave benefits during the ECQ.

Leave benefits allow employees to be absent from work without incurring any reduction in pay or any penalty, and is thus a benefit which presupposes availability of work. They are also in the nature of a right given to employees, either by law ( e.g., for service incentive leaves) or by contractual relation ( e.g., employment contracts or company rules). As a general rule, leave benefits can only be used by the employee as the owner of such right.

As an exception, employers of essential establishments which continue to physically operate may require their employees to go on "forced leave," as authorized under the COVID-19 Flexi-Work Advisory, whenever they are sick, or as an exercise of management prerogative to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 in the workplace when doing so is necessary to protect the workplace from the threat of COVID-19, such as when a COVID-19 Confirmed, COVID-19 Probable, or COVID-19 Suspect employee has been found in the workplace.

For establishments whose operations have temporarily ceased either completely or partially as a result of the ECQ, only the employee can decide whether to use their leave benefits in order to continue receiving pay even when the workplace has ceased from operating. Employers can no longer interfere with the exercise of such right, as there is no more workplace to protect from a disease.
Work Compensation of Employees
Finally, the next major concern that employers will need to address is "how will the employees be compensated during the ECQ?"
Salary and Other Benefits/Allowances
As discussed above, employees on FWAs are paid their salaries based on their hours worked. For instance, those on WFH arrangements are entitled to a full day's wage for a full day's work. Such employees are entitled to payment of their salaries for as long as they devote time and effort to their work, and provided the work done complies with the FWA being implemented by the employer.

In the event that an employer seeks to modify the grant of other benefits or allowances which are granted on top of the employees' salaries for the duration of the FWA, it is important to consider such benefits/allowances have either (a) ripened into a company practice or (b) are contractually stipulated. In such cases, any reduction of such benefits or allowances while employees are on FWAs must be consented to and agreed upon between the employer and the concerned employees consistent with the rule on non-diminution of benefits.
Employer-Issued Financial Assistance
As an exercise of its management prerogative, employers may also grant additional monetary benefits to employees who did not render any service during the ECQ period as a form of financial assistance. This benefit, considered as a gratuity, can likewise be unilaterally withdrawn or reduced by the employer, as an exercise of its management prerogative. The reduction of the financial assistance does not violate the rule on non-diminution of benefits because it has not ripened into a company practice, which in turn must be proven by substantial evidence to have been: (a) done over a long period of time; and (b) made consistently and deliberately.
Payment of 13th Month Pay
There is no legal requirement for employers to advance the whole or pro-rated 13 th month pay of its employees in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, and consistent with the recent public statements of President of the Philippines, employers may, as an exercise of their management prerogative, grant its employees' 13 th month pay in advance, whether in whole or pro-rated, as a means for mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Government Financial Assistance
In the event that employees experience a reduction in their wages on account of either (a) the adoption of FWAs or (b) the temporary closure or suspension of operations of a company, the Philippine government, through the DOLE, offers financial assistance to employees through the COVID-19 Adjustment Measures Program (" CAMP ").

Under the CAMP, the DOLE may provide qualified employees with financial support in the form of a one-time, lump sum, financial assistance package equivalent to Five Thousand Pesos (PhP5,000.00), regardless of employment status. The pertinent regulations place the responsibility of applying for CAMP benefits upon the employer. While employers are not specifically required to apply for the CAMP benefit, the employees are unable to receive such financial assistance without the employer's application. Notably, the DOLE has also clarified in recent public statements that while large establishments are covered by CAMP, priority will be given to Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, or establishments with less than two hundred (200) employees.

Through a strong grasp of the fundamentals affecting employment relations during the ECQ, employers are best equipped to address the changing regulations affecting employment as the government response to the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve from day to day.

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Distancing from confusion in philippine labor law compliance during the covid-19 pandemic | Lexology

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On the evening of 16 March 2020, the President of the Philippines declared that an enhanced community quarantine (" ECQ ") was to be imposed on the island of Luzon. Effective from 12:00 a.m. of 17 March 2020 to 12:00 a.m. of 1 May 2020, the ECQ is a key government measure for addressing the global COVID-19 pandemic.

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Rule 1: Remember the Human

Rule 2: Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life

Rule 3: Know where you are in cyberspace

Rule 4: Respect other people's time and bandwidth

Rule 5: Make yourself look good online

Rule 6: Share expert knowledge

Rule 7: Help keep flame wars under control

Rule 8: Respect other people's privacy

Rule 9: Don't abuse your power

Rule 10: Be forgiving of other people's mistakes

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The Core Rules of Netiquette -- Excerpted from Netiquette by Virginia Shea -- Albion.com

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5 Tips for Running Effective Team Meetings

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5 Tips for Running Effective Team Meetings

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Team meetings are a key component of any business. It's important that the employees know and understand what's going on with the company and what expectations they need to meet in order for the company to be successful. It is one of the best ways to create a culture of continuous improvement. Want to run a great meeting and save time each and every week? Just follow our tips on how to run a team meeting.

