The Government needs to stop saying "Get back to work"
Tushar Agarwal
Follow for Brutally Honest Posts about Hybrid Working & Business Building | CEO at Hubble | The UK's Largest Flexible Workspace Platform
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https://twitter.com/iamtoosh/status/1392513511348125696?s=20
?? #Boris just announced that WFH guidance will be lifted on 21st June. It's absolutely critical that the Government is not draconian in its messaging.
?? The "Get Back to Work" message that they trialled but immediately cancelled back in September (as the second wave was hitting) is patronising and archaic. It heavily implies no-one has been working for the past 14 months.
?? We all know that's simply not true. Most companies have reported high levels of productivity. Most governments have dealt with an unprecedented crisis of seismic proportions. And the biggest pharmaceutical companies released vaccines that would take 10yrs, in 10 months.
?? All of us (who have been lucky enough to be able to keep working), have worked harder than we ever have before. And the levels of innovation seen in the face of crisis have been both staggering and inspiring.
?? That's not to say we should keep working from home forever. Far from it. The point is that flexibility, autonomy and choice in deciding where to work is now the #1 demand from workers all around the world.
?? Whether that's at home, in the company HQ, a co-working space near where you live, an inspiring space for a creative brainstorm, or your favourite coffee shop. Different spaces, for different activities, for different people.
??????????? The office was one size fits-all, and it didn't work. WFH was one size fits-all, and it didn't work. The future of where we work, is personalised to the individual, team and organisation.
??The workplace should be fluid, not fixed. We are humans after all, not fixed machinery in a factory. Our work environments help shape who we are, how well we work and how happy we are doing so.
?????♀? The Government needs to emphasise flexibility and choice when it rethinks its messaging, which we will inevitably be bombarded with over the next 4 weeks.
?? The Government should not be emphasising the return to a one size fits all office, but should be saying that we are now free to work from wherever we want to - we are no longer confined to our homes. But it's ok to work at home too, if we want to.
?? The Government needs to embrace new ways of #flexibleworking. It's actually a key driver in helping the economy recover, reducing unemployment rates and achieving the #levellingupagenda
?? If #boris truly believes that "genius is distributed evenly across the country, but opportunities are not" as he said yesterday. The best way to unlock that is encourage employers to embrace #hybridworking. Where London based firms, can easily hire non-London based staff.
This post has been republished from a Twitter thread. Please like, comment and retweet if you agree with the message:
https://twitter.com/iamtoosh/status/1392513511348125696?s=20
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2 年Tushar, thanks for sharing!
Building a more responsible world. Tech, travel, & ESG entrepreneur.
3 年Could not agree more! Some of us have had the most productive years of our lives... spent more time with family... reduced emissions... saved companies money! Hybrid working is the single best path to a redistribution of wealth across the UK. No government programmes have had this kind of potential. As an example, I was very disappointed to read the Kickstart programme had led to the creation of just 50 jobs for young people in the North a few weeks ago vs many hundreds in London/SE.
Contracts Director
3 年If everyone goes back into the office on June 21st then we have learnt anything over the past 14 months, there is a real opportunity for companies to embrace a flexible approach to working patterns given their staff the freedom to work how they feel comfortable and bring out the best in them, a 3hour commute and sitting at a desk for 9 hours doesn’t mean you are getting more from your staff, lets not go backwards Britain!!!
Catalysing Conscious Change through Executive & Leadership Coaching
3 年You've absolutely hit the nail on the head Tushar To prevent #burnout and optimise working opportunities for all #hybridworking has to be the way forward. Thanks for sharing.
Bid Writer
3 年Absolutely - and in fact my team was already working effectively with there only being 2 or 3 days a week when we were all in the office before COVID, which I'm sure has been the case for a while with many teams in workplaces. Being together is useful for training and deeper dives into strategy, but not essential for our day-to-day work,