104 | Future of Work - What Now? | Kevin Empey

On this episode of Building Better Cultures we’re checking in with Kevin Empey, Managing Director of WorkMatters, who first shared thoughts about pandemic fall-out back in March 2021 (Ep 61)   Kevin details various models going forward and where the priorities must lie for leaders invested in cultivating agility as well as sustainability. The need for onsite collaboration and innovation is real, but so are the advantages virtual workers have seen in skipping their commutes. Are hybrid solutions a brilliant compromise or the source of confusing mixed messages? Finding the right balance will require leaders to develop experiential metrics as well as communications that resonate with the hearts and minds of employees. “We have an opportunity to reset workplace culture and reaffirm it,” says Kevin. “And also maybe to lose some of those values that we said were important, but in fact actually are not.” Employee experience and servant leadership loom large on the new Work 4.0 horizon – one ideally based in fulsome, authentic values and transparency. What signals is your workplace culture sending in this time of transition?   Key Takeaways:  Pandemic overnight transformed old, arguably broken models of workplace culture.  What’s coming next? Organisational culture has been infused with a complexity of choice, modes of operation, challenges and opportunities.  Should leaders embrace flexibility or prioritize certainty? Kevin advocates for “freedom within a frame,” providing guardrails while preserving a critical measure of flexibility.  Workplace culture has been forever redefined by the upsides that employees have experienced in working remotely. There is an element of questioning that makes directives less easily rolled out than in the past.  Change management today requires more intentionality than ever, with leadership mapping communications to employee hearts and minds.   Office productivity and meaningful collaboration have a bar to meet. Employees no longer want to default to long commutes just to check the box.  What’s does Work 4.0 look like? Kevin sees two intersecting horizons:  The 2022 Agenda: Helping leaders and managers navigate the transition to new work models that are sustainable and effective today.  The Long-Term Agenda: Visioning objectives, strategies and cultural values that will drive greater adaptivity and agility moving into the future.  Kevin believes several factors that will be determinative of corporate fates:  Whether flexible, forward-looking models for performance management, rewards, development, recruitment and succession are adopted.  Whether leaders put in place processes adapted to new workplace cultures.  Whether Future of Work strategy is leveraged to examine and redefine who, how, why and whether certain workplace processes remain viable.    Whether agile cultural, leadership and employee experience strategies are established and sustainable in the long term.  Advice for maximizing organizational opportunity at this juncture: Implement coaching and HR support to foster servant leadership. Adopt strategies that thoughtfully reflect corporate values and culture. Acknowledge and address leadership vulnerability in the face of unknown variables and change. Balance open communications and a human-centered approach with a more directive, command-and-control leadership style where indicated.  Moving ahead cultural values are center stage, revealing truths and challenging received wisdom about what works and doesn’t for employees across demographics.  Leaders are faced with a unique opportunity to undertake a robust assessment of the values that underpin their cultures and will shape workplace health going into the future.  ABOUT KEVIN EMPEY Kevin is the founder of WorkMatters, a leadership and organisation development consulting firm focused on supporting business leaders, HR leaders and their employees prepare for the changing world of work. Website: https://workmatters.ie  WorkMatters @LinkedIn  Kevin @LinkedIn  Kevin @Twitter    ABOUT SCOTT MCINNES Learn more about Scott McInnes, your host and the Founder and Director of Inspiring Change, by clicking here.  ABOUT WORKVIVO If you’re struggling with communications in this time of new hybrid workplace conditions, click here to explore Workvivo, a collaboration platform that offers seamless digital integration.