How does your team react to the weekly meeting? Is it a task they dread? Do they welcome the break from their desks? Do they get frustrated because every single meeting always seems to be about the concerns of one single person? Do the meeting participants believe it is time well spent? We have found that companies that take control of their meetings get a huge return on their investment with high employee engagement.

Here are five tips for running effective team meetings:

1. Get input from your team. A team meeting is just that - a meeting with and for the team. It's not always up to one person to run the show. A successful team meeting encourages everyone to participate in the process and come up with directives and solutions that will move your business objectives forward. Make sure that the date and time chosen for each weekly meeting is the least disruptive time possible. Ask for suggestions to add items on the agenda to see what they want to be covered during your meeting time. If it ends up being something you can't get to, make sure you follow up with the employee who suggested it, whether it's something that's discussed at a future meeting or something that's followed up on during a one-on-one. If you hold effective meetings, it is one of the best management tools in your arsenal and needs to be more than a collection of status updates.

2. Talk about topics that impact the entire team. Time is money and no one likes a meeting just for the sake of a meeting. In today's day and age, you can "meeting" yourself into oblivion and then wonder why you didn't get anything else done that week. If you're calling a team meeting, make sure that everyone who is expected to attend that meeting will find value in carving out that hour. If the conversation derails into a topic that only impacts a portion of the attendees, the rest of the participants will tune out or could get frustrated thinking their time could be better spent back at their desks. Effective meetings require redirecting the conversation back to the agenda and following up with the other discussion so that can be resolved. A Parking Lot is a great tool to keep your meeting on track without losing the other discussion, don't drift off from the meeting details that impact the full group. The team meeting agenda should be focused on topics that impact the entire team, individual discussions can be had in your one on ones. Use the face to face time to move large objectives forward, and leave the project management to one-on-one meetings if only a status update is required.

3. Manage the types of agenda topics. In your staff meeting, you can have lots of different items that need to be covered. The team leader can help set the tone for the meeting by telling the participants what types of topics will be discussed for an efficient meeting:

1. Sharing information. General company updates or things they need to know are great to share with employees in advance of the meeting. Then allocate a few minutes for any questions from the team about those topics. If your team meeting involves multiple departments, this is a great way to get information from them ahead of time instead of spending the first 20 minutes of your meeting getting updates from everyone.

2. Decisions. It is hard for employees to know what their roles are in a meeting when it comes to decisions. Are they there to listen? Are they to provide input? Do you want to make this decision by consensus? Be sure to make clear in these scenarios who is ultimately responsible for making the decision and to ensure you have the support of the team for the decisions being made and implemented. The purpose of a team meeting is to solve problems, not create more of them, so solve everything that you can while you are together as a team.

3. Set a realistic amount of time for each agenda item. If you have a big project to discuss, don't leave it for the last five minutes of your meeting. If a conversation goes on longer than anticipated, see what can be redirected to the next meeting, or set a time to follow up on that topic after the team meeting has ended. The weekly meeting facilitator will have to make some judgment calls in real-time as to whether it is worth continuing the discussion, getting it back on track, or tabling it.

4. Prepare for the meeting. A successful team meeting will have a leader who can facilitate the conversation, but that leader doesn't have to run the entire meeting. Once you've determined your agenda topics and meeting schedule, communicate with your team if they need to prepare anything in advance. This is a great opportunity to give team members a chance to lead discussions, share important updates, offer suggestions and come away with action items for the next meeting, but they won't be able to do that if they're not prepared. Don't spring a topic on them at the meeting if you want a productive discussion.

5. Get better each weekly meeting. Seek feedback from your team on your meeting agenda. What worked well and what didn't? Use that information to tweak your agenda to what works best for the team and their needs. This continuous feedback loop will ensure that your weekly team meetings get better each and every week.

A team meeting should be something the employees look forward to each week - a place where they can share their concerns, share ideas, ask questions, get important information, and feel that they are part of the overall process. 80% of your weekly meetings should be spent solving problems. Here is how. Take some time to craft your agenda to make the most of that weekly team meeting slot and treat it as a weekly team building exercise, rather than something that you just have to survive!

How to Run A Team Meeting Resources
How To Have Effective Weekly Staff Meetings (With Sample Agenda Template) Download our weekly meeting agenda Are You Having Weekly Meetings with Yourself? Supercharge Your Meetings with This Effective Weekly Meeting Agenda Weekly Adjustment Meetings vs. Weekly Status Meetings (Infographic)
Photo Credit: iStock by Getty Images

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5 Tips for Running Effective Team Meetings (Including Virtual)

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Team meetings are a key component of a business. It's important that the employees know and understand what's going on with the business and what expectations they need to meet in order for the company to be successful. Here is a weekly team meeting agenda to download.