The Cable is a co-operative, and we collectively share responsibility for managing the organisation, following the principles of Sociocracy.

Overview of the scheme

The aims of the peer-to-peer scheme is to answer the need for more support around personal development, accessing training and getting the best parts of management (support, coaching and accountability). It’s circular because we want to distribute the burden of care work in the organisation and build the capacity of all staff to listen empathically and look out for each other across teams and bonds of friendships.

Acting as an effective peer is part of our responsibilities as staff and is an important part of our work. We will prioritise time for this strategically and in capacity planning.

The main obligations as a peer are to meet your peer monthly and to look out for them in between.

There are some specific things you need to do at each monthly meeting and at a separate meeting with your peer that will happen around the end of each strategy cycle. More details on this can be found below.

In terms of how to use your peer - they are your first port of call when it comes to difficulties: overwork, stress, conflict etc. However, in the case of illness or sick leave or a situation where you feel unable to talk to your peer, contact the people circle directly.

Other details:

• Peers are rotated every 6 months

• Peers are assigned by the people circle based on a) who hasn’t been matched together before b) matching people on relatively similar hours

• Peer relationships are mutual (i.e. you are each other’s peer mentors) In your probation period the peer system goes one way - you will get a peer but you won’t peer anyone

• The people circle will monitor that peers are meeting and give prompts to encourage people to meet and carry out quarterly goal setting sessions.

• We have been trained in the GROW approach to coaching and use this, where appropriate, in our peer to peer sessions to support our peers. Details in the coaching guide.

Your responsibilities as a peer mentor:

1) Meet your peer min. monthly

• Agree with your peer how often you will meet (minimum monthly but could be more regular)

• Set up regular meeting times and meet with your peer as agreed

2) Record the meetings in 2 ways

• Record that you have booked the meeting by booking it in the public Bristol Cable google calendar. The people circle will look over the calendar to check that you have the meetings booked in.

• After you meet, record the meeting through the Peer to Peer record form, where you can flag any difficulties that have been mentioned

3) Confidentiality

Apart from what is fed back to the people circle (which will be kept in confidence) keep the rest of your conversation with your peer confidential, unless you explicitly ask them if you can share / pass on something they’ve said

4) Try to meet up outside face to face and outside the office if possible

There is budget for you to buy teas / coffees / refreshments on the Cable!

5) Look out for your peer in between meetings

• Have a cup of tea or say hello on slack and ask they how they’re doing each week

• If they seem stressed or upset in a check-in, approach them

• If you hear anything else about their wellbeing that causes them concern then be proactive about reaching out to them

• Celebrate their successes with them if you hear about something they’ve done well or been involved in

• Escalate to (i.e. get in contact with) the people circle if you need support or if your peer lets you know they are: - Overworked - Stressed - Need support - Struggling - In conflict with a colleague

6) Hold a goal-setting session with your peer each quarter, at the beginning of the strategy cycle [we will guide you through this at the end of the strategy cycle]

See checklist further down below for a full list of what to cover

• Organise an extended meeting or meetings each quarter (2 x one hour meetings or a two hour meeting).

• Record this meeting using this separate form, rather than the usual peer-to-peer form.

• Support your peer to fill out a personal goals template, setting goals for the next quarter

• These goals can be shared with other members of the team or kept private

• Ask your peer if they want to keep their goals private from the rest of the team, and if so respect their confidentiality

• Identify training needs with your peer as part of the conversation on goals. Make a record of what training needs have been identified when you fill out the form.

• Look over your peer’s capacity plans with them and work with them to reduce capacity to 80% for the forthcoming six weeks. If necessary offer to approach the development circle or support them to approach the development circle if their capacity is looking overstretched.

Feedback system for the peer to peer scheme:

• Make space for a 5 minute check out at the end of each peer to peer meeting where you can offer constructive feedback on what was helpful and not helpful in relation to your aims as a peer

• Each quarter, you may wish to hold a retrospective on your peer relationship so far

• The people circle will initiate opportunities to reflect and feedback on how the relationship and scheme is working so far

• If you are having difficulties with your peer, or the pairing is not proving supportive, please contact the people circle directly.

Things that can contribute to great peer-to-peer meetings:

• Clear meeting times

• Google cal so you both have a record

• Make the length clear if you have to leave (~30 mins each is a good minimum?)

