by Lydia Suffling

In our fast-paced working world, one thing we don’t often stop to consider is how we relate to the concept of ‘work’ – what is work, what should it look like, and how responsive should we be to cultural and contextual changes in the 21st century?

Seismic events throughout the last 3 years have impacted our answers to these questions, and how we relate to the concept of work as individuals and communities. Often underestimated is the importance of the working population in constructing what it means to be at work, and to be successful. When we drill down on these things, there is nothing tangible to find, except a fuzzy general consensus – to be responsive as employers and get the best out of our people, we need to listen out for shifts in this consensus and consider how it impacts our approach. 

At 4OC, we understand how central individuals and communities are to organisational success, and how important it is to listen openly, explore the frontiers of working practices and support employees to adapt and change as the world of work evolves.

To this end, I recently attended Birkbeck’s Summer Seminar, focused on understanding current workforce challenges. Throughout the day, we discussed perennial factors such as effectively using strengths and values, igniting passion toward organisational objectives, retaining talent, as well as interesting new perspectives on hybrid working practices, the four-day working week and embracing diversity. Innovating in these areas can support employees in feeling seen, heard and invested in. While it might feel like a mammoth challenge, culture change starts with just a conversation.   

So how about you – what would you like work to look and feel like in your organisation? What might you change? How might you start the conversation? 

If you’d like to discuss this more, feel free to contact me at lydia.suffling@the4oc.com.