Transforming the Future of Work into a Future that Works!
GTA - Future of Work
Making the ever-evolving future of work understandable and actionable for all. A global thinktank of 500+ leaders.
Building organisational resilience
Beena Chester, Director of Business Engagement, Resilience First and GTA Future of Work Board member, explores how leaders can best navigate the future of work. Through ?changing mindsets, offering an attractive working environment and employment package, businesses can future proof their workforce in today’s increasingly competitive landscape.
Looking back
Following the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, many CEOs today are still struggling with the realisation that the bulk of their employees prefer to work from home, with many senior leaders thinking of ways to entice their teams back into the office, such as with free Danish pastries in the morning; and worrying about the effect of having a dispersed workforce on their organisational culture and business growth.
In truth, working from home could be more productive for some depending on the nature of the businesses they are in or individual personality traits. ?In fact, prior to the pandemic, when remote working was enforced, ?our nation already had a large cohort of people working from home. 1.7 million people in the UK worked from home prior to the coronavirus pandemic, which caused a seismic shift in working habits and methods – with an estimated 20 million people then relocating to home offices, according to a Business Leader News article (rf1).
This triggered the fast adoption of and investment in remote work software, equipment and partnering tools, which became central to building the organisational resilience of businesses, to be able to continue communication, collaboration, and operations during the disruptions and ensuring efficiency and preparedness. However, this also exposed businesses to a number of IT security risks let alone probing questions as to productivity, team building /bonding/ mentoring, creativity and business relationships, creating quite a conundrum for CEOs.
Looking forward
As businesses continue to operate in a world of flux, complexity, interdependencies, and crises, having the right team on board remains critical to success. ?
According to Gartner, a leading research and advisory firm, the three top priorities that CEOs were to focus on in 2023 to drive business success were all related to the future of work. ?These were: Growth, Tech Related and Workforce (rf2). ?And the common thread in all three was the importance of the people in your organisations and creating the right working conditions.
This was further supported by another leading global consultancy McKinsey & Partners when writing about the Six CEO Priorities for 2023 (rf3), as they also pointed out that nurturing and fostering talent as one of the key immediate priorities for business leaders to consider in order to attract, retain and motivate the best people, and drive business growth.
Homayoun Hatami, Senior Partner in McKinsey’s Paris office, summarises this well in their report, when saying, ‘Resilient organisations put a lot of effort into the most value-driving roles and having the best talent in those roles, because with the best teams, good things happen—even in tougher times.’ (rf 3)
The beginnings of a new working relationship
According to International SOS’ Risk Outlook 2024 | Five Predictions for 2024 (rf4), employers will have to consider creating a new working relationship within their organisations, in order to attract, retain and motivate the best talents with a greater focus on a duty of care.
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Climate change, geopolitics, cost of living crises are amongst just a few of the issues that are making the workplace environment even more challenging, with International SOS’ report seeing an increase in businesses commenting on burn out, stress and even violence at work becoming concerns that they are having to address.
As such, business leaders will need to change their mindsets and ensure that they are able to offer an attractive working environment and employment package, if they are to recruit and hold on to their best talent. ?This must include flexible working conditions, health boosting initiatives and training opportunities as well as creating dedicated moments to recognise and thank their employees. Whilst none of these are particularly new, their growth in importance is!
Ginni Rometty, American Business Executive, former Executive Chairman of IBM and author of ‘Good Power’, captured this new imperative well, by saying, ‘At the end of the day, in this environment right now, the number one thing a company can do to build the most inclusive and productive workforce is to create a skills-first culture, not just a program.’ (rf 3)
References
About Beena Chester
As Global Director of Business Engagement, Beena is responsible for the strategic partnership and engagement direction of Resilience First’s corporate membership and networks.
With over 20 years’ experience in the membership sector, Beena was previously the Events Director at London First (now BusinessLDN), where she grew their programme of membership engagement through an expanded calendar of events with senior executives and politicians, whilst at the same time leading on large-scale commercial summits (including East West Institute’s second Worldwide Cyber Security Summit) and awards ceremonies. Beena also spearheaded Skills London, the UK’s largest careers fair for 15 to 24 years old, and the London Planning Awards, organised in partnership with the Mayor of London.
Prior to that, Beena was the Head of Membership at the French Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain (FCCGB), where she grew their membership base and introduced new member services to increase the network’s engagement. At the FCCGB, Beena also had the opportunity to work with the French government as well as HRH The Prince of Wales (now King Charles III).
Beena currently sits on the Board of the Global Tech Advocates Future of Work Committee and is excited to also recently be appointed to the International Security Expo Advisory Council.
Outside of work, Beena enjoys life with her family, yoga and travelling.