In March 2020, Millions of us left the office to begin a new way of working and work has never been the same since. The debate about hybrid working continues to exercise the minds of many senior execs but is hybrid working just a mere consequence of something much greater than about where we work but instead how we work, why we work and the culture and purpose of who we work for?
In The Nowhere Office, Julia Hobsbawm draws upon history, cutting-edge research and data and extensive interviews with some of the world’s leading workplace thinkers and philosophers looking at the social, cultural and political context of the changes in the workplace. For the HR profession, the challenge is immense and if as Julia describes HR as the ‘undernourished bullied child of the c-suite’, what future does the profession have if it fails to respond to the world of The Nowhere Office.
In this fascinating episode you’ll discover:
What does working in an office mean today? The office used to be about the ‘place’ but now it’s about so much more such as how we work and why we work;
Julie describes the pandemic as the ‘tipping point’. Workers frustration with the world of work was already there and the pandemic became the agent of change;
Some commentators have argued that hybrid working is great for the worker but the benefits are less clear for the organisations. Julia disputes this view that if hybrid working is good for employees then surely that’s good for the organisation;
Her view on ‘Peloton’ Politics’ and ‘Flex Shaming’- and the media stories surrounding some senior government workers who’ve found more time for the exercises regime;
How time has been called on offices being ‘palaces of presenteeism’;
How existing management and leadership systems are not fit for purpose as evidenced by low productivity, absenteeism and toxic work culture;
To be at the vanguard of future organisational life, HR needs to shed some layers and ‘kill some darlings’;
At their worst, HR have been the enablers of ‘terrible leadership’ but redemption for JR is possible by championing ‘social health’
How the office of the future is likely to resemble a private members’ club or an airline lounge
Resources:
Home
https://www.juliahobsbawm.com/
The Nowhere Office
https://www.linkedin.com/in/podcasthost/
Twitter: @OvenHr
https://www.personneltoday.com
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To listen to the full episode and view all the other Oven-Ready HR podcast episodes or find out more about Oven-Ready HR and Chris Taylor your show host visit https://ovenreadyhr.com
