Simplify, Simplify, Simplify And Simplify Again

Businesses are investing more time in nurturing careers even before people have started out in the world of work or officially joined as an employee, knowing that this helps to raise the profile of their industry across more diverse demographics and broaden the talent pool over time. They understand that it is only by providing opportunities to accelerate, pause or switch career tracks to suit the individual that they will succeed in creating a genuinely diverse workforce. They listen to people’s priorities and ambitions, and encourage them to have a shot at these, knowing this might ultimately benefit the business just as much as the individual. They also excel at maintaining relationships with alumni employees, recognizing the value of a flourishing network where former employees become future clients, advocates or suppliers. Second, organizations are transparently setting out the time deal on offer. This approach is reflected in workplace policies and benefits that provide people with much greater autonomy and choice within a broadly defined offer. For example, how often are older, male candidates who are not primary carers favoured in promotion decisions above colleagues who have to preserve time for caring responsibilities, because they are seen as being more available and less constrained by their home lives? Or how often are white colleagues promoted earlier than colleagues of colour who have to achieve far more in the same working hours in order to overcome unconsciously biased mindsets and practices? Lately undervalued in corporate workplaces amidst the frenzy of multitasking, deadlines, travel schedules and long hours, time spent getting to know one another better and building bonds of trust drained away. Important interactions required a work output and a calendar invitation. We all have a fundamental need to feel heard, understood, included and appreciated. They listen well, include everyone, value different perspectives and demonstrate empathy. When managers aren’t committed to valuing individuals, employees are twice as likely to feel excluded and nearly three times more likely to leave.7 Furthermore, wellbeing increases when people rate their relationship with their employer highly.

The Show Must Go On

Neuroscience, and the science of happiness can enlighten us here. And our sense of happiness is determined by our average happiness over time, not the sum of all happy moments. This doesn’t mean that, to inelegantly paraphrase George Orwell,10 all times are equal. Some times are more equal than others. They cultivate and reward kindness and understand that it’s the organizational memories we create that knit us together into communities. For example, in one organization a handbell is rung to mark an individual’s or team’s success, inviting others to join in the celebrations. In another, a day spent helping a chosen charity is welcomed as a reward for achieving a stretch goal. My favourite work memory? We’re humans, not machines, so we need to minimize energy depletion, restore energy levels and keep our minds and bodies healthy. For the benefit for firms, workers and the public interest, we need to develop a more proactive approach to workplace health.’13 Proactive organizations are doing more than offering gym access, medical benefits, resilience training and mindfulness sessions. They are investing time in promoting healthy work habits that increase our time affluence and wellbeing. ‘I talk to my team about how to chunk up their time, don’t do emails constantly throughout the day.

Hope For The Future

They recognize that the outside world – society, their industry, their markets and customers – is constantly changing, and so too are the needs of their workforce. They appreciate that however efficient, productive and healthy it is, the way we work today may not be the right way to work tomorrow. Investing in improving their time culture may yield a positive impact in the short term, but if they tick the box to say ‘done’, this isn’t going to position them for continued success over the longer term. This is easier said than done, of course. Employees everywhere are tired of corporate initiatives, branded change programmes and the latest round of ‘moving the deckchairs’. By adopting a ‘growth’ rather than ‘fixed’ mindset, as described by Carol Dweck, professor at Stanford University and a leading voice in mindset psychology, organizations can foster the skills, curiosity and resilience needed to continuously adapt. Experimenting happens through questioning, testing, trialling and piloting, and rewarding all of these activities. It requires a safe environment for people to take measured risks and for failure to be accepted as a necessary part of learning and growing. By stepping away from the detail to the bird’s eye view, people can look more holistically at the situation, and are better able to spot underlying factors and grow their own capabilities. How often have you or a colleague suggested an idea that might solve a thorny problem or result in an innovation, only for it to be instantly discounted or slide quietly off the agenda? Keeping a collectively open mind is a learned skill that takes conscious, repeated effort. Expertly evolving organizations work hard to counter these behavioural traps. In meetings, they ask ‘What don’t we know yet?’ and ensure that everyone contributes their views before a decision is made.

All Quiet On The Western Front

They encourage employees to pursue outside interests and collaborations, knowing that these will help to bring in lateral thinking from other fields. In this environment, the role of the manager changes from supervisor to leader. They retain a high level of control over the team’s work. In contrast, when acting as a leader, the manager becomes coach and facilitator. Rather than being the expert who provides the answers, the manager uses coaching techniques to encourage team members to explore possibilities, try different strategies and reflect on their successes and failures. They drive improved retention, creativity, diversity, belonging, wellbeing and ownership, and in terms of business outcomes, contribute to greater business resilience, productivity, agility and innovation. Adopting these traits will help you to make progress in other organizational goals as well as improving your time culture. How can we spot it in action or describe it to colleagues? If you are wondering how to identify the most important ones to implement or the order in which to tackle these, then hold that thought.