Trust in people and get comfortable with being uncomfortable
Future of Work: 7 and 8 out of the 10 end states to aim for
The last year and a half has seen us get comfortable with the uncomfortable, as we’ve seen most parts of our lives and how we work turn upside down and on its head. Now we have a chance to reboot workplaces of the future with a fresh focus on culture, purpose, diversity and empathy.
We’ve identified ten big themes that we’ve seen in the most successful organisations we’ve worked with, and we’re revealing them 2 at a time in a series of articles. Catch article 1: hybrid working and a clear purpose, article 2: autonomous teams and serendipitous workplace, and article 3 here: humble adaptable leaders with purpose., continuing with #7:
7. People trust each other (and themselves)
When a company really trusts their people, they do things differently. “We let our 1,500 people schedule their own hours,” says Mark Walton of Sensée, a fully work-from-home company. “We don’t run any standard shift patterns.”
Trusting workplaces are about adult-to-adult relationships, not parent-to-child conversations. Managers who monitor where people are or question why they’re working at different times aren’t building a culture of trust.
“64% of people who say trust directly impacts their sense of belonging at work” — Trust in the modern workplace, UKG
But there’s much more to it than that. It means teams and individuals trusting themselves — to make decisions, to push back against leadership, and to build a powerful case for something new and different. Building that kind of trust and confidence can be a lifetime’s work for even the most talented manager.
“I trust that everyone comes to work wanting to do the right thing for our customer.” Liv Garfield, CEO, Severn Trent
At Magnetic, we often use innovation labs, workshops and large-scale RapidStart events to build confidence within teams. Once someone has built a product in 48 hours, presented it to the CEO and won the investment to take it further, they’re never quite the same again.
8. You don’t all look (or think, or live, or behave) the same
Leaders of diverse organisations are comfortable with being just a little bit uncomfortable.
“We’re still stuck with leaders who won’t make things uncomfortable,” says executive coach Catherine May. “They won’t take a chance on someone who doesn’t have the same experience as them.”
Rather than searching for individuals who are an obvious culture fit, Jonas Templestein, co-founder of Monzo, talks about searching for people who can help culture grow.
Focusing on diversity and inclusion has a profound, positive impact on creating a people-first culture. As we move away from a rigid culture of commuting and one-size-fits-all work days, there’s an extraordinary opportunity to change for the better.
Allowing greater flexibility increases the talent pool — and opens up jobs — to working mothers, carers and people with disabilities. It may mean that working parents can take types of jobs they couldn’t previously — or reduce stress and burnout in the job they’re in.
“Companies with diverse executive teams are consistently more profitable than their peers.” Delivering through diversity, McKinsey
Hybrid working, and recruiting staff from further afield, reaches people who can’t afford to live in cities.
When organisations practise diversity, the impact can be immediate: 20% of Sensée’s staff are registered disabled, working remotely as call-centre operators. CEO Mark Walton says: “We’ve unearthed a huge talent pool.”
Take a look at article 1 — Hybrid working, article 2 — Autonomous teams and serendipitous workplace, and article 3 — humble leaders with purpose.
This is an excerpt from our latest book Now for the tricky bit; it’s all about building stronger, happier businesses with purpose. Click here to request your copy now!
Magnetic is a design and innovation company that helps design better futures. We’ve worked with global businesses to build capabilities, products, services and transform organisations. To find out more, get in touch: hello@wearemagnetic.com.
