While some people have thrived from working at home, others have not; the government’s plea for us to “get back to work” has seen a range of different reactions. But just how should we go about it? In truth, none of us really know how this is going to play out. But what we do know, is that amidst the turmoil, we’ve been presented with a golden opportunity to make the future of work better than it was before.
If you haven’t joined our brilliant community on the reset show, then we strongly urge you to do so. Last week, we put our heads together to start co-creating our vision of the future workplace – you can watch the playback here. None of us want a return to the ways things were, so we asked as big question – just what could the future of work be like? Here’s what we talked about:
- Flexibility is not the same as working from home
Flexibility is about choice. We asked how we can give employees the autonomy to decide where and when, and how they work best. A pretty radical idea for many organisations, but the Covid crisis has opened people up to possibilities that once seemed completely off the table - We still need ‘watercooler’ conversations
Something that many miss when working away from the office, are the informal chats, banter, the catch ups over a coffee or lunch, and the beer after. We know that these informal, unplanned moments aren’t just good for the soul, but they benefit the work we do as well. And they aren’t quite working in the virtual world. - We’re excited about the opportunity to ‘mix it up’
Freelancers and small businesses have long benefited from the ‘we-work’ approach to office space. Mixing with like-minded people from different companies and industries gives rise to innovation, collaboration and more. But are we ready for larger companies to adopt this style of working? There’s a confidentiality issue for many, but that said just how many people do you see slogging away on their evening commute, and is this really any different? - We like spending more time in our local community
Whether you are team ‘work from home’ or team ‘office’, pretty much everyone said they liked being around their local community more. People like buying a sandwich locally, not getting in the car, or on a train every single day, and generally being more present in the place they have chosen to live.
When we distilled down the conversations we had, and the prevailing themes emerged, what was clear was that the future of work is actually all about how we’ll connect. Not electronically, but with each other. With colleagues, with our boss, with our team, with friends at work, with the organisation itself, with customers, and suppliers and more. But also how we can connect with our local community, with family, friends and even with ourselves.
The way work was BC (before Covid) often felt like an ‘either/or’ deal. Maintaining a work-life balance was a hot topic for a reason – it was the holy grail of working life. Now we’re exploring a world where just maybe we can have it all.
Brené Brown argues that our purpose in life is to connect with other people in meaningful ways. So why not create organisations that enable us to do this, both inside and outside of work.
Join us at the next reset show on 23rd September, at 1pm (BST) to continue the conversation, let’s use this as a moment to seize the opportunity and to connect. We’re going to explore leadership and love, really hope you can join us.
