Can we rehumanise the workplace and still work remotely?

First published on COMUNiTI, October 2023

Many organisations continue to question their position on hybrid work. And it’s understandable, given that it’s such a multifaceted challenge.

On one hand, leaders are thinking about what’s best for the business:

  Are people productive when they work at home?

  What does hybrid work mean for our investment in office space?

  If people don’t work from the office full-time, should they still ‘own’ a desk?

And on the other hand, they’re considering what’s best for employees:

  If we introduce a ‘number of in-office days’ policy, does it erode trust and trigger turnover?

  How do we balance the need for individual flexibility and team connection?

  What impact is hybrid work having on culture?

As they ponder these questions and more, they often ask COMUNiTI for our insights. And while...

Down the East Coast of Australia and in the West, I’ve had some really interesting conversations with business leaders lately, as we navigate the workplace dynamics that are emerging in our post-pandemic world. 

Here are two trends that I’m observing, and they are consuming many workplace strategy conversations right now, particularly as organisations are acutely focused on managing psychosocial risks.

Workplace Dynamic #1:  Digital collaboration continues, but IRL

What’s happening?

Meetings are continuing to happen on Teams or Zoom, despite the fact that all the people who need to be at the meeting are in the same office. That’s right! People are logging onto digital platforms with their noise-canceling headphones to collaborate when they might be sitting just a couple of seats or rows away from each other.

Why it’s happening

When I dig into this dynamic, teams tell me that it’s driven by two key things:

• Firstly, office noise....

 21 kids. 30 team members. 10 years. The COMUNiTI Crew has achieved a lot! 

As part of COMUNiTI’s 10 year celebration I want to celebrate our network of employees, contractors, and collaborators. Our team size has ebbed and flowed over the years as we scaled the business and repositioned ourselves, and throughout the journey there’s so many who have been dedicated to our success and an incredible support network for my family and I.
 
If you run a business or lead a team I’m sure you’ll agree — teamwork is a special kind of magic. When people come together and minds meet, sparks fly. Teams bring simple joy to the toughest days. They share hopes for the future and make the plans to get there even better through creativity and fun. And over time, teams forge deep connections that go far beyond work itself. At COMUNiTI, the idea of our team being a ‘family’ is more than a cute label — our wider team has included 21 kids over...

 To celebrate COMUNiTI’s 10 year anniversary, we’re releasing a series to showcase the amazing community of people who have been part of our journey. 

And of course, who better to kick-start the celebrations than one of my favourite clients — Entain.

If you’ve ever had a cheeky flutter on the horses, a punt on the ponies, or placed a bet on your favourite sporting team, odds are, you’ve done business with Entain — the home of Ladbrokes and Neds. They’re the smart and talented team shaping the future of digital entertainment by creating the next generation of betting products.

Together we delivered a workplace strategy that addressed Entain’s immediate space and growth challenges. After a series of business mergers Entain acquired adjacent tenancies to provide space for their growing team. But this had also created mismatched and segregated areas, with outdated work points, limited collaboration space and poor layout planning.

...

WOW!  I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be back in a room filled with such passionate, kind and enlightened people working to do good in their organisations. 

I’ve been in Sydney this past week at the annual Thriving Workplace event hosted by Sophie & Claire from The Serenity Collective.   

This is NOT your typical “conference”.  This is a community of people having deep, meaningful and life changing conversations on the future of work and our responsibilities as leaders to create the change from the inside out. 

In true heartfelt connection to the people in the room and the ground that we stood upon, we were warmly welcomed with a beautiful traditional ochre ceremony, by Susan Moylan-Coombs.  This ceremony invited us to;

• consciously reflect on our connection to one another;
• to be open to the ways and beliefs of others;
• to listen with the intention of hearing;
• and to speak words of kindness and...

Despite our best efforts, none of us are immune to the feeling overwhelm... myself included!  

With the start of another year, I felt that black cloud closing in as I navigated the first week back at work, juggling the many demands of work and life on my time.  

Fortunately, over time, I have established a well prepared toolkit to help me dissolve its effects when this feeling starts to creep in.  

My word this year is SPACIOUS.  The intention of this is that I intend to live a spacious and expansive life.  One that enables me to prioritise my own health and wellbeing.  I've found that sticking to these 5 things on a weekly basis has also helped to manage the inevitable feeling of overwhelm and feel more in control of my days and my time.   So much so that I have scheduled Slow Mornings in my diary, twice a week. 

#1. GET OUTSIDE

A growing body of research and even a new stream of science called ...