• Clear changes between whose ‘turn’ it is to be coached/supported and to coach/support

• Make them one-on-one, and in person (where possible)

• When you’re in the supporting role, listen more than you talk

• Ask how you can support before suggesting a solution

• Clear outcomes

• Agree who will keep a record of any action points or things to remember for you/your peer

• You could agree to send a summary of action points/ goals/ things to check in on later (no pressure)

Opening up a new peer-to-peer relationship

In addition to above, you could ask what are your expectations for being mentored by your peer, how do you think it might support you?

• How have you found working with teams like this in the past?

• What has it been like for you to engage on the technology platforms for communication? And to take part in sociocratic decision making?

• Are you feeling comfortable about your place in this group / org / team?

• Is there anything you’re worried about?

Safety and Communication

Peers aren’t counsellors but they can support their listened-to peers to talk through challenging feelings, about anything they feel comfortable with. Talk with your peer to identify how confidential the things they share with you are. In small orgs it’s easy for a harsh comment to travel around a group even though it was part of a normal venting process that was never meant to be passed on.

Things to cover in quarterly peer-to-peer

• Review your peer’s annual leave by looking over the leave log with them - How much annual leave have they taken? Is this roughly proportionate to where we are in the year? If not, when could they book some in?

• Review previous goals:

  • How far have they got towards each goal?

  • if they have/haven’t achieved their goals explore the reasons behind that

  • What are their learnings?

  • What will they do the same / differently?

• Support your peer to set new goals for the next quarter

• Is there any training your peer needs to reach their goals or fulfil their work generally? [See guide to training for more details on how to record training]

Things to cover in monthly peer-to-peer meetings: checklist

Essential:

• Ask about your peer’s overall wellbeing and stress levels

• Ask your peer how their relationships with colleagues are: are there any tensions, difficulties, conflicts? If so, what do they plan to do about it? How can you support?

• Ask how their workload is - are they overworking at the moment?

  • [Offer coaching if so: how would they like it to be… What are the barriers?]

  • Ask how you can support them

• Review your peer’s progress on their goals

• Review at the end how your peer is finding the support you’re offering. This is a space for them to offer constructive feedback.

Optional questions to ask:

• How else shall we use this session?

• How is your wider life going?

• How is work going for you?

• How is this organisation feeling for you right now?

  • And your role in it?

• How can I best support you?

• In the last month, where did you get to with your goals?

• What did you like/ dislike, what would you change?

• What do you want to do this month?

• Is there anything you want to check in on again at our next meeting?

TOP TIP

If you notice your coachee is waiting for you to ask the next question, then you have

control of the baton and thereby control of the exchange. You will be doing most of the

work and the coachee will be passive. Ideally, the coachee should have the baton and be actively doing most of the work. Give it back

THE GROW COACHING MODEL

Further Reading

Folder of resoureces

COACHING SKILLS FOR LEADERSHIP manual.pdf

Some slides from the video that is here

So turning:

In to:

The Cable’s value resides in the people and the relationships that make up our inspiring, changemaking media cooperative. We collectively strive to foster an increasingly open, inclusive and caring culture.

In this document you will find a few suggested steps to take to safely and appropriately resolve conflict. Also included are support mechanisms if you need additional input to help resolve the conflict.

Create shared language to describe conflict

Conflict – when there is tension between two or more people.

Tension – Small annoying problems that, if left unfixed, will get worse over time. For example a piece of gravel in your shoe. You are affected negatively by something - this could involve (an)other person(s) or be some pain/frustration at the way things are working.

Divergence – A disagreement or difference of opinion, style or values. This may or may not involve tension.

Cable vision for conflict

Conflict and tensions are both really useful feedback. If we don’t communicate about these we are denying individuals and the organisation useful learning.

However, talking about conflict or tensions can be really scary and draining for different people for different reasons. But it is something that we can practice and having a shared commitment, shared language and structures will make it easier.

Conflict affects everyone in the group, so don’t view it as between individuals. It’s all our problem.

Conflict is inevitable. It will take up more time if you don’t deal with it consciously. If it’s not dealt with it can often resurface and ‘leak out’, draining energy and creating bad vibes.

