I need to know what’s the scariest thing about your new office TODAY?
It was scary. A couple of HUGE playbooks for the future of work hit this week. And because it’s half term in the UK — this edition will be slightly shorter than normal. As you can spend your time reading some amazing stuff. From these two MASSIVE research companies and thought leaders.
This is not to say I don’t have more to comment on. But let’s give ourselves some time to digest them. And reflect .
TOP AND TAIL OF IT.
Forrester’s Workforce Survey, 2022, reveals that two-thirds of European online adults. Expect to be allowed to work from home more often. And as they put it.
“Those employers who try to force them back into offices can expect protests and attrition.”
Ouch.
Perhaps with more data — as can make the office a better place for people to come back to…
But as Patrick O’Riordan rightly says:
“If the ‘office’ was great, this wouldn’t be up for debate.”
To further add weight to this argument.
You can look across the pond to see Nick Bloom’s data on how the US is working from home more. His data remains the best source of information on how the new world of work is shaping up for them.
But are we the same in the UK? I think it is. For those that can. Which is a MASSIVE change when you think about it. There is also a generational difference which makes a profound difference. See below…
Interesting to see the C-suite wanting to be in the office for longer than most. However, they are the exception. As in general the research says that
“In the UK, 70% of workers say splitting their time between the office and home as it makes it easier to look after their mental health.”
And what I can say. As reported in the new Kleiner Perkins People Report 2022 (aka the first playbook to digest…) is that…
“Prior to COVID, the majority of companies were 100% in-office. Fast forward 2.5 years later, <10% of companies surveyed are 100% in-office.”
So now we MUST be looking at “HOW” to do this.
Not the why. Or even the “what”. But how. And much of this rests with those above us. And for many (including some of them) this is the scary thing.
What I can tell you is that. According to the research.
1. Leaders Need to Offer Clarity of Direction and Thoughtful Transparency
We need leaders not managers or bosses. The ‘best’ workplace model is company dependent and there is no ‘wrong’ model. Leaders need to be intentional about the company culture they want to develop. And be able and willing to articulate why.
2. Workplace Culture Matters
It’s no longer just a buzz term. And this is precisely why we are building Your FLOCK our team engagement platform. To give leaders the feedback they need. Based on real data. Especially when people are working less and less IN the office.
3. Laying the Talent Foundation for Growth
Many companies pre and during the pandemic seem to have over over-hired before. Which might be the reason for so much of what is happening today. Especially in the tech sectors. And many companies have not evolved past the crisis management stage. So if your organisations doesn’t have the basics of the employee experience covered. Then you wont get to the advanced topics. Such as pay equity, equity refreshers, promotions, and top talent retention.
Another thing about laying the foundations.
Might be HOW we look at the office space itself. If we have one at all. Without or without foundations. As Chris Herd rightly says:
“Offices will evolve to become experiential centres like gyms that enable you to work out and build the skills of communication and collaboration. Time together will come with purpose — like onboarding new workers and immersing them in how to operate professionally.”
His last point echoes what I talk about in my TedxTalk. About conscious gathering. Whilst the onboarding part is key I believe. As businesses need to invest in proper onboarding as:
“79% of survey participants in a survey by Rippling “believe they can predict whether they’ll like a new job based solely on the onboarding process”
So whether people feel like they will like their new job is mainly based on the onboarding part of their employee experience. This should come as no surprise. But HOW do you give a positive experience when people aren’t coming to the office as much anymore? And then after the onboarding — how do you retain your top talent.
This retention of top talent is what we are all about at Your FLOCK. So it was lovely to see the stats from one of our clients. Who are reporting that they halved their employee turnover. Based over the industry standards in the very competitive world of recruitment.
And we believe at Your FLOCK that it’s these facts about Sixty Eight People that make their business even stronger. Here I quote directly from Abi Dunn the founder…
“✅ We are a team of 15 and our employee turnover is 6%*.
✅Our purpose, vision and values are here https://lnkd.in/ev7ZDYcq
✅Our NPS is 84%.
✅Our YourFLOCK the team engagement platform employee engagement score is 96%.
✅Our job fill rate is 150% greater than industry average (according to Vincere.io)
Transparency is an essential part of our challenge in how recruitment partnerships work. It will move the recruitment sector forwards significantly.”
And we at Your FLOCK believe so too. We also believe that successful businesses look after their people first. And then become successful. It’s not just in transparency it’s
That’s all very well. But “what of the second playbook” I hear you cry( or scream…)
This has been curated by Mark Eddleston and is so useful and huge. That it would take several newsletters to explain it all. So I will instead let you have a read and a play. As Mark himself says
“Use this playbook to explore key patterns found in progressive organisations & to experiment with some of the most helpful practices out there.”
And with that thought. And with Halloween quickly approaching. And maybe your halloween office party… (which is scary enough) I bid you farewell.
Want to make sure your company culture development isn’t scary. Then use Your FLOCK to get the employee engagement and feedback you need. And base your decisions as a team leader or founder of a company on real life, not just the ghosts of the past.
And as this is all a bit scary and a downer. Let me swap this over on its head and offer the thoughts of this time from a Dawali POV instead and go for the light.
With some amazing wisdom shining a light in the darkness. Hot off the press today — from the legend that is Seth Godin (who I might be sharing the stage with next year! Or at least the podcast area… More about this next time.)
I will leave you with this illuminating thought…
Handy, cheap and willing
“The industrial age prized these three attributes. We’ve all been indoctrinated into adopting them through our time in organized schooling, and it’s easy to imagine that the world still wants this.
When work is geographically bounded and the assembly line is the dynamic of efficiency, this is precisely what’s sought. Your resume certifies that you have what it takes to check the boxes, and the hiring company adjusts its offered pay to get the folks it needs, when they need them.
But now the rules have changed, suddenly and perhaps for the long haul.
There are still companies, many of them, searching for HCW. But those aren’t jobs we actually want.
When your job is digital, when you can work from home, there is no such thing as “handy.” That means that the company is either going to hire the cheapest possible person out of perhaps a billion worldwide, or get a computer to do it, or…
Or they need to hire someone special.
Someone with significant skills.
They might be the traditional sort of skills. That you’re actually truly great at coding or design or engineering. You’ve done the reading, built a body of work and earned the respect of your peers. That you’re not saying, “you need anyone, and I’m anyone,” but instead, are demonstrably and substantially better at the craft.
Or they could be real skills, which some call soft skills. That you bring emotional labor, thoughtful analysis, care, humor, equanimity or other difficult human actions to the work. Significantly more than most people do.
If you’re off the chart at this, it will be valued by the places you’d be happiest working.
The good news is that there’s a path. The hard part is digging in and becoming better than good.
Not better than good at everything, or even better than good for everyone. Simply better than good for someone.”
Here’s to hoping you found this newsletter — simply better than good for you too.
So I need to know what’s the scariest thing about your new office TODAY?
Do comment below.
References for this blog — originally on LinkedIn for Your FLOCK :
https://www.linkedin.com/news/story/what-people-want-from-the-office-now-5025377/
https://coda.io/@kleinerperkinspeoplereport/2022-kp-people-report/workplace-culture-18
https://coda.io/@kleinerperkinspeoplereport/2022-kp-people-report/benefits-19
https://www.forrester.com/predictions/europe-2023
https://go.forrester.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Predictions-2023-Europe.pdf
