Evolution of Work: Trust, Transparency and Transformation in a Hybrid Reality

Don39t miss the first annual Advancing Diversity Week with panels moderated by Shelley Zalis Ronda Carnegie and Danielle Kayembe of The Female Quotient September 2023 Click here to registerCourageous LeadershipIn this new normal Stephanie McKee Vice President Human Resources at IPG emphasized the importance of quotbuilding connections and relationships that are driven by courageous leadership fueled by sensitivity and emotional intelligence EQquot as organizations create new processes while maintaining their cultural identity She shared the highlights of the recent memo from IPG CEO Philippe Krakowsky on quotMoving Forward Togetherquot which outlined how the company was planning to implement flexible work arrangements while maintaining safety and recognizing the importance of an quotiterative processquot that will require trial and error with continual refinementFlex RulesThe key takeaway from all the panelists was simply that quotone size does not fit allquot and leaders need to take the time to lend an empathetic ear to the needs of each department when designing for flexibility Faye Tylee Chief Human Resources Officer at Avaya shared the importance of thinking quotbeyond Work from Home WFH to Work from Anywhere Anytime WAA the third place creating a sense of flexibility and community through digital tools and resourcesquotThe key to creating flexibility is to first spend time understanding how high performing teams behave and from that zero in on what actions individual team members need to take to create a flywheel of collaboration empowerment and business results It is an optimization exercise of maximizing performance while also recognizing the job to be done team member preferences equity and fairness considerations and OKRs objectives and key resultsTime and Place DimensionsTina Daniels Managing Director Google shared how the tech giant is providing both time and place flexibility while still maintaining its officecentric culture through a threeday workfromtheoffice policy and a onemonth workfromanywhere benefit In terms of the place dimension Megan Smith Head HR Canada SAP emphasized that work location decisions should be driven by the nature of the job and task at hand quotWhen the work involves brainstorming and visuals for ideasharing the inperson place is idealquot she said Smith also highlighted the value of using digital collaboration tools for more everyday decisionmaking and routine discussions The key is to take an agile and iterative approach as we continue to learn how to operate in this new mixed mode worldPreferences vs Fairness TradeoffThe panelists also emphasized the important tradeoff between meeting individual employee needs while maintaining fairness and standardization across a diverse employee populationAparna Seethepalli Senior Director AdTech ampamp Data Innovation Partnerships at Yahoo used the metaphor of a garden with different plant varieties each with unique needs and emphasized that leaders need to take a quotpersonbyperson approach while maintaining a macro landscape view of the team to ensure it thrives and growsquotMcKee emphasized the quotimportance for leaders to be aware of the values that drive their teams and think of the motivational impact on talent retention and attractionquot She also underscored that team members need to see authenticity and consistency in the actions leaders take highlighting that quotleaders need to rolemodel the behavior they are encouraging if you want teams to flex then as a leader you need to flex alsoquot Another important leadership trait is the ability to listen with empathy and handle the delicate tension when making quotdecisions that are best at the individual level and at the corporation levelquotPerformance ImperativeUltimately the workplace policies adopted need to drive performance individual performance team performance and company performance Importantly it also needs to align with the cultural forces that permeate the company and values that shape behavior Given the stellar performance in the last 18 months of many of the world39s largest tech advertising and media companies the question is how to maintain this trajectory in the brave new reality of hybrid workquotIf you are going to be successful in any company you are signing up to work a lot and being engaged and inperson is fundamental to career advancementquot Daniels asserted The panelists agreed that one of the key drivers of success is relationships and creating an environment where serendipitous interactions occur at a healthy velocity is important to keep employees energized and engaged Further ensuring leaders provide autonomy is critical so that individuals and teams can decide on when and how to create those serendipitous moments both offline and onlineAll the panelists pointed to the important role that innovation plays as an engine for growth and said the right talent model needs to be designed to trigger the sparks of creativity freedom of expression and empowerment that will ultimately fuel breakthrough thinking As we redesign and evolve the work model there is a recognition that organizations that effectively balance performance imperatives with individual work preferences will win the war for talent leading to exceptional growth that is powered by a bolder more empowered and more human workforce than ever beforePhoto credit Domenico Loia UnsplashClick the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Evolution of Work: Trust, Transparency and Transformation in a Hybrid Reality

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Raquelle Zuzarte

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