Should we go back to the office more? Is #HybridWorking just working?
Dan S?dergren
Inspirational keynote speaker / trainer and author about #AI, #Technology and the #futureofwork. Hire Dan as your inspirational #keynotespeaker for your next event, conference or training day.
This newsletter is a little later than planned this time. Partly due to myself taking over the BD for Your FLOCK - the employee feedback platform for hybrid working. And partly because I wanted it to come out the same time Michal’s new son did. And I have timed that right.
So massive hugs to all and fingers crossed Michal.? As he expands his team - so to speak. Which links into culture and the future. And the future of work and so on this week. Whilst Michal and his partner are “working from home” as having a home birth. We get to? think about family and home and work.
SHOULD WE ALL GO BACK TO THE OFFICE MORE?
Those of you that read this newsletter. Understand my belief around the power of working from home and remote working. Due to my thinking around diversity and inclusion for the future of work. Not only for stronger and more resilient and innovative organisations. But for better life work balance for everyone and a happier society.
So it’s interesting this week to do TWO keynotes and opening speeches. For different organisations in a similar field (pun intended). Both the ADHB for their AgriLeader Forum 2023 and Kellogg's too. On the same day -if you can believe it - and both face to face.?
One organisation inspiring their new leaders in an industry worth billions of pounds for the UK. And the other a company worth billions globally. With many different offices that are just changing. In response to less people coming in to work at the office.
As Kelloggs has just updated its new office space in MediaCity to make it more of a collaboration space. After asking its employees what they should do. (Getting feedback from your employees is what Your FLOCK is all about) And they found that. Like many other organisations that people wanted to be productive at home as well as come into the office. They came to realise
"That hybrid work is now just working." (Dan Sodergren)
And so they had to change with the times…?
The data shows very few people are going to go back to work in an office full time. So changing your office space is a logical move and one that will help you retain your talent. ?
Whereas the ADHB at its conference is asking its members to open up to new technology and new ways of thinking. And start thinking about how farming in the very near future might not even have very many human workers anymore. And use technology and data. And AI. And all sorts. But also how to make the most of the teams they have right now and retain their talent.
RETAINING TALENT IS THE FUTURE OF WORK
There are interesting parallels for us all. In this future of work. Not only that. The future of offices is going to be much more to do with coming together for conscious collaboration. But also that for many of us purely remote working - isn’t working.
This is perhaps as we humans (unlike robots) are social beasts. We like to be together. We like to meet each other. And see each other. And touch each other (nothing too much though at work due to HR and legal regulations) And eat together. And drink together.
And no matter how much we think otherwise. Strong team cohesion is a vital component of good culture. As Bruce Daisley rightly says:
“We've always known that high performing teams tend to socialise with each other.” (Bruce Daisley)
So I read with interest that Teacher Tapp found that teachers in outstanding schools were far more likely to go to the pub together. (Thank you to Adrian Bethune for this finding.) We are finding the same with many of the marketing and creative companies we work with. Coming together is vital for success.
If you want people to stay with your organisation, providing a touch point for them to come together is part and parcel of that retaining talent piece.
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BUT IT DOESNT NEED TO BE DRINKING.
These days this doesn't need to be the pub. Your FLOCK just did our coffee in the afternoon and chatted. With some great people and companies from the Manchester marketing and creative sectors.Thanks:?
And it needn't be after work. This was during work time. And people left after to go pick up kids etc. But the point being. Building personal connections is the backdrop of good culture. Be that in YOUR team or with the wider community.
I come from a background of drinking being a BIG thing in the culture of the company. Startups especially in tech were renowned for it. And my companies before have been in marketing or in fashion. Again with an old fashioned reliance on booze to do deals and break down barriers.
In the modern world of work, with less people drinking alcohol. We have to think more about food and eating together rather than drinking. This will definitely be something we will be discussing in our next event
Which will be online - so we can be as inclusive as we can be - and get as many people here to listen to our 3 amazing speakers. Our online event is Wednesday 15th February at 13:00 - 14:00pm.
It’s free to attend. PLUS when you sign up on Eventbrite you get the recording of the event.?
You can also sign up to this event with one click on LinkedIn. All very clever. So come along to it and learn about how we can make agencies great places to work. And discuss some of the changes that need to happen. And the drinking aspect and old school culture is one of them…
So it is not without irony I say:
Chin chin. And raise a glass to my business partner Michal.
And their new baby. If he arrives today.
Which I hope as today is also the day that Your FLOCK the employee feedback platform - gives birth to our new feature powered by OpenAI.
Exciting times for us all. More about both new editions - in the next edition. Which will now be next month. A great month. My birthday month. As we move this newsletter to each month. As the times they are a changin….
Next time I PROMISE IT WILL also be on a WEDNESDAY.
This is a one off as a special occasion.
Multilingual Executive or Personal Assistant / Office Manager / Office Coordinator / Event Manager / Administrator / Interpreter / Translator
2 年Hej Dan, how are you? Thanks for the interesting post. I feel that productivity and team synergies are definitely suffering in the new working remotely set up and it is generating new issues such as people at home feeling more isolated and lonelier and not so much part of a team/company as we did when we all spent more time working together in the office. I don't think WFH works equally well for all roles and I personally find it much harder and I miss the buzz of the 'energy in the office', getting to know my colleagues a little better every day, building good relations day-to-day and feeling that I am part of something. I think nowadays there is far too much time spent in conference calls and everything is lot slower to progress: even a quick phone call needs to be scheduled which makes any conversations a lot more 'diluted' and it takes much longer to make any progress in any interactions. In my opinion going to the office should not become a social event but part of building good cooperation and team dynamics and working well together. Are we perhaps losing focus on what work should be?! Thanks for your thoughts on this. ^_^
Inspirational keynote speaker / trainer and author about #AI, #Technology and the #futureofwork. Hire Dan as your inspirational #keynotespeaker for your next event, conference or training day.
2 年Spooky just in from Matthew Phelan - Does giving up alcohol impact your happiness? https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/does-giving-up-alcohol-make-you-happier-matthew-phelan/?trackingId=3wvATQTqWF0PM8sVkDuU8Q%3D%3D