“We rely heavily on “common sense” when we’re working in groups. We have expectations of each other, and we feel we shouldn’t have to explain all those expectations. The trouble with common sense is that everyone has a different version. We’ve all had different experiences, so we all have different unspoken assumptions. If you want to work together for a long time, if you want to be accessible to new people, and if you want to work with people who are not exactly like you, your group is going to have to have some conversations about norms and boundaries.”

Discussion on what we like / any issues

Step 1: processing yourself

• Take time to process experiences if you feel confused, overwhelmed or agitated.

• Note uncertainties and possible misunderstandings in your interactions, including cultural differences.

• Distinguish people's actions from your feelings about them. They're both important, but they're different.

• Distinguish disagreement from personal hostility. We're allowed to disagree, dissent and discuss.

If you've contemplated the experience and have decided it feels like it may be harassment or abuse, please consult our Grievance Policy.

It could be useful to talk this through with your peer if you feel comfortable. Your peer is there to support you – do draw on their experiences. This is part of their job so do not hesitate to get in touch.

Personal reflection & individual support

Think through what happened or has been happening. Take time and space to process and clarify your thinking if you feel confused, overwhelmed, or are experiencing strong emotions. Talk to a trusted friend, colleague, or your peer to work through your own perspective and experience. Ask yourself what part you played in it, what you could have done differently, and what your needs are to improve the situation. If you feel you need to go beyond individual work to resolve the problem, escalate to the next step.

Step 2: Invite direct communication

As long as you feel safe and the power balance and tone is conducive to constructive discussion, approach the person in question and talk it out.

Be mindful of picking a good time and place (privacy, lack of time pressure, mutually agreed location).

If you don’t feel like you can work it out one-on-one for any reason, escalate to the next step.

Before you meet, have a read over this Non violent Communication (NVC) cheat sheet. These methods of exploring our conflicts have proven to be useful in the Cable in the past (even if it can feel pretty cringy!)

NVC process:

• Think about what you observed (separate of feelings, thoughts and needs)

• How did that situation make you feel?

• What are your needs in this situation and moving forward

• Make requests of each other

Step 3: Supported communication

You may want to ask your peer if they can support you to have a conversation, however bear in mind they may not feel comfortable doing this, and mediating conflict is not an expectation of a peer.

People circle

If the previous steps have not resolved the conflict, reach out to the People circle lead, or ask your peer to do so. They will try to find a mutually agreeable next step, such as hosting a mediation themselves, or inviting an external mediator if needed.

Important note

Note: If you feel uncomfortable or unable to communicate via the Cable’s normal communication channels, please contact the People Circle lead (Lucas) to support you or another member of the people circle.

Other resources

• Bristol Cable Grievance Policy

• Enspiral conflict guide

• Eight patterns for decentralising power

• Patterns for decentralised organisations p. 13 - a description of why we are decentralising care work (book is in the office)

How do I get training?

As of April 2021, staff will be supported by their peer to identify their training needs in relation to their wider professional and personal goals.

For now, there are two main ways to get training - either find a training yourself or tell a relevant colleague/circle that you would like some training, if it’s something they could arrange or skill share. The People Circle is in charge of overseeing the training needs of the organisation, so they’re a good place to start. Sometimes we may arrange training for all staff.

Once you’ve identified an external training you’d like to do, check if you have the training budget to access it (see below). Then book on it and claim back the money or ask someone with a Cable credit card to book you on it. Record the training in the training log: https://forms.gle/m88QPhsgbLYch8JA6. This form uploads into the ‘training log’ tab in the Leave Log.

How much training am I allowed per year? In terms of days and money?

At the moment, each coordinator is allowed £330 and 5 days.

How do I keep track of how much of this budget I’ve already spent?

You can see this in the tab for training allowances which should show how much budget you have (left) for training this year, though only if the previous spend was logged in the training log form.

When does the budget get renewed?

Every April (same as the financial year)

How should I let people know I am doing a training?

Post on loomio or let colleagues know in advance.

How to book time off

1. Check the team calendar and speak with relevant colleagues in case there might be work that needs to be covered, and make sure that work can be covered.

2. Notify the team on the #time-off channel about the dates you’d like to book off. Give the team at least a week to respond and flag any potential issues. If no one responds, you can assume it's fine to take that leave.

