Collaboration Forum Series 5: Building a brighter future (Week-2)

A curious thing has happened in the past year: companies have learned, when they needed to the most, how to speak ‘human’. The veil has been lifted, people have seen into each other’s homes, and in some cases the narrowing work-life divide has brought them closer. Colleagues have learned more about each other and some leaders have realised what truly matters. Now, this sense of community created in crisis, offers an opportunity for a caring and compassionate future.

According to Steven Buck, head of people science at Glint, HR directors have been thrust into the centre of the boardroom, in response to the pandemic. Leaders that were previously content with managing people through KPIs, now realise they need to foster a sense of belonging, he says. Karen Jones, a managing director at Denison Consulting, agrees and believes companies have made great strides in their communications with employees. Dan Sodergren from technology start-up Your Flock says his data shows companies are becoming more caring.

This is good news. But it’s only the start of the cultural challenge (and opportunity) that companies face. As they reflect on these positive reports of human engagement and communication, they will also be aware of the flipsides of pandemic working: a lack of physical connection, leading to a rise in burnout; digital exhaustion from hours at the screen; and the perplexing challenge of managing a hybrid workplace in the future. There is a long list for leaders to reconcile, even if they are stewarding strong cultures already.

“We commit to something we see value in. In my experience, even before virtual working, we never sorted out the purpose of having a really good meeting, for example. How many people turned up and said: ‘well, I’m not sure why I’m here’. There’s also a myth right now that introverts are loving it because they’re at home in their offices and nobody’s bothering them. And extroverts are going crazy because they’re not having the daily contact they had. That may not be true. It’s about driving down to that deeper level of belief. What are we all believing and assuming to be true, and when does that need to be challenged, to reconnect with people?”

“I start with what an organisation is about and what they want to achieve; then design the cultural imperatives and values around that, before making sure they are trickling down, and being demonstrated by leaders. A very good example of this, at the moment, is diversity and inclusion. I’m still seeing organisations with all these wonderful hashtags and pieces of marketing being pumped out by groups of middle-aged white men. Until those messages are actually being put into practice, not just into words, how on earth can you expect them to trickle down to the teams and hiring managers?”