3. Input your leave into the Leave Log

4. Input your leave on the Google Team Leave Calendar

Remember to

• Remind team that you'll be away - post in #workshedules on Slack on the last day before your leave

• Set up out of office reply on email

• Enjoy your leave and don’t work while you’re away!

FAQs

How do I book unpaid leave?

Workers are also entitled to three weeks unpaid leave in addition to annual leave, with team consent. The process for requesting extra leave is the same as for requesting annual leave, with the addition of also informing the finance coordinator.

What if I’m sick during my time off for holiday?

You can claim back the annual leave! You’ll need to get proof of your sickness from a GP though (a medical certificate). For more details see the sickness leave policy.

What if I haven’t used up my leave by the end of the year?

Up to 2 weeks (in total) can be rolled over at the end of the year. Its important to take your holiday.

What if I have to miss work because of training? Does this count as annual leave?

No, training is under a separate code in the leave log, training is not leave!

What if my holiday plans change at short notice?

Message in the #time-off as soon as you know, if its less then a week contact directly the folks who you work with, normally it should be fine.

What if I need to take time off due to sickness, or a family emergency?

See the sick leave guide, or message the lead of the People circle if you have a family emergency, and they will support you.

How & when to claim expenses

We cover expenses for things you might need to pay for in the course of your work. The most common types of expenses are for teas & coffees at meetings out, for example with interviewees.

When you've paid for something with your own money

1. Get a receipt and take a photo of it

2. Submit your expense on the Personal expense receipt form

3. Done!

When you've paid for something using a cable card

1. Get a receipt and take a photo of it

2. Submit your expense on the Cable card expense receipt form

3. Done!

How to book travel

If you need to book travel which is reimbursable by the Cable, in most cases, follow the expenses process

If the cost is fairly high, you can book the travel with a staff debit card (which Adam, Lucas, and Alon have).

However with train tickets, make sure you are able to pick up tickets and return the card as soon as possible (ideally before the day of travel). Often it’s easier to book on your own card and claim reimbursement.

What to do if you’re sick

If you’re off sick, you need to ideally let someone from the team know by 10am on the day you’re working.

How to let us know

• Contact People Circle sick leave coordinators.

or

• Post in #work-schedule slack channel if you don’t mind the whole team knowing

or

• Contact another member of the People Circle privately

Please include in your message (if possible):

• What’s wrong with you

• How long you’re likely to need off (it’s ok if you don’t know!)

• When the illness or injury started

What happens next

• Your main job while you’re off is to rest up, relax and recover!

• A member of the People Circle will be in touch to gather any relevant info you haven’t provided, find out what work needs to be handed over or rescheduled, and ask you about when/how to be in contact

• Let them know how you’d like to stay in touch for the duration of your absence (phone? Slack? Email?)

If you’re off for more than one day

• If in doubt, get in touch with your contact in the People Circle to let them know you won’t be in

If you’re off regularly with sickness

• If a pattern emerges with your absence then someone from the People Circle will meet with you to discuss whether any reasonable adjustments need to be made to facilitate your participation in the workplace.

FAQs

Do I need to prove I’m ill?

If you’re off for just a few days – no problem! No need to prove anything.

If you’re off for more than seven days you will need to provide a medical certificate from your GP. If you’re unsure about this talk to your contact in the People Circle. For more details see the sickness leave policy.

What if I’m sick during my time off for holiday?

You can claim back the annual leave! You’ll need to get proof of your sickness from a GP though (a medical certificate). For more details see the sickness leave policy.

What happens to my pay when I’m sick?

For the first four days of continuously being off you’ll receive pay as normal. After that, you can claim Statutory Sick Pay for up to 28 weeks of leave. You’ll need to talk to the People Circle about this - but we’ll raise this with you as well if your sickness extends beyond four days. For more details see the sickness leave policy.

What happens when I’m ready to come back to work?

If your sick leave has been longer than four days, the People Circle will work with you to help you back to work and discuss if you need any support. If you’ve been sick for less than four days but need some support, for whatever reason, just get in touch with the People Circle.

You can bank up hours to take off without notice for periods if you want to. Log hours in the p tab of the annual leave spreadsheet

“Employees are entitled to bank up to 4 hours to take off without prior notice when they get their period. This time must be worked and logged in advance. You must communicate your absence to any team members who will be affected by your absence and avoid cancelling external meetings.”